NYT: Some Muslim Americans Feel Shunned by Obama

TeamJordan23

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Mon Jun-23-08 06:23 PM
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NYT: Some Muslim Americans Feel Shunned by Obama

I got a lot of heat for posting a similar article from the today's WSJ. Well this one is from tomorrow's NYT.

I understand that most of you think this is the correct political thing to do; keep your distance from Muslims to avoid getting typecasted as one by the RW. However, that does not mean it is unfortunate and in a disappointing. And I don't blame Obama for it. It is just how Islams are perceived by some in American society. My point earlier was that Obama should not run away from it but directly confront it. He should reach out the Muslim community because I think most of those who will take that him being a Muslim were not going to vote for him anyways. It is common knowledge that Muslims have been one of the most discriminated groups in the US since 9/11 and there continues to be anti-Muslim sentiment in parts of the country.

It just sucks it has to be this way, because I know Obama has to walk a fine line on the issue.

On another note, please do not take any critical articles or threads about Obama being anti-Obama or anti-Democrat. This should be a forum to have thoughtful, reasonable, and fair debate. I have been an Obama backer from Day 1 (just check my threads long before Obama won any Primarys) and will continue to be because no politician has inspired me the way he has. But that is not to say that he or any other politician will ever be perfect. I don't think we are changing anyone's mind on this forum because we are all stealth Democrats; so critical articles are not intended to not vote for Obama or support him.

Some Muslim Americans Feel Shunned by Obama
By ANDREA ELLIOTT
Published: June 24, 2008

Mr. Ellison believed that Mr. Obama’s message of unity resonated deeply with American Muslims. He volunteered to speak on Mr. Obama’s behalf at a mosque in Cedar Rapids, one of the nation’s oldest Muslim enclaves. But before the rally could take place, aides to Mr. Obama asked Mr. Ellison to cancel the trip because it might stir controversy. An aide appeared at Mr. Ellison’s Washington office to explain.

“I will never forget the quote,” Mr. Ellison said, leaning forward in his chair as he recalled the aide’s words. “He said, ‘We have a very tightly wrapped message.’ ”

When Mr. Obama began his presidential campaign, Muslim Americans from California to Virginia responded with enthusiasm, seeing him as a long-awaited champion of civil liberties, religious tolerance and diplomacy in foreign affairs. But more than a year later, many say, he has not returned their embrace.

While the senator has visited churches and synagogues, he has yet to appear at a single mosque. Muslim and Arab-American organizations have tried repeatedly to arrange meetings with Mr. Obama, but officials with those organizations say their invitations — unlike those of their Jewish and Christian counterparts — have been ignored. Last week, two Muslim women wearing head scarves were barred by campaign volunteers from appearing behind Mr. Obama at a rally in Detroit.

In interviews, Muslim political and civic leaders said they understood that their support for Mr. Obama could be a problem for him at a time when some Americans are deeply suspicious of Muslims. Yet those leaders nonetheless expressed disappointment and even anger at the distance that Mr. Obama has kept from them.

“This is the ‘hope campaign,’ this is the ‘change campaign,’ ” said Mr. Ellison, Democrat of Minnesota. Muslims are frustrated, he added, that “they have not been fully engaged in it.”

The strained relationship between Muslims and Mr. Obama reflects one of the main challenges facing the senator: how to maintain a broad electoral appeal without alienating any of the numerous constituencies he needs to win in November.

After the episode in Detroit last week, Mr. Obama telephoned the two Muslim women to apologize. “I take deepest offense to and will continue to fight against discrimination against people of any religious group or background,” he said in a statement.

Such gestures have fallen short in the eyes of many Muslim leaders, who say the Detroit incident and others illustrate a disconnect between Mr. Obama’s message of unity and his campaign strategy.

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

Even some of Mr. Obama’s strongest Muslim supporters say they are uncomfortable with the forceful denials he has made in response to rumors that he is secretly a Muslim. (Ten percent of registered voters believe the rumor, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center).

Full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/us/politics/24muslim.html?hp