Scholarly take on “is Obama an apostate?”

I have to admit it: I have NOT been paying enough attention to the news lately to discover that some people apparently believe Sen. Obama could be considered an apostate Muslim. Of course, most people have no clue what the word “apostate” even means (it has to do with formally renouncing one’s religion).

Should you discover at some point that you need a thoughtful response to this idiocy, Juan Cole provides a lengthy scholarly refutation of the claim.