Obama Website Riles Muslims
Beth Reinhard, Miami Herald, July 6, 2008
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Vanessa Alikhan was at a Democratic “unity party” when she overheard another guest indignantly refute the rumor that Barack Obama is Muslim, as if it were a racial slur. She later recounted the conversation to a friend.
“She told me that this is politics and that I should just deal with it,” said Alikhan, a Fort Lauderdale graphic artist who converted to Islam about five years ago. “To me this is the same as telling an African American or a Jewish person they should deal with discrimination because people aren’t ready to embrace them as a group.”
She and other American Muslims are speaking out, as the Obama campaign pushes back on widely e-mailed and patently false claims that he is tied to Islamic terrorists. The rumor could be particularly damaging in a must-win state like Florida, which has a large Jewish population.
{snip} While Muslim leaders understand the campaign’s responsibility to counter misinformation, they say the classification of being Muslim as a “smear” goes too far.
Their outrage peaked when the Obama campaign asked two women wearing head scarves to move away from the candidate—and the television cameras—at a rally last month in Detroit. Obama personally apologized to the women, but the incident reflected the difficulties of balancing hard-nosed political calculations with the campaign’s overall message of change and unity.
{snip}
But some Muslim leaders said Obama needs to do more to make it clear that he welcomes their support in his campaign. Though he’s spoken at many churches and synagogues—including a conservative congregation in Boca Raton—he has never visited a mosque, said Altaf Ali, executive director of the South Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. There are between 200,000 and 400,000 Muslims in Florida and about seven million nationwide.
{snip}
Saif Ishoof, president of the Center for Voter Advocacy, a nonpartisan group that educates Muslims about the political process, said Republican John McCain also needs to show more sensitivity.
Ishoof, a lifelong Republican, said he bristles when McCain consistently refers to “Islamic terrorists.”
{snip}
Though the Muslim community pales in comparison to other religious voting blocs in Florida, Ishoof noted that it is concentrated in central Florida, the battleground region of the state.
{snip}
Muslim voters could make the difference in several states crucial to winning the White House, including Michigan, Ohio and Virginia.
“Every vote is going to be critical,” Ishoof said.
{snip}
Email Beth Reinhard at breinhard@MiamiHerald.com.
(Posted on July 10, 2008)
Comments
“Ishoof, a lifelong Republican, said he bristles when McCain consistently refers to “Islamic terrorists.””
Well then, what are they? They’re NOT Islamic? Are they Buddhists? Zoroastrians? Wiccans? What are they, Ishoof? Why don’t these people get it? We Do Not want a Muslim president.
Posted by at 6:42 PM on July 10
All of the offended Muslims should not vote for Obama. That is the best solution, in my eyes.
Posted by at 8:40 PM on July 10
A big problem with a country that has no national unity or identity is that whenever you take a position, you are bound to offend a segment of society.
Posted by at 9:26 PM on July 10
I knew this was coming when a news story about Obama’s web site “Stop the Smears dot com” had this item to refute— “Obama is a Muslim.” That’s a smear?
For normal Americans, it would indeed be a “smear” to say a non-Muslim is a Muslim. But in ultra-sensitive Democratic Political Correctness Land, you can’t imply that there is anythning wrong with being a Muslim.
Posted by Reader-1 at 9:36 PM on July 10
I don’t understand offended muslims who should be groveling for forgiveness for the evil caused by their brethran in this foolish religion. Our world seems like ‘Alice in Wonderland’ topsy turvy fantasy land. I am offended when ‘Islamic terrorists’
kill innocent people. And no, they are muslims who adhere to Islam and therefore called Islamic terrorists. We would call them ‘Buddhist terrorist monks’ if they were running around blowing up people.
Posted by realist at 12:30 AM on July 11
The religion of perpetual outrage are killing non-muslims throughout the world. They (Islamists) are responsibility for death and destruction in all 21 wars currently raging worldwide.
I have no use for Islam, they are haters and have no intentions of of peace.
Posted by jdavis at 10:50 AM on July 11
If the term used is “Radical Muslim”, it cannot be called a smear. It is a fact of life that these are crazy murderers intent on taking over the World. Incidentally, in England a woman has just been jailed for 3 years for helping a radical Muslim bomber escape justice by dressing him as a woman in a Bhurka. He was one involved in the bus bombings in London
Posted by at 12:54 PM on July 11
Wonderful! Another group comes to understand just WHY so many White Americans think of him as “PHONY OBAMA.” He changes his church(es). or story, to suit the occasion. This carricature of a human being is supposed to be the great leader bringing change to America? I’d just as soon hang my socks up and wait for Santa Claus to come and fill them.
Posted by Fed Up at 1:26 PM on July 11
The young people of this country have no idea what’s coming after they vote for the Obamination. Hugh Hewitt does; however, and even wrote a pamphlet titled ‘Letter to a Young Obama Supporter’. Check it out: http://store.pamphleteerpress.com/11.html
Posted by Unemployed WASP at 2:19 PM on July 12
Psssssssssst…..news flash folks….it doesn’t take much to rile a muslim in the first place…number two….everything obama the muslim does is total lies and coverups…if he wins, you think you had it bad with bushwacker….you ain’t seen nothen yet…..we will be doomed if they vote this moronic piece of trash into office!!!
Posted by lydia at 12:17 PM on July 14