"It is impossible to know for sure if the group sided with Mr. Gbagbo because he is a Christian; his rival, Alassane Ouattara, recognized internationally as the winner of last year’s presidential election, is a Muslim. But to judge by the recent comments of Senator James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma, the Rev. Pat Robertson, the Christian broadcaster, and Glenn Beck, the Fox News television personality, religion did play a role in their support.
As a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, Mr. Inhofe, a Republican, is known for his interest in African affairs. He visited Ivory Coast nine times and knew Mr. Gbagbo and his wife, Simone. On March 30, as the Obama administration was joining the rest of the world in pressuring Mr. Gbagbo to step aside, Mr. Inhofe sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, asking her to demand new elections in Ivory Coast. Mr. Inhofe said the November election results were fraudulent. Asked about Mr. Inhofe’s interest in Ivory Coast, Jared Young, a spokesman, said Friday that the senator and the African leader had met during the senator’s travels abroad, and that “the Gbagbos have participated in the National Prayer Breakfast” in Washington “and Senator Inhofe is involved in the National Prayer Breakfast.” The National Prayer Breakfast has been held every year since 1953. It is operated by a group known as the Fellowship, a secretive evangelical Christian organization that some say has a right-wing agenda. In 2010, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a government watchdog group, asked that President Obama and Congressional leaders skip the event. They did not. Later on Friday, speaking by telephone, Mr. Inhofe said of Mr. Gbagbo, “We are both Christian, but I also have close relationships with a lot of presidents who are Muslim.”"
