Muslims barred from picture at Obama event

[nana_356 0]

Actually, folks, had the two Muslim ladies appeared in the photos, it would have deflated a certain amount of the criticism from the Other Side. The Obama campaign could simply have said "Yeah, and your point is what, exactly?" leaving critics simply spouting the same old anti-Islamic guff.

But now, they've just given 'em ammmunition.

And it is because of gaffes like this that Obama will lose this November, and the Democrats will be wondering how they managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yet again.

funny how some are so outraged by how the volunteers treated the muslim woman, but there wasnt any similar outrage when mccain's pastor John Hagee called upon Christians to wage a "war" against the "false religion" of Islam with the aim of destroying it.

Edited June 18, 2008 by nana_356

[HAL 9000 96]

Looks like he is ashamed of his Muslim roots and trying to hide the fact that he is indeed a closet Muslim! HAHAH some change agent here, typical spin agent liberal politician. What a liar!

Two Muslim women at Barack Obama's rally in Detroit 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, all 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, who added that the volunteers were acting contrary to the campaign's policy. "We sincerely apologize for this behavior."

Building a human backdrop to a political candidate, a set of faces to appear on television and in photographs, is always a delicate exercise in demographics and political correctness. Advance staffers typically pick supporters out of a crowd to reflect the candidate's message.

When Obama won North Carolina amid questions about his ability to connect with white voters, for instance, he stood in front of a group of middle-aged white women waving small American flags. Across the aisle, a Hispanic New Hampshire Democrat, Roberto Fuentes, told Politico that he was recently asked, and declined, to contribute to the "diversity" of the crowd behind Senator John McCain at a Nashua event.

But for Obama, the old-fashioned image-making contrasts with his promise to transcend identity politics, and to embrace all elements of America. The incidents in Michigan, which has one of the largest Arab and Muslim populations in the country, also raise an aspect of his campaign that sometimes rubs Muslims the wrong way: The candidate has vigorously denied a false, viral rumor that he himself is Muslim. But the denials seem to some at times to imply that there something wrong with the faith, though Obama occasionally adds that he means no disrespect to Islam.

"I was coming to support him, and I felt like I was discriminated against by the very person who was supposed to be bringing this change, who I could really relate to," said Hebba Aref, a 25-year-old lawyer who lives in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills. "The message that I thought was delivered to us was that they do not want him associated with Muslims or Muslim supporters."

In Detroit Monday the two different Obama volunteers – in separate incidents– made it clear that headscarves wouldn't be in the picture. The volunteers gave different explanations for excluding the hijabs, one bluntly political and the other less clear.

In Aref's case, there was no ambiguity.

That incident began when the volunteer asked Aref's friend Ali Koussan and two other friends, Aref's brother Sharif and another young lawyer, Brandon Edward Miller, whether they would like to sit behind the stage. The three young men said they would, but mentioned they were with friends.

The men said the volunteer, a twenty-something African American woman in a green shirt, asked if their friends looked and were dressed like the young men, who were all light-skinned and wearing suits. Miller said yes, but mentioned that one of their friends was wearing a headscarf with her suit.

The volunteer "explained to me that because of the political climate and what's going on in the world and what's going on with Muslim Americans it's not good for her to be seen on TV or associated with Obama," said Koussan, who is a law student at Wayne State University.

Both Koussan and Miller said they specifically recalled the volunteer citing the "political climate" in telling them they couldn't sit behind Obama.

"I was like, 'You've got to be kidding me. Are you serious?'" Koussan recalled.

Shimaa Abdelfadeel's story was different. She'd waited on line outside the Joe Louis Arena for three hours in the sun, and was walking through the giant hall when a volunteer approached two of her non-Muslim friends, a few steps ahead of her, and asked if they'd like to sit in "special seating" behind the stage, said one friend, Brittany Marino, who like Abdelfadeel is a recent University of Michigan graduate who works for the university.

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

If they were allowed in the picture, would your point be any diffrent? You would still be trying to invoke islamophobia.

I tend to think that - its not as though it would matter either way as someone would find a story in it. Again its just preaching to the choir for people who were never planning on voting Democrat anyway - and so naturally they overstate the importance of campaign gaffes. I think most people are reasonable enough to see through things like that.

Hence the typical responses here? Yep.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Actually, folks, had the two Muslim ladies appeared in the photos, it would have deflated a certain amount of the criticism from the Other Side. The Obama campaign could simply have said "Yeah, and your point is what, exactly?" leaving critics simply spouting the same old anti-Islamic guff.

But now, they've just given 'em ammmunition.

And it is because of gaffes like this that Obama will lose this November, and the Democrats will be wondering how they managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yet again.

funny how some are so outraged by how the volunteers treated the muslim woman, but there wasnt any similar outrage when mccain's pastor John Hagee called upon Christians to wage a "war" against the "false religion" of Islam with the aim of destroying it.

Is it always foggy where you live?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

When Obama won North Carolina amid questions about his ability to connect with white voters, for instance, he stood in front of a group of middle-aged white women waving small American flags. Across the aisle, a Hispanic New Hampshire Democrat, Roberto Fuentes, told Politico that he was recently asked, and declined, to contribute to the "diversity" of the crowd behind Senator John McCain at a Nashua event.

Actually Marc if you want to talk comparisons - this would be the appropriate one in this context. The flag not so much

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

When Obama won North Carolina amid questions about his ability to connect with white voters, for instance, he stood in front of a group of middle-aged white women waving small American flags. Across the aisle, a Hispanic New Hampshire Democrat, Roberto Fuentes, told Politico that he was recently asked, and declined, to contribute to the "diversity" of the crowd behind Senator John McCain at a Nashua event.

Actually Marc if you want to talk comparisons - this would be the appropriate one in this context. The flag not so much

Why are you trying to change the subject? wiggle wiggle.

[nana_356 0]

Actually, folks, had the two Muslim ladies appeared in the photos, it would have deflated a certain amount of the criticism from the Other Side. The Obama campaign could simply have said "Yeah, and your point is what, exactly?" leaving critics simply spouting the same old anti-Islamic guff.

But now, they've just given 'em ammmunition.

And it is because of gaffes like this that Obama will lose this November, and the Democrats will be wondering how they managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yet again.

funny how some are so outraged by how the volunteers treated the muslim woman, but there wasnt any similar outrage when mccain's pastor John Hagee called upon Christians to wage a "war" against the "false religion" of Islam with the aim of destroying it.

Is it always foggy where you live?

B)

[SaadBell 0]

I think they are referring to this -

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Actually, folks, had the two Muslim ladies appeared in the photos, it would have deflated a certain amount of the criticism from the Other Side. The Obama campaign could simply have said "Yeah, and your point is what, exactly?" leaving critics simply spouting the same old anti-Islamic guff.

But now, they've just given 'em ammmunition.

And it is because of gaffes like this that Obama will lose this November, and the Democrats will be wondering how they managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yet again.

funny how some are so outraged by how the volunteers treated the muslim woman, but there wasnt any similar outrage when mccain's pastor John Hagee called upon Christians to wage a "war" against the "false religion" of Islam with the aim of destroying it.

Is it always foggy where you live?

B)

[SMOKE 1,426]

Actually, folks, had the two Muslim ladies appeared in the photos, it would have deflated a certain amount of the criticism from the Other Side. The Obama campaign could simply have said "Yeah, and your point is what, exactly?" leaving critics simply spouting the same old anti-Islamic guff.

But now, they've just given 'em ammmunition.

And it is because of gaffes like this that Obama will lose this November, and the Democrats will be wondering how they managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yet again.

funny how some are so outraged by how the volunteers treated the muslim woman, but there wasnt any similar outrage when mccain's pastor John Hagee called upon Christians to wage a "war" against the "false religion" of Islam with the aim of destroying it.

a lot of us still aren't over the rev. wright ordeal(s) either.

IMO- both candidates suck. but McCain is lesser of the two on the suck scale.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

I think they are referring to this -

when all else fails post picture

[zqt3344 21]

Flag??? Well if you liberals think it is ok to grant terrorists and illegal immigrants the rights of legal US citizens, then why not allow people to fly any flag they want to? It is an expression of their Constitutional right of free speech. And try to spin this one.

Actually, folks, had the two Muslim ladies appeared in the photos, it would have deflated a certain amount of the criticism from the Other Side. The Obama campaign could simply have said "Yeah, and your point is what, exactly?" leaving critics simply spouting the same old anti-Islamic guff.

But now, they've just given 'em ammmunition.

And it is because of gaffes like this that Obama will lose this November, and the Democrats will be wondering how they managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yet again.

funny how some are so outraged by how the volunteers treated the muslim woman, but there wasnt any similar outrage when mccain's pastor John Hagee called upon Christians to wage a "war" against the "false religion" of Islam with the aim of destroying it.

Is it always foggy where you live?

B)

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

a lot of us still aren't over the rev. wright ordeal(s) either.

IMO- both candidates suck. but McCain is lesser of the two on the suck scale.

Exactly!

[nana_356 0]

Actually, folks, had the two Muslim ladies appeared in the photos, it would have deflated a certain amount of the criticism from the Other Side. The Obama campaign could simply have said "Yeah, and your point is what, exactly?" leaving critics simply spouting the same old anti-Islamic guff.

But now, they've just given 'em ammmunition.

And it is because of gaffes like this that Obama will lose this November, and the Democrats will be wondering how they managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yet again.

funny how some are so outraged by how the volunteers treated the muslim woman, but there wasnt any similar outrage when mccain's pastor John Hagee called upon Christians to wage a "war" against the "false religion" of Islam with the aim of destroying it.

a lot of us still aren't over the rev. wright ordeal(s) either.

IMO- both candidates suck. but McCain is lesser of the two on the suck scale.

To each is own!

[Gallowglass 0]

funny how some are so outraged by how the volunteers treated the muslim woman, but there wasnt any similar outrage when mccain's pastor John Hagee called upon Christians to wage a "war" against the "false religion" of Islam with the aim of destroying it.

Never said I wasn't outraged. Nor did I say I was outraged, either by the exclusion of the ladies in question or anything McCain or one of his associates might have said.

My point is that it's a two-way process. This isn't the primaries and the race for the nomination any more. This is, if you'll excuse the analogy, the Superbowl. There are no playoffs and no prizes for second best. Either candidate has to be prepared to win, and to win at all costs.

And yes - it is things like this incident that will matter and stick in peoples' minds come November. Obama is and should be eminently electable. That is not in dispute. Incidents like this, however, damage that electability.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

funny how some are so outraged by how the volunteers treated the muslim woman, but there wasnt any similar outrage when mccain's pastor John Hagee called upon Christians to wage a "war" against the "false religion" of Islam with the aim of destroying it.

Never said I wasn't outraged. Nor did I say I was outraged, either by the exclusion of the ladies in question or anything McCain or one of his associates might have said.

My point is that it's a two-way process. This isn't the primaries and the race for the nomination any more. This is, if you'll excuse the analogy, the Superbowl. There are no playoffs and no prizes for second best. Either candidate has to be prepared to win, and to win at all costs.

And yes - it is things like this incident that will matter and stick in peoples' minds come November. Obama is and should be eminently electable. That is not in dispute. Incidents like this, however, damage that electability.

And then to defend it makes it worse!