Muslims barred from picture at Obama event

[Hatalles]

Source: Politico

Two Muslim women at Barack Obama's rally in Detroit on Monday were barred from sitting behind the podium by campaign volunteers seeking to prevent the women's headscarves from appearing in photographs or on television with the candidate.

The campaign has apologized to the women, both Obama supporters who said they felt betrayed by their treatment at the rally.

"This is of course not the policy of the campaign. It is offensive and counter to Obama's commitment to bring Americans together and simply not the kind of campaign we run," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton. "We sincerely apologize for the behavior of these volunteers."

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/11168.html

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:(

[DS1]

1. It was a sabotage attempt, imo

[MNDemNY]

3. Even so, handled poorly.

[bunkerbuster1]

4. Even if that's so (and I doubt it was), it's a test

and the campaign flunked it.

[tidy_bowl]

6. You must be joking....

...a sabotage? Are you saying some Muslims are working to hurt Obama? His campaign was right to apologize, those 'volunteers' were behaving racially and they have no business taking it upon themselves that type of people placement. Obama is above race and at his next public and televised event he should have many Muslims on the stage and in the audience to show his support for minorities.

[DS1]

7. yeah, I'm cynical as hell when dealing with the GOP

They'll stop at nothing to paint their enemies their own way, and you have to think that low to catch them.

While it wasn't the morally right thing to do, I'm fine with the actions of the volunteers in this case.

[onenote]

22. it wasn't morally right, but you're fine with it. Interesting perspective

what other morally incorrect acts are you okay with?

[DS1]

23. I'm not wasting my time with you

buh bye

[onenote]

24. Pretty much the response I would have expected.

Have fun!

[redqueen]

38. deleted

no point

[silverojo]

27. I think it was absolutely necessary

Imagine how the GOP would have a field day with such photos?

Whether the Muslims were paid by the GOP to do this, or they just came on their own...they should have known better. When someone's trying to stop the rumors that he's Muslim (to battle the GOP scare/slime machine), it's in really poor taste to show up in full Muslim garb.

I'm Wiccan, but if the GOP was trying to tell people that Obama was a Wiccan when he's not...I sure as hell wouldn't show up there, wearing a robe and a big ol' pentacle around my neck!

[DS1]

33. Exactly

Yes, it sucks, but this is the way it needs to be for now. There's too many stupid ignorant bastards with votes out there, and the GOP would milk the hell out of that photo.

Of course, now it will happen, just to make "amends".

[wvbygod]

45. Is there a list of approved bigotry we should be following?

And why is it accepted to pander to the "stupid ignorant bastards" vote anyway? You can not
win by fighting bigotry with more bigotry.

[marshall]

43. Yeah, they should have known better

In today's climate they should have known that Obama would not benefit from them being seen right over his shoulder. Hopefully the word will get out and they will come dressed appropriately or at the very least not try to elbow their way in front of the cameras.

[wvbygod]

44. They should have known better?

Unbelievable. Thankfully, those forced to sit in the back of the bus did not take that stance.

[ContraBass Black]

47. According to other posts in this thread, there are already pictures of supporters

Wearing headscarves behind them. So, where are these "He's a Muslim! Look who's behind him!" ads now?

However, now there are major news stories about the incident, highlighting an instance of religious discrimination by his campaign volunteers. That's damaging and sensational, and he will probably have to repudiate it personally, giving the story further legs where there would be none at all if the volunteer hadn't pointed the woman in a scarf the other way "citing a sensitive political climate(CNN)."

For many people, religious identity is a fundamental part of the life and self. When supporting a progressive, inclusive candidate showing up proudly and unabashedly as oneself is not in poor taste, but in appropriate character.

[grasswire]

19. behaving racially???

What the hell does that mean?

By wearing traditional garb they were behaving racially?

Oboy. This is gonna be a long summer.

[onenote]

21. and your opinion is based on what?

YOu don't think that a couple of young muslim women might support Obama?

Pathetic

[struggle4progress]

55. Unlikely. Here's an article by one of the women a couple of years ago:

Volume 6
Issue 5
Mar 2006 ...

Page 6
Latest Five Dollar Fatwa
By Shimaa Abdelfadeel
Columnist

My sixteen-year-old sister called me the other day just to talk, the way younger sisters often do. She quietly told me she did not have any aspirations to become a doctor. I was taken aback by this brazen choice to deviate away from the family norm, even more so when she asked me what route she should take. I wanted to tell her about activism and human rights. I wanted to tell her about Malcolm ... I wanted to tell her about Angela Davis ... I wanted to tell her about Nikki Giovanni ... I wanted to tell her about Mumia Abu Jamal ... But I didn’t. Instead, I told her to worry about it when the time comes. She needed to figure it out on her own, just as I did ...

<pdf:> www.muslims.studentorgs.umich.edu/PDFfiles/Risalah%20V6%20-%20Issue%205.pdf
<google-generated html:> http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:HYxGJQYidZ0J:www.muslims.studentorgs.umich.edu/PDFfiles/Risalah%2520V6%2520-%2520Issue%25205.pdf+Shimaa+Abdelfadeel&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=20&gl=us

[bunkerbuster1]

2. Obama needs to make a more public apology, methinks.

I trust his instincts to handle this problem, but I hope he, himself, raises the issue to the press and explains why it was wrong to exclude these women.

[MNDemNY]

5. With out a doubt.

[Xenotime]

30. Exactly. And, this would be a good time to reach out more to Muslims

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. This is the third thread on this subject today

In another thread, they showed photos of another event where women in hijab were right by Obama. I'd say politico blew this up out of proportion.

[SharonRB]

11. You're probably right

See my post below. I was an eyewitness at the event.

[underpants]

12. Don't they just let ANYONE sit behind the candidate?

I mean these things aren't all managed or anything are they???

:sarcasm:

[SharonRB]

15. Actually, if you look at my account downthread

the seating behind the stage was very randomly selected by volunteers who were given certain guidelines. I don't think headscarves were specifically to be banned, but I do believe that hats may have been. The volunteers in question, now that I've read the whole article, may have had their own interpretations, but I seriously doubt that explanation came from the campaign. Barack has appeared a number of other times with women in hajibs, including another event at Wayne County Community College the following day.

[Boojatta]

31. Well, there are pictures of bin Laden sitting behind Bush in the Oval Office.

However, that sneaky bin Laden always gets away before Bush has a chance to turn around.

[Courtesy Flush]

9. Really sticky situation for Barack

Freepers would make major hay with a pic of him with Muslims. Sadly, unity doesn't play well with all Americans.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

14. Well, then, they have a couple to choose from

that have been posted on threads about this same subject today. Seems that at other rallies, women wearing hijab were allowed near Obama with no problem. I think this was a tempest in a teapot, myself.

[SharonRB]

10. I was volunteering at the rally and spoke to someone whose assignment was

to select people to sit behind the stage. There were very strict guidelines as they randomly selected people to sit there. I don't know all the rules they were given, but I know they were told to select small groups with no young children (because they didn't want children to start fidgeting there, have to leave to go to the bathroom, etc.) and no one wearing T-shirts with slogans on them. I don't know if they were specifically told not to select anyone with headscarves, but I seriously doubt it. Once someone was selected, they had to go to a specified spot to get a yellow wristband, which would gain them access to that seating area.

The bottom line is that not just anyone could go to those seats. Anyone who hadn't been selected at random was barred from going there. Not knowing the details of this situation, I can't really make a judgment call, but if these women randomly went to that area and asked if they could sit there and were told "No," it wasn't because of their headscarves. It was because they did not have a yellow wristband.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

13. thanks for this information

I had a feeling this was blown up all out of proportion, especially since there are other recent photos with Obama in crowds that contained women in hijab.

[SharonRB]

16. After reading the whole article

it sounds like that one volunteer came up with her own explanation which was not given to her by the campaign. She was absolutely wrong to say what she did about the "political climate." The volunteers may have been told not to seat anyone there with hats or caps and they may have assumed that included headscarves. Of course, I don't know for sure. These two incidents did not happen near where I was. The two volunteers doing the selecting who were stationed near me do not fit the description in the article.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

18. I can understand why no caps

That would have obscured faces. I wouldn't have made the cut, because my form of hijab is a cap. That way I'm dressing modestly and yet blending in with the general population--my interpretation of the Qur'anic verse about dressing so as not to stand out.

[MNDemNY]

25. That does not seem to be the case.

the women claim to have been articulated a political motive by the volunteers.

[SharonRB]

26. That didn't come from the campaign, though

They must have been voicing their own opinions, which they shouldn't have done. They were deputized representatives of the campaign as volunteers.

[MNDemNY]

35. True, but disturbing non the less.

[proud2BlibKansan]

34. They wouldn't have picked me then

Cause I wear an IMPEACH or ARREST BUSH shirt almost every day (except to work) and I can assure you I would have worn one to an Obama rally. LOL

Thanks for the first hand account, Sharon. That actually explain a lot.

When Obama was here in Jan, I was in a group that was selected to sit on stage but they ran out of room before we got to the stage. I was really disappointed because I not only had an IMPEACH shirt on but I also had made a sign.

[redqueen]

17. Not this time.

Pitiful BS like this... pfft.

[Oregone]

20. But sadly, this action will have 1/100th of the fallout that allowing them would of had

Which shows you where this country is and where this country is heading. It would of been no Rev Wright Video/picture, but the next best thing for pundits. MSNBC would of used a channeler to divine Russert's opinion of the photo, and Fox would have their body language experts out to show Obama's opinion of the lady behind him. CNN would of had countless terrorist analyst on to determine its larger impact on the War on Terrorism. It would of been a mess. Rachael Ray * 1000.

[Fluffdaddy]

36. Thank you...........You get it. . The GOP 512's would have killed us with that photo op

[Carnea]

28. I heard they also wore matching a Tommy Hillfeger sweatshirts and that

is the real reason they were bumped. nt

[bamacrat]

29. Ok say they werent moved.

The right wing retard population would grow, and think of all the accusations, i think this will be weathered much better than had nothing been done. It may not have been the best thing to do but its not the end of the world.

[AlphaCentauri]

32. The picture McCain and freepers dream to have

[Fluffdaddy]

37. The campaign did the smart thing. The Right wing is just upset they did not get the Photo op

they was looking/waiting for. Way to go whoever that unpaid "volunteer" was. ;)

[AlphaCentauri]

40. yep, I remember those "communist for John Kerry" pictures

[ContraBass Black]

39. The story is now on the front page of cnn.com.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/18/obama.event.ap/index.html

If it happened as alleged, it was both fundamentally wrong and incredibly foolish.

[proud2BlibKansan]

41. And the picture on Yahoo of Obama with the woman in the burka has magically disappeared!

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo/080618/photos_ts/2008_06_17t213910_450×318_us_usa_politics_obama_economy/

[ContraBass Black]

42. Maybe it was hotlinked too many times in response to this story.

These volunteers have created an issue, not deflected one.

[Fluffdaddy]

46. The only thing that was foolish is they got caught doing it.

Do not give the Rightwing 512's ammo.

This story will be gone in two-three days..............Those head scarf wearing Muslim woman photo's would be a gift to the Right wing media

[wvbygod]

48. This story will be gone in two-three days

A small price to pay for such a large supply of bigotry. And we don't get any change back.

[AlphaCentauri]

49. When Obama appear with a muslim then speculations of him been a sympathizer of Laden start

rolling around, then when Mccain do the same, the comments are that he just wants to liberate muslims from oppression.

Tell me if that is not bigotry?

[wvbygod]

50. Yes, that would be bigotry

ANd we should not play along with our own bigotry. Sure, hiding the scarf clad Obama supporters
may prevent the other side from using their own bigotry against us. My problem is that Obama's
staff let their actions be driven by bigotry.

[AlphaCentauri]

51. We have a bigger fish to fried

we can't let stay a party in power that promote hate to muslims, gays, immigrants, the poor and minorities. There is racism and bigotry everywhere and republicans score big in it.

[katerinasmommy]

52. You can't blame the campaign for some idiots

And frankly I don't believe this woman seriously supports Obama. If she did she would not have gone to Politico with this story.

[blues90]

53. How is it always blamed on volunteers?

I did not know they had the power to make decisions like this.

All the opinions and apologies float to the top of the bowl.
Why is it I suspect if Hillary were still running this would have been blamed on her.

[struggle4progress]

54. One prefers volunteers no say stupid things: but there's no "right" to sit in front of the cameras

The campaign probably wouldn't have put a guy who wore his hair in long braids, or a kid wearing a "legalize marijuana" shirt, or a lady with a third eye tattoo on her forehead in front of the cameras either

Dumb thing for the volunteers to say though: they deserve a big loud earful of "what the hell were you thinking?"