Muslims Asked to Exit, Stage Left
Obama aides and campaign volunteers told two hijab-sporting Muslim women that they were not permitted to sit in "visible seats" near the podium because "Obama should not be photographed with Muslims wearing head scarves."
Change! The story is everywhere, and it's probably only a matter of time before the campaign blames this on right-wingers, but here's the dirt from Detroit:
It doesn't mean Obama is a Muslim. No one is claiming that. It means Obama's campaign workers (and arguably Obama himself) see the world through the lens of racial identity.
SEE ALSO: "Get me more white people, we need more white people."
Change! The story is everywhere, and it's probably only a matter of time before the campaign blames this on right-wingers, but here's the dirt from Detroit:One of two Muslim women who were denied visible seats behind Barack Obama’s stage at Joe Louis Arena on Monday because they wore head scarves said they deserve a personal apology from Obama and close-up seats at a future campaign rally.This is the man who claims to bring unity to the United States. The man who will transcend the lines of race and religion! I'm sure the next batch of noise from his campaign will be along the lines of, "Well with the extreme right-wing racist hate radio out there, anything that remotely smells of Islam suddenly means Obama is a Muslim, and we won't give them any opportunity to spread these lies about our messiah! Err, candidate!"
Hebba Aref, 25, and her friend, Shimaa Abdelfadeel, received apologies from the campaign Tuesday after they complained that they were not allowed to sit near the podium when campaign volunteers learned that they wear the traditional Muslim head garb called a hijab.
Aref said one aide told her friends that because of a sensitive political environment, Obama should not be photographed with Muslims wearing head scarves.
It doesn't mean Obama is a Muslim. No one is claiming that. It means Obama's campaign workers (and arguably Obama himself) see the world through the lens of racial identity.
SEE ALSO: "Get me more white people, we need more white people."
Labels: Election 2008, Obamamania