Erica, I know no Christian or Jew, who has kept an explicit name, that referrs to another religion.
Do you know a Christian who converted to Judaism, who has the name Christian or Paul?
Do you know a Christian who converted to Islam, who has the name Christian or Paul?
Do you know (G-d forbid) a Christian or Jew who converted to Islam who has an explicit Jewish or Christian name?
This is no proof, I know, but it is an additional indication.
This is what I know of name- changes in religions. In Catholicism, when a woman becomes a nun, her birth name changes to something like Sister Mary Theresa (when her name may have been Susan Brown). My friend who became a Muslim at 17 kept her birth name while she was practicing. She wasn't required to change it.
I was Lutheran years ago, and in my choir was a family who had Muslim names. Busalima, Ameena, Bilal, Amin, Kareema... Their real names were much different but they chose to keep their muslim names eventhough they were practicing Christians then. If they liked it, I loved it. I wasn't their parent so they could go into the world with whatever name they're comfortable with.... what their names were never affected my personal life. And guess what? They never threatened to kill us, or blow our church up.
My point about the entire subject is that he, Obama, shouldn't have to change his name to make those who don't like it happy. Some of you act as though he could control what his name would be before he was born. His parents were in charge of that...just as my parents named me what they named me.
Also, people likening Obama to Osama Bin Ladin because Barack's last name and Bin ladin's first name rhyme is utterly ridiculous. That's like me saying that Chaim is linked to Bin laden because part of his name "Ben" sounds like "Bin". Obama's middle name has nothing to do with Saddam Hussein. That name is popular for the muslim community...it's not directly linked to Saddam Hussein. Again we're dealing with a middle name vs a last name.