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Some Muslim Americans Wonder If Obama's Inclusiveness Is "Just Words"

June 24, 2008 9:56 AM

Abc_obama_080623_blog_2 A provocative story in today's New York Times takes a look at some Muslim Americans who are disappointed that Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, whose father was born a Muslim, hasn't done much to reach out to American Muslims.

The campaign is clearly sensitive to the false rumor that he's a Muslim, but has its sensitivity turned into insensitivity? Obama has yet to visit a mosque, and of course last week two Muslim women wearing hijabs were asked to not appear in the background behind Obama at a Michigan rally. (Obama apologized to the two women and his campaign said the request was apparently the result of a rogue volunteer or two.)

“The community feels betrayed,” Safiya Ghori, the government relations director in the Washington office of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, tells the NYT.

“A lot of us are waiting for him to say that there’s nothing wrong with being a Muslim, by the way,” says Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to Congress, who was asked by the campaign not to campaign for Obama in Iowa and North Carolina because, an Obama aide explained, the campaign has "a very tightly wrapped message."

Obama being accused of being a Muslim constitutes a conundrum for a self-described inclusive politician -- not unlike a liberal politician being accused of being gay. Theoretically, those who embrace diversity and tolerance say there's nothing wrong with homosexuality, and yet when one is falsely accused of being gay, or being Muslim, it's usually by someone who is trying to feed into prejudices

But if you push back too hard you can seem as though you think there's something wrong with being gay. Or being Muslim.

Or being anything, really. (You might recall September 2006 when a reporter asked then-Sen.. George Allen, R-Vir., about a report in The Forward newspaper that he had Jewish roots, and Allen acted as if he'd just been accused of having herpes.)

There's an electoral aspect to this as well. There are small but significant Muslim populations in swing states such as Minnesota, Michigan, and Virginia. As the Times reports today, in Allen's re-election race, the Virginia Muslim Political Action Committee targeted an estimated 60,000 Muslim voters in the Commonwealth, and arranged for 53 Muslim cabdrivers to help get these voters to the polls.

VMPAC says 86 percent of Virginia's Muslim voters turned and most went for Jim Webb, giving Democrats their narrow majority in the U.S. Senate.

Webb won by 9,000 votes. (And not incidentally, there went George Allen's presidential hopes for 2008.)

- jpt

June 24, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (67)

User Comments

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If you think Bush is a lousiest President, wait until you see President Obama. This man is a crook. He uses religions, he uses black people, he uses white people, he uses Muslim people, he uses everyone and everything just to become the President of the U.S. I'm not a Mc Cain fan. As a matter of fact, Mc Cain is a crook too, but I believe Mc Cain still has some human dignity left in him.

Posted by: Crookedpolitician | Jun 24, 2008 2:13:28 PM

Write down your take home pay now on a slip of paper .. stash it away and IF this clown (picture is hilarious by the way) is elected ..

Give it a month - and pull that piece of paper out and compare it to what you take home now! Get ready to give more of your hard earned money to the government!

Posted by: MJ | Jun 24, 2008 1:53:11 PM

It's not surprising that Obama would blame a "rogue volunteer" for discriminating against the women wearing hijabs! That's been his MO for many blunders. In fact, Jake, I think you did a whole blog on the subject.

Posted by: cappamore | Jun 24, 2008 1:45:21 PM

obama is a FAKE - a FRAUD!!! His entire campaign is Staged - like a show - he will say whatever to win over the group at the time. Obama is a Radical, Arrogant, Fraud - BUT he is NOT qualified to lead our country.

Posted by: Molly | Jun 24, 2008 1:29:50 PM

Stephan is 100% accurate. I am a McCain supporter. I do not relate to most of anything Obama says and I do not trust him due to the flip-flops becomming routine to him - but each has to make thier own choice. The political parties are slinging enough mud for all - we should rise above that. Most of America is not far right or far left so I am amazed at Obama's sudden swing to the middle - I cannot see how he can pull that off with credibilty but I am amazed he has come so far on just generalized words and tons of promises, many of which he simply cannot keep and he must know that.
So hard to respect a person who is so blatently making promises he knows he will not keep.

Posted by: Johnr | Jun 24, 2008 1:07:22 PM

Why would anyone complain about being ignored by the great Obama. HE SAYS he is a UNITER and will bring everyone together, black, green, white, yellow, purple, muslim, christians, dogs, cats, rats and alligators. All will benefit if he is elected. All he really is is a talker.
LOL

Posted by: Mary | Jun 24, 2008 12:56:15 PM

...So Bushian:

"I am NOT a divider......."


Right!
B O equals Bush!

Posted by: familiar? | Jun 24, 2008 12:46:57 PM

They wonder if "he's just words". Of course he is. Everything about him is fake, created by moveon and the DNC. Everything he says is "just words". He is an overly ambitious liar who says one thing one day and changes the next.

Posted by: Judy | Jun 24, 2008 12:39:28 PM

John McCain the Rocking Chair is still waiting for you, your best days are behind you.

Do anyone want another four years of a Republican in the "White House" screwing up things?

Obama will win big this November!

Posted by: Lookup | Jun 24, 2008 12:30:05 PM

I guess I missed the report that said Obama received millions of dollars in contributions from Muslims? Or is that just one of those rumors that keep spinning? Obama has himself spoken eloquently about equality among all of us regardless of race, sex and religion. His actual words, not what bloggers say or rumors. He hasn't come out and specifically said it's okay to be Mormon, a Methodist or a Buddhist either, but if you listen to his words, the message that we are all equal describes his views on any religious preference.

Posted by: loovill | Jun 24, 2008 12:22:19 PM

McCain did not get MILLIONS of Campaign money from Muslims....Obama DID.

Obama should go to a Mosque and thank them personally.....

But then---Representative Keith Ellison, the country’s first Muslim congressman is not too happy with the way the Obama Camp has treated him as well......

Posted by: carpenter.nyc | Jun 24, 2008 12:02:46 PM

It doesn't give me hope that Obama will have anything to offer in respect of solving the problems of the Middle East if he snubs the Muslim Community in the way that he is doing. If he hopes to sit down with the Jewish and Muslim communities in diplomatic negotiations in the Middle East then he should start sitting down with them together at home.
Trouble is, he is just not up to it. He neither has the moral fibre nor the intellectual ability to handle the sensitivities of the issues. All he is capable of doing is falling bakc on the same old political expediency.

Posted by: Overland Trail | Jun 24, 2008 11:57:38 AM

In the warped world of Obama, people are to be used as props as a means to his own selfish ends.

Posted by: Mack | Jun 24, 2008 11:56:31 AM

Jake, in some of those swing states, perhaps Obama just needs to turn up the African-American vote to make up for the loss Muslim votes that you think he won't get.

It may be better for Obama to make sure people don't think he is a Muslim and just turn up the African-American vote.

Posted by: Ethel | Jun 24, 2008 11:51:51 AM

Jake,

Has McCain been to a mosque? Why aren't you reporting on that?

Posted by: bensci | Jun 24, 2008 11:49:27 AM

Obama's critics have complained about his naivety, his inexperienced, his ambiguous policies, his attitude towards appeasing terror sponsors, his association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his 130 'present' votes in the Illinois State Senate... and the list goes on. None of his critics has mentioned the fact that Obama is black. Yet, his liberal supporters accuse his critics of racism. I guess they are playing the race card. Just like they did with Hillary.

Posted by: janephilip | Jun 24, 2008 11:44:17 AM

"(Obama apologized to the two women and his campaign said the request was apparently the result of a rogue volunteer or two.)"

What? Rogue volunteers have penetrated the "post-partisan" cult? Doesn't seem likely.

Posted by: Ma Belle | Jun 24, 2008 11:38:18 AM

Why can't Obama just say that my middle name is Hussein, a middle name given to me by my father, who is a Muslim and proud of its faith and heritage. I respect my father and therefore, I respect him as a Muslim, even though I am a Chistian with a Muslim middle name. Why? Because of votes.

Each time Obama is faced with choice between courage to stand up for what is right and fear of its consequences, he always choose fear.

Posted by: proud_to_be_muslim | Jun 24, 2008 11:35:45 AM

"Obama stands for and salutes the great seal and flag of Obama. "

LOL. how true!

Posted by: trettione | Jun 24, 2008 11:27:12 AM

I was wondering the same thing. People of all nationalities and religions need to stand together against Obama.

Posted by: Mack | Jun 24, 2008 11:26:26 AM

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