Ask President Barack Obama about his religious affiliation, and he’s a Christian. Ask Mississippi or Alabama voters, and you might find a different answer.

In the midst of tight GOP primaries in both states, Public Policy Polling (PPP) hasreleased information showing that a majority of likely GOP primary voters in the Deep South do not see Obama as a Christian. PPP’s Alabama survey of 600 likely GOP primary voters found that only 14 percent consider Obama a Christian, while 45 percent said he is a Muslim and 41 percent answered that they were not sure.

A similar picture surfaced in Mississippi. Of 656 likely GOP primary voters surveyed, 12 percent said Obama was a Christian, 52 percent classified him as a Muslim, and 36 percent fell in the «not sure» category.

The survey emerges on the heels of a recent stream of public questioning regarding Obama’s religion. Back on Feb. 18, Rick Santorum took aim at the president’s beliefs, charging that his White House decisions are driven by a «different theology.»

«It’s not about your quality of life,» Santorum told supporters at a Tea Party rally in Columbus, Ohio. «It’s not about your jobs. It’s about some phony ideal. Some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible.»

Three days later, evangelist Franklin Graham joined the chorus, leaning toward the same opinion of those unsure Southern voters. Obama «has said he’s a Christian, so I just have to assume that he is,» Graham said on MSNBC’s «Morning Joe.»

Facing criticism from prominent black religious leaders, Graham later apologized for his remarks.

«I regret any comments I have ever made which may have cast any doubt on the personal faith of our president, Mr. Obama,» he said in a statement.

Religion rumors are nothing new for Obama. Back in August 2010, a poll showed that almost one-fifth of all Americans believed he is a Muslim. Obama responded in an interview with «NBC Nightly News» saying that «the facts are the facts» regarding his Christian faith.

[Source : http://www.huffingtonpost.com ]