Talk:Lolo Soetoro

Claims of being a "nominal" Muslim
I'm going to remove claims of "nominal" Islam, and a non-religious household. After scouring all the sources, there is no proof that Soetoro did not practice Islam whole-heartedly past Barack's own word - undeniably politically motivated. If we are supposed to implicitly trust the word of politicians-elect on matters concerning their race to political power, then why not edit Barack Obama's page to call him the president already! Perhaps the original author neglected to notice the fact that in the articles sourced, there is a case of bad journalism. The journalist makes the assumption from the quote: "My mother, whose parents were nonpracticing Baptists and Methodists, was one of the most spiritual souls I ever knew, but she had a healthy skepticism of religion as an institution. And as a consequence, so did I," that it may be assumed that Obama's household was not religious. When additional information states that Obama's mother and Soetoro were not actually very close, a schism in religious belief is very plausible. What you're basing the claim of nominal Islam and an irreligious household on are the idle speculations of a reporter taking a quote from a book too far. If you insist on keeping the sources, at least amend the statement because, quite simply, the information in the article is insufficient to be making such claims.

Also, Soetoro was indeed known to eat bacon on occasion, but this is hardly refutal of his practice of Islam in general. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.171.244.205 (talk) 22:05, 26 August 2008 (UTC)


 * In fact, without the following sentence attacking the household's religious status, the bacon comment seems rather silly and out-of-place. I'm removing it as well. If someone really has a hardon for that little piece of information, perhaps you should find a place in the article where it flows better. And whoever's undoing the changes I made, I invite you to discuss this here instead of resorting to childish games. 76.171.244.205 (talk) 00:17, 27 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I've made my case, if you want to continue the edit wars, so be it. 76.171.244.205 (talk) 00:17, 27 August 2008 (UTC)


 * As I recall, Lolo's daughter also said that her father was not religious - and Barack's book was written long before this election campaign - so your assumption that what it contains is politically motivated is your opinion, nothing more. As for whether the journalist made a bad assumption, your argument seems  also to be your original research, not particularly backed up by anything.  By  reverting to your preferred text you're the one who is edit warring - I've only returned the text to the original one time -  so rather than being sarcastic, why don't you wait and see what the regular editors here have to say and if they have better sources. And rather than removing the text, you could have added a request for citations with the  tag. In fact I was not a supporter of keeping this article, but if it's going to be here, it needs to be correct and not a vehicle for specious implications about Obama's religious background.  Tvoz / talk 00:31, 27 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Well, I have to say I appreciate a reply at last, but as I recall (heh), "as you recall" is not a standard for Wikipedia entries. And on the Original Research nonsense... It's obvious with a smidgeon of critical thinking (read: not research) that the journalist has made a mistake. Where we as Wikipedians are expected to provide sources for our outlandish claims, the same burden is shunted unto journalists. Now, we can assume a bit of journalistic integrity, but nowhere in Amanda Ripley's article is there a smidgeon of directly supporting evidence that Lolo Soetoro himself is irreligious.


 * I contend that the articles cited are insufficient, as the pieces of work themselves indicate unreliability. There has to be at least a little bit of evaluation in what sources are considered reliable. Let me give you a quick summation if that was a tl;dr.


 * Within the article:


 * source: ""My mother, whose parents were nonpracticing Baptists and Methodists, was one of the most spiritual souls I ever knew, but she had a healthy skepticism of religion as an institution. And as a consequence, so did I."


 * claim: Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population, but Obama's household was not religious.


 * Now, if you can find a separate source (perhaps the one quoting Lolo's daughter) I would have no problem with this claim. As is, however, shoddy journalism used as citation renders me unable to stand behind this entry's claims of nominal practice.76.171.244.205 (talk) 00:51, 27 August 2008 (UTC)


 * This article, as it stands, seems properly and reputably sourced. If someone wishes to claim that the statement is not true, then he/she should find a reputable counterclaim. BTW, USA is a Christian country, but filled with non-practicing Christians. Bellagio99 (talk) 01:33, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I just made some additional edits. All available sources I've seen on Lolo indicate he was a Muslim in only the most general way. Calling him a "nominal Muslim" seems quite fiting given the sources.

Reporters have sent dispatches back with interviews from former teachers, school mates, etc. Obama has written on the subject. His sister has commented on it too. We have to use the available sources which point to a non-religious family--at least regarding practicing a certain faith. Barack didn't seem to find religion that resonated with him until Chicago. His brief time in Indonesia, to date, offers no indication that he was a practicing Muslim, let alone exposed to Muslim extremism, a widely circulated rumor. He was exposed to muslims practices it seems as a visiting foreigner. Extrapolating from that goes beyond the scope of the sources.--Utahredrock (talk) 06:23, 27 August 2008 (UTC)
 * URR - didn't you or Justme have a source for Maya's stating her father was not a practicing Muslim? I don't have time to check back - but that might help here. (To 76.171: that's why I said "as I recall", not because a recollection is enough on its own - I think a source had been discussed here or on a related article or AfD not long ago.) Tvoz / talk 07:02, 27 August 2008 (UTC)
 * In my recent edits I referred again to http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703250340mar25,0,4122936.story which covers this well. Obama also writes about it in his book, but some of the reporting from Indonesia adds crebilitiy. CNN did some reports I know. Utahredrock (talk) 08:30, 27 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I want to reply to the original poster: "Soetoro is known to eat Bacon". Now, where does he eat bacon? In Indonesia, bacon/ham are made of beef/chicken despite the name. Pork are difficult to find (with the exception of Bali). If he eat Bacon in Hawaii, then some of my friends who are Indonesian Muslim are known to eat bacon in the UK. Most of Indonesian Muslim are nominally muslim (Muslim in the name only), but according to Indonesian law, every person must be registered to a religion. See my post below. Also, adding (nominal) in his infobox would be better w_tanoto (talk) 18:50, 19 October 2008 (UTC)

Should Lolo be in the Indonesian Muslim category?
Preamble: User:Lid added "Indonesian Muslim" as a category for Lolo. I reverted, on the grounds that he was not an active Muslim, and this seemed to unduly emphasis his religion, in ways that are rarely done for many others. For example, I have checked the many people on my watchlist, and ''no American is categorized as "American Christian" or "American Jew"'. (This may/may not tell you about who I watch).

Lid reverted me, and sent me the following comment on my Talk page which I copy to here:


 * Your statement of "99%" not falling under the category intrigued me into needing to explain something about wikipedia categories - they are inclusive, not exclusive. To be in the American Christian category you need to only be American and identify your religious beliefs as Christian, that is all, and then the category applies to that biographical page. It is not for Category:American priests or other people who belong to the structure of the Christian denomination, just people who state they are Christian.


 * The same applies to Lolo, he is Indonesian and self-identified as Muslim. It is irrelevant that he did not strictly adhere to all Muslim fundamental beliefs, just as it is irrelevant that some Jewish people eat pork or some Christians murder other people. Just because they do not strictly follow every tenet of their religion does not mean they are not part of it and really is a classic example of the no true Scotsman fallacy. –– Lid(Talk) 14:47, 27 September 2008 (UTC)

Back to Bellagio 99:

First, it's nice to meet a fellow appreciator of Anthony Flew. Nevertheless, I keep wondering why Lolo's religion is being singled out, when so few others are. What purpose does it serve? I try mightily to WP:AGF, and Lid (as I) is an experienced editor, and not single-purpose.

Nevertheless, the categorization is misleading in emphasizing a nominal religious affiliation. And its existence plays into the hands of repeated attempts to portray Barack Obama as a Muslim. I don't think this is the purpose of the editor who inserted the misleading categorization, but it most likely would contribute to the misleading characterization of Obama that is prevalent in the U.S., despite his frequent Christian church attendance. Bellagio99 (talk) 22:02, 27 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Citing "the articles you watch" as lacking the categories means that the categories need to be added, not that wikipedia articles omit these categories depending on emphasis. Categories are simple and with wide ranges to be added to articles that fall under their very wide nets, hence why some categories (such as Christians) have thousands of seemingly related articles all categorised underneathe them. This category is not misleading, he was an Indonesian Muslim and identified as such. Omitting a category because of a perceived possibility that it may be used maliciously is not grounds for removal. Barack Obama has him categorised as American Christian, Barack Obama, Sr. has Kenyan Atheist, Maya Soetoro-Ng has American Buddhist, all because they fall under these categories, as should Lolo Soetoro be categorised by his religion.


 * I realise there is great waryness when the topic of Islam and Obama come into relations, due to some people maliciously using it as an attack on Obama irrelevant of if its true, or even if it would matter, but waryness of Islamophobes and outright trying to not include a category that no one can argue is factual starts to fall closer to avoiding a NPOV of the article. –– Lid(Talk) 00:52, 28 September 2008 (UTC)


 * I disagree. You're giving undue emphasis to this in ways that are rarely done for others. I used my quick-and-dirty watchlist sample as an illustration of what is common Wikipedia practice, which you want to change. And I wonder, why single out a nominal Muslim who not coincidentally was for a while the step father of Barack Obama. Are you changing labeling all the Americans or Aussies as Christians. This seems very much WP:Undue Weight. Bellagio99 (talk) 01:54, 28 September 2008 (UTC)


 * I beg your pardon? It is not a rarely done practice, categorising based off Religion (or any other fact about that person) is common. Categories that are missing are labelled as needing categorisiation and more categories are to be added. Your disagreement, and tacked on assumption that I am secretly trying to pry in the fact that Obama's stepfather is a Muslim into the categories because I am anti-Obama, is both a. factually incorrect (although I am not an American I have been following Obama's campaign since January 2007 with enthusiasm) and b. even if it were true it would not fall under Undue Weight as I am not trying to make an entire section dedicated to that he was a Muslim. If I was doing that, which would obviously be someones attempt at partisan hackery and trying to attack Obama by proxy, then you would have support. For now, however, all you are doing is seemingly basing assumptions based off your own incomplete articles and assuming that I am doing this out of some bad faith attempt to back hand Obama. –– Lid(Talk) 03:10, 28 September 2008 (UTC)

←This has not been settled, and there is no consensus for the addition. PLease stop edit warring and discuss further. Tvoz / talk 08:11, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
 * You did not gain consensus, please revert your good faith edits. Removal of reliable sources' material is against Wikipedia policies. 84.13.172.187 (talk) 06:36, 15 October 2008 (UTC)


 * My opinion: Lolo should still be listed as Indonesian Muslim/Islam. Indonesian law requires every people to have a religion that is recognised by the state: Islam, Protestantism, (Roman) Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism. Indonesia does not officially recognise any other religion outside those six nor recognise atheism. From what I read, he can be categorised as "Islam KTP" - which means Islam on Identity Card only (or non-practising/not very devout/Muslim nominally) due to that Indonesian law. Myself, I was born as Non-Denominational Christian due to my father's protestantism and mother's catholicism (They want me to decide myself). I was nevertheless listed as a Roman Catholic even before I decided to get officially Catholic (babtised). So, there is no such thing as Indonesian Atheist that I know of. w_tanoto (talk) 18:30, 19 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Check out this article: Religion in Indonesia

Significant changes in religion aspect also happened during the New Order era. Between 1964 and 1965, the tension between the Communist Party of Indonesia (Partai Komunis Indonesia or PKI) and the Indonesian government, along with some organisations, resulted in the worst mass murders of the twentieth century. Following the incident, the New Order government had tried to suppress the supporters of PKI, by applying a policy that everyone must choose a religion, since PKI supporters were mostly atheists. As a result, every Indonesian citizen was required to carry personal identification cards indicating their religion. The policy resulted in a mass religion conversions, topped by conversions to Protestantism and Catholicism (Christianity). The same situation happened with Indonesians with Chinese ethnicity, who mostly were Confucianists. Because Confucianism was not one of the state recognised religions, many Chinese Indonesians were also converted to Christianity. w_tanoto (talk) 18:38, 19 October 2008 (UTC)

merge redirect recommendation
I'm archiving the discussion below since I've opened now an AfD: Articles_for_deletion/Lolo_Soetoro. $\sim$ Justmeherenow     02:13, 9 November 2008 (UTC)

This article is virtually identical to the corresponding section in Family of Barack Obama, so I recommend that Lolo Soetoro be changed to a redirect to Family of Barack Obama. There is no independent notability, or reason to have this article separated out. We can add the photo there if desired - otherwise, the articles are identical and the redundancy adds nothing to the encyclopedia. Anyone searching on Lolo will be sent directly to the same words in that article. Tvoz / talk 22:19, 14 October 2008 (UTC)


 * I have, and will pretty much always, support this proposal - despite the discussions I've caused on this article they have only been based on the assumption of the continued existence of the article in a neutral prospective, outside of my own personal opinion on whether the article should exist at all. I'm just not seeing a need for its own article. –– Lid(Talk) 22:39, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

Support, for reasons provided by Tvoz and Lid. Bellagio99 (talk) 00:16, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

Strong Oppose For many reasons previously discussed in this space. Soetoro was the step-father of the man who could soon become the President of the U.S. If he is buried in a longer article he will be harder to find. The false charges of Obama being a Muslim will persist and Soetoro's falsely alleged place in that mythology will remain. He deserves a stand alone article plain and simple. Tvoz, this is very disappointing, but not unexpected.--Utahredrock (talk) 02:13, 15 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Utah - "harder to find"  is just not true.  Do you understand how redirect works?  When a person types Lolo Soetoro in the "go" box at left or clicks on a wikilnk to his name,  they will be brought directly to Family of Barack Obama, exactly the same way they are now brought to Lolo Soetoro.  No  stops, no extra keystrokes, no burying, not one bit harder to find. The words in that section are the same as the words here - nothing is lost, the only  thing that happens is only one place has to be watched and we are assured that we don't have different info in one or the other. The exact same effect on the false allegations. No difference, just an elimination of redundancy and the potential for discrepancies.  As for "deserving" a stand alone article, I don't really know what that means.  Our  criterion for whether an article should exist is notability - independent, verifiable, sourceable notability. Lolo's notability is as the short-time stepfather of Barack Obama, so his placement as part of Obama's family is correct. And as long as he is just as easy to find, and all information about him is retained, I can't guess what you are disappointed about.  Tvoz / talk 02:50, 15 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Tvoz, Your dismissive attitude about the role of Lolo in Obama's life is troubling. It is clear that a)You lack an understanding of early childhood development. Soetoro was the primary figure in Obama's life from roughly the age of two until the age of 10. b) You have not read Obama's book. c) You fail to understand the scurrilous charges that Obama is a Muslim and one example of the alleged "evidence" is Lolo. Not notable enough for his own article? Obama could be the next president of the U.S., even after years of mismanagement, that position is widely considered the most powerful in the world. Lolo's role in Obama's life is very notable. We need more information on this interesting and important man. We do not need to shuffle him aside.--Utahredrock (talk) 06:23, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Utahredrock, you didn't answer my point. Your argument was that information on him  would be "harder to find" and that the false claims about Obama's religious upbringing would be harder to refute without this article.  Neither of those are true, so  rather than replying to my point, now you've resurrected your personal opinion on early childhood development.  As I've told you before, this original research on your part is irrelevant here. Further, you do not know what I have read or not read, and please spell out what you mean that I am unaware of the "charges" that  Obama is Muslim - are you suggesting I am somehow trying to promote that view or to bury contradictory evidence? Please spell out what you think my motives are, rather than post innuendo about them. You have not  explained how a redirect to Lolo's section is any different from a separate article.  You have never provided any evidence of any independent notability for this individual; all you can manage is your personal view that he is "interesting and important".  You have failed in the last four months to turn up anything of any significance about Lolo beyond what you posted in the first week after you created this article, and some of what you included is of questionable notability.  In particular you included  that he was  "brown with black hair" - I am curious about why you included that particular quote, which was before the photo was included.  Did you have a particular reason for indicating his skin color? Tvoz / talk 22:44, 19 October 2008 (UTC)
 * I don't see anything significant in this article pertaining to this man's formative influence on Barack Obama. Thus, I don't see why this article (as it exists) needs to be independent. Jrobinjapan (talk) 05:02, 7 November 2008 (UTC)

Tvoz, You're being irrational. You are normally an outstanding editor. I don't understand your opposition to this article. Cest la vie. I have no idea what you're referring to regarding his hair and skin color, but you sure make it sound racist. I don't recall typing such things, but if I did, then they were well sourced. By pulling them out of context as you have done here, you are making a horrible charge of racism. That's just wrong Tvoz.--Utahredrock (talk) 04:37, 22 October 2008 (UTC)
 * You still have not answered my point. My objection, for the hundredth time, is he has no independent notability and what little we know about him can easily be accommodated by a redirect pointing right at a reinstated section in the Family article.  As for his physical description, I didn't say it wasn't accurate or sourced, I asked why it was relevant. I see no reason for a physical description here, and have removed it. Don't escalate a content dispute to a charge of racism - I never said any such thing, just asked why it was thought to be notable.  Sadly I have read many posts around the net that seek to make some kind of point regarding Ann Dunham's two husbands and if that's what is being done here I want it to be revealed.  So if you had no reason to include it other than it was sourced, fine - and you won't object to its removal.  If there was another reason, I'd like to know what it is. But as I said, you have not answered my points about why Lolo can and should be handled as a merge/redirect.  So this is looking to me like a merge/redirect is in order. Tvoz / talk 00:51, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Please add a link to the alledged comments that I alledegedly included in the article at some point. As I created this article I pulled from the few sources that I could find, which grew over time but remain limited. A redirect, via a wikilink is indeed in order from the unconventional "Barack family page" to the Lolo page. What point is there in restating for the 50th time why I feel Lolo is significant enough to have his own article? Clearly things are just fine the way they stand right now. More is better. Reducing key Barack family members to an unconvential Barack family page is not a good direction. Please embrace inclusionism in your wiki-editing and stand up to the label that you have given yourself.--Utahredrock (talk) 05:11, 30 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Stop personalizing this - and it has nothing to do with inclusionism. I am not advocating removing information about this individual from the encyclopedia. You do not seem to understand how redirects work - there will be no loss of information or importance or anything if the text is reinstated in the Family article and this points there. Unfortunately you refuse to acknowledge that the material that was in the Family article until this conversation started covered all of the notable facts about Lolo, none of which I am advocating removing. What it did not include, and what I removed from here, was a description of him as "short, good looking, and brown with black hair" which is sourced but not encyclopedic. This is the diff - there's nothing "alleged" about it. As I said above, I did not say it was inaccurate or unsourced, I asked why it was relevant. And finally, you have comfirmed my overarching point - the sources are limited, there has been no additional information forthcoming after four months, so the Family article will adequately cover the subject when the information is reinstated there. Anyone who wants to know about Obama's stepfather will find it by typing Lolo Soetoro in the Go box, just like they do now.  Just like Malik and Sarah. Tvoz / talk 05:48, 30 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Tvoz, Thanks for linking to that part of the article--which I took straight from Obama's book. It was a quote from Obama! Yet the way you referenced it . . . well it sounded like something else entirely to me--and to my concern, others as well. I'd been too busy to trace where it came from. You're incorrect about the Lolo article in that it is well sourced now. I spent an inordinate amount of time finding the sources that we now have (others helped of course). What's the procedure to end this merge discsussion?--Utahredrock (talk) 04:21, 3 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, I knew it was a quote from Obama. Did I question its accuracy? I questioned why you included it. You did not answer.  And how is it notable? We close the discussion when we reach some kind of consensus. There is no rush. Tvoz / talk 05:15, 3 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Tvoz, I did answer you, ad nauseum, but I will answer again. What I said before was I included it because it was a well sourced piece of information on Lolo. To elaborate, a physical description of people is often included in bios. Obama included it when writing of his stepfather. New Yorker articles repeatedly describe people they are writing about. I am influenced by reading too many of those I suppose. The more pertinent question may be, why are you asking? Are you insinuating something?--Utahredrock (talk) 06:15, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

Oppose, The article is notable and well sourced.84.13.172.187 (talk) 06:39, 15 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Did you miss the fact that all of this notable and sourced material, with sources, is in the article we propose to merge it to? Do you have an argument for why it should be duplicated here? Tvoz / talk 07:22, 15 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Then according to Wikipedia policies, the Family of Barack Obama section should be sentence or two, much like Ann Dunham's section.  Wolves can  talk ... and  edit  06:13, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
 * We have much more information about Ann Dunham than the "Family" article can accommodate, so a separate subarticle for her of course makes sense. We do not have more information about Lolo than the Family article can handle, as evidenced by the fact that it was duplicated, so a redirect to that section is all that's needed. I see someone went over and removed the material that was there a couple of days ago - it can easily be reinstated. Tvoz / talk 22:44, 19 October 2008 (UTC)

I also Support, for reasons provided by Tvoz and Lid., especially the fact that Mr. Soetero has no independent notability. scran4d (talk) 17:03, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

I too support the inclusion. The parents of presidential candidates and their family businesses should be available for review. Mr. Soetoro must have had an influence on Mr. Obama upbringing. Mr. Soetoro's military history and employment with Mobil Oil is an far more relevant than the candidates middle name. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.5.69.27 (talk) 16:50, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
 * I am always curious when a procedural matter is being discussed on a relatively obscure article, and an unidentified IP comes in to make his or her sole comment. One wonders how anyone even knows this discussion is going on here. To the point raised by this one-edit IP: no one wants to make any information about this person unavailable - all we are talking about is where a person lands when someone types Lolo Soetoro into the "GO" box. No loss of information.  Tvoz / talk 22:44, 19 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Exactly, that is one of the reasons why he should have his own article. Oppose  Wolves can  talk ... and  edit  05:51, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
 * No, that is why he should be covered in the encyclopedia, not why a separate article is needed. Tvoz / talk 22:44, 19 October 2008 (UTC)

Oppose. It seems likely that at some point in the future, this article will be much larger and contain many more details about this person than the section devoted to him in family article. If five or six months pass and the content still seem nearly the same then I'll change my vote to support. Flying Jazz (talk) 12:20, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
 * This article has been more or less the same in the four months since shortly after it was started in June. No additional material of any significance has surfaced, and I again point out that the family article comfortably supported all of the material that is here.  I personally don't expect more to show up - but if it does, beyond what the main article can handle, we can certainly re-create a separate article.  Right now it is not necessary. Tvoz / talk 22:44, 19 October 2008 (UTC)

Temporary Weak Oppose. If Barack Obama lost (which I hope won't happen), then I withdraw my word and would vote instead to support, but if Obama wins, then it will be Strong Oppose w_tanoto (talk) 20:25, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
 * W Tanoto, Respectfully . . . if Obama wins or loses he will remain a tranformational figure in American political history. Just an observation. Because of this, key figures in his biographical history will remain significant too. Regards, --Utahredrock (talk) 16:59, 19 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Who is trying to remove information about anyone? This is a simple matter of a redirect to a parent article that handles all of the salient information about this one-time family member. Tvoz / talk 22:44, 19 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Tvoz, Have you no decency woman? Why do you belittle Lolo with such adjectives as "one-time." Lolo played a larger role in Barack's formative years than his father who he saw once after infancy. Please learn more about childhood development. Please empathize with the difficult roles of step-parents. Your motives in trying to eliminate this stand alone article are at best confusing.--Utahredrock (talk) 05:18, 30 October 2008 (UTC)
 * For the last time, will you stop personalizing this? This is not about what you think of me - I don't really care what you think of me in fact.  You don't know anything about my background or knowledge of child development  or the "difficult roles of step- parents"  and it is patently idiotic that you keep bringing this up. I daresay I have many more years of experience in child development than you do, but that has zero to do with this article, despite your rather pathetic attempts to play child psychologist.  Barack Obama lived with Lolo Soetoro for four years. Period.  He has no independent notability.  You've had months to expand this into a real article and all you came up with to add with is what he looked like and a couple of minor details.  Nothing new has emerged because no one seems to have anything more to say about him.  I do not think he should be expunged from the encyclopedia, I merely think this article should merge and redirect to  Family of Barack Obama which we know can accommodate all of the same material, because it already did.  As usual you have failed to respond to any specific policy point that has been made - you just drop platitudes and nonsensical, non-policy reasons for wanting your article to survive.  For the last time, why is it a problem to you for a person  to type in "Lolo Soetoro" which will go directly to his section in the Family article, just like Malik Obama, or Sarah Obama, or other family members?  You have decided, based on your own personal opinion, that this man "deserves" a separate article which is a complete duplicate of the section on him that was in the family article.  The two pieces were virtually identical. You have not been able to expand it beyond what  the Family article can handle.  So why do we need a fork?  Will you stick to Wikipedia policy, leave me and your opinions about child psychology  and  step-parenting out of it, and give a clear straight answer? I only want a merge-redirect. Do you even know what that is?  Tvoz / talk 05:15, 3 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Wow Tvoz . . . I am so glad that I am the only one incorrectly making this personal, that I am pathetic, etc. . Whatever. Why am I opposed to a merge/redirect? Simply because it is un-Wiki-like. Wikipedia is about linking to disparate but related articles. Are you advocating a movement to rewrite articles to cut down on Wikilinks and group as much related material together as possible? That is precisely what you seem to be advocating. I have no problem with the Barack-family article per se, however, the more significant members need their own stand alone articles which that article can link to. I somehow doubt that you will feel that this answers your question, but it is my best attempt. Respectfully (you are, after all, a good editor even if you reject my barnstars!), --Utahredrock (talk) 15:14, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

Support. Notability derives entirely from relationship to Obama. Jd2718 (talk) 18:05, 19 October 2008 (UTC)

Support. Not particularly notable other than relationship to Barack Obama. Jrobinjapan (talk) 05:02, 7 November 2008 (UTC)

I archived the above discussion, since I'd opened an AfD: Articles_for_deletion/Lolo_Soetoro. $\sim$ Justmeherenow     02:13, 9 November 2008 (UTC)

Pronounciation
I have added the pronounciation for his name. This pronounciation is used by Indonesian. (same goes to my name which make up part of my username tanoto). However, his daughter pronounciation is different (see: Maya Soetoro-Ng) as it is anglicised. I leave you to decide whether to use Indonesian or English pronounciation.--w_tanoto (talk) 19:06, 19 October 2008 (UTC)

Lolo is Hawaiian for "Kookie" - Any Significance Here?
Is Lolo an Indonesian given name, or is Lolo a nickname he picked up in Hawai'i? A "lolo" is a silly or crazy person in Hawai'ian terminology. It's also a nickname in Hawai'i. Is this at all significant or just a coincidence? If it's a nickname can anyone source the legal given name? VictorC (talk) 20:49, 3 November 2008 (UTC)
 * "Lolo" is his nickname, but most presumably not from Hawaii but from his past when he was a child. His real name is Sutoro (under 1972 spelling, the EYD) and children in early years will have difficulty to spell "ro" correctly with rolled "r" and will spell instead "lo". It is very usual for very young Indonesian that only after 3 years old they will spell "r" correctly. So, it is just a coincidence. And please be aware that it is usual to have one word name for Javanese Kembangraps (talk) 16:35, 5 November 2008 (UTC)

Lolo Soetoro Mangunharjo
This was a name found in reference to Mr. Soetoro. Is this a title or is it a middle name, with this being the full, legal name? Is the name in the article a nickname, with this being the full, legal name? Is this just an aberrant name that came up erroneously? VictorC (talk) 15:53, 10 November 2008 (UTC)
 * hmmm... indonesian names are complicated, aren't they. Some people uses surname, some don't. Some people that does have surname sometimes even does not pass his name to the offspring. The likes of Soeharto and Soekarno don't have surnames. but Soekarno's offspring does. See Megawati Soekarnoputri. Also, some names have two spellings. Such as Hamengkubuwono vs Hamengkubuwana, Pakubuwono vs Pakubuwana, Suharto (new style) vs Soeharto (old style). in fact, his name can be spelled other ways too: Lolo Sutoro Mangunharja. I have to admit, I never hear "Mangunharjo" as his name. Could you provide a source? w_tanoto (talk) 16:59, 10 November 2008 (UTC)
 * UPDATE: i just did my research, and it appeared his full name is "Lolo Soetoro Mangunharjo". This can be found in Indonesian news sites which often used by Australian media to report 2002 Bali bombings execution. Quite reliable. Also mentioned is that Barack Obama can speak Indonesian, and loved scout.

Indonesian:

Translation: --w_tanoto (talk) 17:33, 10 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Would Mangunharjo be his correct surname? If so, shouldn't the article be updated to reflect this? VictorC (talk) 02:35, 11 November 2008 (UTC)
 * there is no proper surname in Javanese people. Note Soekarno does not have surname, but his daughter is Megawati Soekarnoputri. If Mangunharjo is his surname, his daughter will be Maya Mangunharjo. There is no proper surname in Javanese people. I have updated the article using this name w_tanoto (talk) 02:45, 11 November 2008 (UTC)
 * That may be right, but his daughter uses Soetoro-Ng, with that spelling, so this poit is irrelevant. Tvoz / talk 00:15, 12 November 2008 (UTC)

←This was discussed at length - see archive - and conclusion was that we should use sources that are verifiable, in English, so we did not include this name (as primary full name) which is unknown in English-language sources. Tvoz / talk 07:38, 11 November 2008 (UTC)
 * I support use of the full name in one instance at the beginning of the lede, along with a citation and its translation, per accepted WP procedures. $\sim$ Justmeherenow     12:12, 11 November 2008 (UTC)
 * I also added a citation for Mangundikardjo as an alternate rendering. $\sim$ Justmeherenow     12:43, 11 November 2008 (UTC)
 * I don't know about the source for Mangundikardjo, but it looks rather unreliable. Note how they spell barack's name "barrach". I tried to google it in google Indonesia, and get only a few hits, while for Soetoro, there are lots of it. w_tanoto (talk) 23:51, 11 November 2008 (UTC)
 * The way Justmeherenow did it - showing alternate names in first line - is fine with me, if properly cited.  But if the citation is bogus, we should remove the alternative spelling.  Do we have a citation for his using the "Sutoro" spelling?  I know we had one for Ann, but I don't recall one for Lolo, and should have one if we assert that his name was spelled that way. Tvoz / talk 23:39, 11 November 2008 (UTC)
 * This is not about citation. In Indonesia, people uses both form. Like the case between Soeharto (old spelling and original form) and Suharto (new spelling). It really differs from one person to another (I prefer the use of old spelling for names). The spelling change occurs officially on 1970s. I gave the link of the new spelling in the article that indicates the changes. w_tanoto (talk) 23:51, 11 November 2008 (UTC)
 * OK, I understand that, but if we don't have sources that refer to him as Sutoro, I'm not sure we should be including it in this article, however accurate it might be - verifiability, not accuracy, is our standard. And as I noted above - his daughter Maya uses the spelling SOETORO, so I think this is veering to original research - again, maybe correct, but not verified by sources regarding him specifically.  Tvoz / talk 00:15, 12 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Source (Indonesian): - this shows that Indonesian uses it interchangably. Translation: . Note: EYD in that article means Ejaan Yang Disempurnakan or Perfected spelling in English, details see . Translation: .w_tanoto (talk) 00:28, 12 November 2008 (UTC)
 * It's not WP:OR if it's a spelling convention of transliterating Indonesian names. Which it is. VictorC (talk) 07:08, 17 November 2008 (UTC)

Relationship with Obama
Can someone add a section about Soetoro's relationship with Obama. I suspect that most people come to this article hoping to see that subject discussed.- Moshe Constantine Hassan Al-Silverburg | Talk 01:47, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

Soetoro became more Western in his outlook
The article of Time cited didn't say 'Soetoro became more Western in his outlook '. The original sentence in the article is: 'As Ann became more intrigued by Indonesia, her husband became more Western.' Can you find any source to support your claim that Soetoro became more Western in his outlook? Now wiki (talk) 20:59, 6 September 2009 (UTC)


 * OK Bellagio99 (talk) 22:55, 6 September 2009 (UTC)

pronunciation
"" - this doesn't look like a plausible English pronunciation. You can't end a word in, at least in any of the dialects covered by WP:IPAEN. A non-English IPA template might be more appropriate. Lfh (talk) 17:14, 10 January 2010 (UTC)

loved drinking
This is a direct quote from the cited article. I also noted his death from liver failure. ROxBo (talk) 00:19, 2 March 2010 (UTC)

Military record
what rank was Soetoro in the military?

Thank you

--OxAO (talk) 10:07, 21 April 2010 (UTC)

Apparently, Soetoro was an Army colonel serving under the Suharto regime, according to www.infowarscom/bombshell-barack-obama-conclusively-outed-as-cia-creation Infowars].

''Lolo Soetoro, who Dunham married in March 1965, departed Hawaii for Indonesia on July 20, 1965, some three months prior to the CIA’s coup against Sukarno. Soetoro, who served Suharto as an Army colonel, was clearly called back from the CIA-connected East-West Center to assist in the coup against Sukarno, one that would eventually cost the lives of some one million Indonesian citizens. It is a history that President Obama would like the press to ignore, which it certainly did during the 2008 primary and general election.'' —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.201.76.200 (talk) 01:42, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

Clarification on Religion
Please take a look at my recent edit on Soetoro's religion, as well as its connection to Obama's school enrollment.

A lot of the sources that discuss these issues don't really say much about where their conclusions came from. What is a "nominal muslim?" It seems to me that the Tribune article provides the most real information about his religious practices and the connecttion of those practices on Barrack. I've included a quote from Barrack, taken from the article, describing his stepfather's views on Islam.

The current version of the article cites to the same source, but misquotes a major conclusion of the article (i.e., that he was "more of a free spirit than a devout muslim.")

Also, the Tribune is the only source I've seen far that identifies a source for the contention that the form's inclusion of Islam as Obama's religion was properly a reference to the father. Regardless of what camp you may be in... I think that added info. is useful. In fairness to mentioning the form, I put in the mention of the Catholic teaching of the school.

I think this version really does a lot to expand the reader's understanding of Soetoro's religious experience and its influence (or not) on Obama... which, let's face it, is a major reason someone would likely be reading the article at this time.

Happy to discuss....

John2510 (talk) 05:11, 21 August 2010 (UTC)

I would be in favor of reverting this edit.

The previous version was taken straight from the source (the Chicago Tribune). It's not a blog and seemed to be trying to distance Soetoro and Obama from any Islamic connection, as opposed to increasing its significance. It may be slightly vague (I don't really see it that way), but it's what's out there until a more detailed source is identified. I don't see anything about it that's wp:undue - given that Soetoro's significance is his relationship with, and influence on, Obama.

The editor wrote, "... the wording implies that Obama may have attended in a religious capacity. We need better sources for such claims." Well... it makes no such claim. The significance is for the reader to determine. Lolo occasionally, if rarely, involved Obama in his religious life - which is itself meaningful in the context of this bio. Beyond that, the details aren't known from the sources I've seen to date. The language is taken directly from the cited source which, again, is attempting to distance Soetoro and Obama from any Islamic connection, rather than to exaggerate it. John2510 (talk) 14:03, 21 August 2010 (UTC)


 * Obama occasionally followed his stepfather to the mosque for Friday prayers, a few neighbors said Did Obama follow his stepfather to the mosque for prayers or did the stepfather pray and Obama just followed. This passage is vague and therefore damaging to Obama per WP:BLP. It is also WP:UNDUE because it unduly amplifies the opinion of a "few" neighbours and therefore distorts the issue of Obama's religion, a bad case of WP:UNDUE and a WP:BLP violation. The remaining sentence though Lolo was usually too busy working to attend prayers and it was rare for Obama to join him means that the stepfather did not go to the mosque often. Therefore out of the few times that the stepfather went to the mosque, Obama went even fewer times (it was rare for Obama to join him). Therefore here we are talking about an extremely rare event, a classic case of WP:UNDUE. Taking this vague, badly written comment and inserting it in the article does nothing to objectively inform the reader about a relevant fact. It actually misleads the reader by distorting the importance of this almost non-event. We cannot scan the press for every bit of doubtful, vague, obscure comment about a rare event made by a "few" people and add it in the article. Dr.K. λogosπraxis 01:30, 26 August 2010 (UTC) Dr.K. λogosπraxis  01:30, 26 August 2010 (UTC)
 * The statement is contained within an article that is focused on distancing Obama from radical islam. It's in a major newspaper and is a reliable source.  In the absence of a single contrary source, it should stay.  It tells the reader he went to mosque with his stepfather.  What that implies (if anything)... is up to the reader to decide.  It isn't the place of Wikipedia to ignore reliable sources of factual information because we don't like their implications.  How many witnesses would it take, in the absence of a single contrary witness, to satisfy it should be included?  Should we exclude any reference that doesn't have a specified number of witnesses?  The only reason this article has any relevance whatsoever is the subject's involvement with and potential influence on the future U.S. President.  Nothing could be more "due" than Lolo Soetoro's involvement in Obamba's early religious influences. John2510 (talk) 01:41, 26 August 2010 (UTC)


 * I explained the issues above and added more due to an edit conflict. I do not agree with your points per WP:BLP and WP:UNDUE. You were reverted by another user, who obviously agrees with me. So I suggest you wait for consensus to come your way before you revert again. Dr.K. λogosπraxis 01:51, 26 August 2010 (UTC)
 * Also, sorry about that, but I have to remind you of WP:3RR. Thank you. Dr.K. λogosπraxis 01:59, 26 August 2010 (UTC)
 * I guess we disagree on whether Soetoro's religious influences on Obama are a notable aspect of his life. Any basis for saying the mosque trips were "extremely" rare, or why the reader shouldn't know that, while rare, they did occur?  Is this in some way problematic enough that we, as Wikipedians, need to protect people from it?  I'll wait and see if a consensus develops, but I'm not interested in the result of a wp:vote... especially a two-person one.  John2510 (talk) 02:12, 26 August 2010 (UTC)


 * Soetoro's influence on Obama's views religious may or may not have been significant but that is not the issue here. The issue is if we can take an almost non-event and add it to the article indicating some sort of significance which it clearly lacks. Also in addition to the rarity of the visits they are based on the recollection of a few people and they are described in a vague way which could be construed as implying that Obama went there to pray as I explained above. It is simply too problematic to include this edit in the article per WP:BLP and WP:UNDUE. It is obvious that we disagree but thank you for your adherence to the concept of consensus. Dr.K. <sup style="position:relative">λogos<span style="position:relative;bottom:-2.0ex;left:-5.2ex;*left:-5.5ex">πraxis 02:26, 26 August 2010 (UTC)
 * I took another look at WP:BLP, and question what about this edit suggests a violation to you? It's from a major newspaper, and it's clear from the article that there is no bias in favor of making a damaging point.  Also, the edit includes the limitations of the source - i.e., that it was reported by others, not stating it as absolute fact.  I was careful to stick to the language of the source.  While it could be expanded to name those who reported his occasional mosque attendance, I don't think that's warranted or useful to the reader.  Here's another oft-cited source with a lot of detail - including the representation that he prayed in mosque:  L.A. Times Article, and his half-sister's comments about the family going to mosque.  I understand you don't like the inferernces some may'' draw from the well-sourced and unrefuted statement, but that simply isn't a basis for excluding it and thereby hiding it from the independent scrutiny of Wikipedia readers.  John2510 (talk) 15:13, 26 August 2010 (UTC)


 * I repeat the passage and my argument from above: <tt>though Lolo was usually too busy working to attend prayers and it was rare for Obama to join him</tt> means that the stepfather did not go to the mosque often. Therefore out of the few times that the stepfather went to the mosque, Obama went even fewer times (<tt>it was rare for Obama to join him</tt>). Therefore here we are talking about an extremely rare event, a classic case of WP:UNDUE. Why do we need to put rare events into the article other than unduly emphasise certain things? Rare events should not be included in an encyclopedia. Especially if witnessed by a few people. This is simply not encyclopedic information but rare and therefore encyclopaedically insignificant events of one's life at best. This is not a Rare-event-opedia. It is Wikipedia. Dr.K. <sup style="position:relative">λogos<span style="position:relative;bottom:-2.0ex;left:-5.2ex;*left:-5.5ex">πraxis 15:57, 26 August 2010 (UTC)


 * I think Dr. K. has a clinching argument. Let's move on. FWIW, I don't know K and have never co-edited with him. Bellagio99 (talk) 20:07, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

A geographer—not a geologist
Multiple sources establish that Soetoro's education at Gadjah Mada University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa was in geography (not geology) and that Soetoro worked as a geographer (not a geologist) for the Indonesian Army Topographic Service, L. Frederick Pack and Associates, and Hawaii-Pacific Engineers Surveyors, Inc.

In his unsuccessful 1965 application for a waiver of his Section 212(e) two-year foreign residence requirement (on grounds of exceptional hardship to a United States citizen spouse or child of an J-1 visa exchange visitor), Soetoro wrote:"It seems probable that warfare in Indonesia cannot be avoided much longer. I am a trained geographer with a special background in mapping and air photo interpretation. I have traveled throughout the Indonesian islands and have detailed knowledge of each of the major areas and their resources. Due to my former compulsory association with the Indonesian army while still a student, it is quite probable that I would be placed on the front lines doing reconnaissance work in Indonesia's current campaign against Malaysia and the British forces. Aside from both my wife’s and my distaste for this campaign, my wife is distraught for my safety."

On page 43 of Dreams from My Father, Obama calls Soetoro a "geologist" but describes him doing the work of a geographer: surveying roads and tunnels for the Indonesian Army:"She suspected these problems had something to do with Lolo's job. He was working for the army as a geologist [sic], surveying roads and tunnels, when she arrived. It was mind-numbing work that didn't pay very much; the refrigerator alone cost two months' salary. And now with a wife and child to provide for ... no wonder he was depressed."

Obama's memoir Dreams from My Father is acceptable to use as a start in writing Obama-related encyclopedia articles, but has not proven to be a consistently WP:Reliable source (with a reputation for fact-checking and accuracy), especially in situations where it is contradicted by multiple other sources. Newross (talk) 01:21, 20 April 2011 (UTC)


 * "Obama’s Young Mother Abroad", a NYT article by Janny Scott, published April 20, 2011 and accessed today, essential verifies what Lolo wrote in his denied application, quoted above, was true. The repressive government of the time recalled all of its students abroad. Those who had been sent to Communist schools were killed out of hand upon return, while those like Lola were sent directly to jungle-based re-education camps. Those who, like Lolo, survived re-education, did so with their personalities radically changed. --Pawyilee (talk) 11:40, 27 May 2012 (UTC)

Union Oil Company—not Mobil Oil Corporation
On page 46 of Dreams from My Father, Obama described moving to a house in a more prosperous neighborhood (in 1970) after Soetoro obtained a new job in the government relations office of an American oil company:"Instead he maintained his concentration, and over the period that we lived in Indonesia, he proceeded to climb. With the help of his brother-in-law, he landed a new job in the government relations office of an American oil company. We moved to a house in a better neighborhood; a car replaced the motorcycle, a television and hi-fi replaced the crocodiles and Tata, the ape; Lolo could sign for our dinners at a company club. Sometimes I would overhear him and my mother arguing in their bedroom, usually about her refusal to attend his company dinner parties, where American businessmen from Texas and Louisiana would slap Lolo's back and boast about the palms they had greased to obtain the new offshore drilling rights, while their wives complained to my mother about the quality of Indonesian help."

One source:
 * 1) Paul Watson's March 15, 2007 Los Angeles Times article, quoted Zulfan Adi as saying Soetoro worked for the American oil company Mobil Oil.
 * 2) Kim Barker's March 25, 2007 Chicago Tribune follow-up article found the recollections of Adi (a child playmate of Obama who only knew Obama for a few months in 1970) were hazy and Barker could only report that Soetoro worked for a "Western oil company."

Three sources said Soetoro worked for the American oil company Union Oil (Unocal): Newross (talk) 01:32, 20 April 2011 (UTC)
 * 1) David Maraniss' August 22, 2008 Washington Post article (not quoting anyone),
 * 2) Dan Nakaso's September 12, 2008 Honolulu Advertiser article (quoting University of Hawaii anthropology professor Alice Dewey), and
 * 3) Ridlawn Habib's November 5, 2008 Jawa Pos article  (quoting Soetoro's nephew, Ir Heri Purnomo).


 * NYT's "Obama’s Young Mother Abroad" also addresses the matter of Lolo's employment by the Jakarta office of the Union Oil Company of California, characterizing it merely as part of a cover-up to put native faces on an American-run operation in cahoots with a dictator. Native wives were required to participate in the sham, but Obama’s Young Mother steadfastly refused to do so, perhaps because her American citizenship, as well her race, protected her from retribution. More important to my mind is that she DID NOT protect young Barry from the extreme racism directed at him, but instead taught the little boy to treat it as a joke, or to ignore it altogether. Barry survived with this tactic, to grow up and write Dreams from My Father – but not from his young mother. --Pawyilee (talk) 11:54, 27 May 2012 (UTC)

Ancestry
Is there any more information available on the ancestry of Soetoro? It would be nice to fill it in, like the other articles on Obama's ancestry in various ancestor articles. 65.95.13.213 (talk) 07:29, 23 May 2011 (UTC)

The book Barack Obama: The Story by David Maraniss is the story of Obama's ancestry and was released a month ago and it has been in the news for several months. The "story" 10-year old Obama was told about his step-grand father being killed by the Dutch is just another untrue war story. Same for his real grandfather. Much of other Obama's family tales need to be updated. Even Obama admitted to the author, David Maraniss, that David was likely correct since Obama did not do any fackchecking of his family stories in 1995. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.141.79.82 (talk) 18:29, 20 July 2012 (UTC)

This article contains irrelevant material
This is supposedly an article about Lolo Soetoro, the stepfather of Barack Obama. The entire middle section is actually about his wife Ann Dunham, and her son Barack Obama. This is interesting and informative material but it belongs in an article about those people. Very little of the information in this section has anything to do with Lolo Soetoro. It should be edited to emphasize the role of Soetoro in the lives of his ex-wife and stepson. Perhaps the irrelevant details could be moved to other articles. Veronicafitzrandolph (talk) 18:01, 20 December 2013 (UTC)


 * Soetero is only notable for being Obama's stepfather. Paul B (talk) 17:45, 29 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Yep, article should probably be deleted. 2602:306:C5C2:5C10:A05F:16DE:6473:24A4 (talk) 06:06, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

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Is there a need for a dedicated Wiki article?
I clicked on this person thinking he might be something on his own. But as it looks like in the article, only noteworthy thing about this man is that he was the stepfather of Barack Obama Jr. Does he need an article for him?! - Chanchal Nishanth (talk) 01:24, 27 April 2020 (UTC)

Be careful with loose accusations
1. . Haaretz (indeed a RS) doesn't say "he took part" in the coup. It says "Like most other Indonesian students studying abroad, Soetero had been ordered to return home in the purge that followed the failed coup d’etat carried out by the so-called 30 September Movement – also dubbed by its enemies ‘Gestapu’ - in which six Indonesian army generals were killed. 2. The BCA reporter's piece is based on a very problematic, conspiracy-oriented site. Although Soetoro is dead, his son is not. I've read his autobiographies and Ann Dunham's--his mother's--biography and nothing like that is in either. Bellagio99 (talk) 21:22, 19 October 2020 (UTC)

I don't understand...
The article mentions In 1962, Soetoro, then a civilian employee of the Indonesian Army while some reliable sources from the Indonesian language: https://www.liputan6.com/news/read/3009123/ayah-tiri-obama-pernah-berdinas-di-abri-ini-penjelasan-tni-ad and https://news.detik.com/berita/d-629522/2-tahun-di-menteng-dalam- mentions him as a colonel who served in West Papua. Additionally, the first source claims that they obtained the information from the Times magazine. Any opinions? Regards, Jeromi Mikhael 11:39, 21 January 2021 (UTC)