Obama, Being Called a Muslim Is Not a Smear - Updated

Hillary Clinton denied leaking the photo of Barack Obama wearing a turban, but her campaign manager says that even if she had, it would be no big deal. "Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited and had those photos published widely."

Sure, she did. And George W. Bush put on a fetching Chamato poncho in Santiago, while Paul Wolfowitz burned up YouTube with his antimalarial African dance routines when he was World Bank prez. The obvious difference is this: when white politicians go ethnic, they just look funny. When a black presidential contender does it, he looks foreign. And when the ethnic apparel in question is vaguely reminiscent of the clothing worn by Iraqi and Afghan fighters (at least to many Fox viewers, who think any headdress other than a baseball cap is a declaration of war on America), the image is downright frightening.

The turban "scandal" is all part of what is being referred to as "the Muslim smear." It includes everything from exaggerated enunciations of Obama's middle name to the online whisper campaign that Obama attended a fundamentalist madrassa in Indonesia (a lie), was sworn in on a Koran (another lie) and if elected would attach RadioShack speakers to the White House to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer (I made that one up).

So far, Obama's campaign has responded with aggressive corrections that tout his Christian faith, attack the attackers and channel a cooperative witness before the House Un-American Activities Committee. "Barack has never been a Muslim or practiced any other faith besides Christianity," states one fact sheet. "I'm not and never have been of the Muslim faith," Obama told a Christian News reporter.

Of course Obama must correct the record, but he doesn't have to stop there. What is disturbing about the campaign's response is that it leaves unchallenged the disgraceful and racist premise behind the entire "Muslim smear": that being Muslim is de facto a source of shame. Obama's supporters often say they are being "Swiftboated," casually accepting the idea that being accused of Muslimhood is tantamount to being accused of treason.

Substitute another faith or ethnicity, and you'd expect a very different response. Consider a report from the archives of The Nation. Thirteen years ago, Daniel Singer, the magazine's late, much-missed Europe correspondent, went to Poland to cover a hotly contested presidential election. He reported that the race had descended into an ugly debate over whether one of the candidates, Aleksander Kwasniewski, was a closet Jew. The press claimed his mother had been buried in a Jewish cemetery (she was still alive), and a popular TV show aired a skit featuring the Christian candidate dressed as a Hasidic Jew. "What perturbed me," Singer wryly observed, "was that Kwasniewski's lawyers threatened to sue for slander rather than press for an indictment under the law condemning racist propaganda."

We should expect no less of the Obama campaign. When asked during the Ohio debate about Louis Farrakhan's support for his candidacy, Obama did not hesitate to call Farrakhan's anti-Semitic comments "unacceptable and reprehensible." When the turban photo flap came up in the same debate, he used the occasion to say nothing at all.

Farrakhan's infamous comments about Jews took place 24 years ago. The orgy of hate that is "the Muslim smear" is unfolding in real time, and it promises to greatly intensify in a general election. These attacks do not simply "smear Barack's Christian faith," as John Kerry claimed in a campaign mailing. They are an attack on all Muslims, some of whom actually do exercise their rights to cover their heads and send their kids to religious school. Thousands even have the very common name Hussein. All are watching their culture used as a crude bludgeon against Obama, while the candidate who is the symbol of racial harmony fails to defend them. This at a time when US Muslims are bearing the brunt of the Bush administration's assaults on civil liberties, including dragnet wiretapping, and are facing a documented spike in hate crimes.

Occasionally, though not nearly enough, Obama says that Muslims are "deserving of respect and dignity." What he has never done is what Singer called for in Poland: denounce the attacks themselves as racist propaganda, in this case against Muslims.

The core of Obama's candidacy is that he alone -- who lived in Indonesia as a boy and has an African grandmother -- can "repair the world" after the Bush wrecking ball. That repair job begins with the 1.4 billion Muslims around the world, many of whom are convinced that the United States has been waging a war against their faith. This perception is based on facts, among them the fact that Muslim civilians are not counted among the dead in Iraq and Afghanistan; that Islam has been desecrated in US-run prisons; that voting for an Islamic party resulted in collective punishment in Gaza. It is also fueled by the rise of a virulent strain of Islamophobia in Europe and North America.

As the most visible target of this rising racism, Obama has the power to be more than its victim. He can use the attacks to begin the very process of global repair that is the most seductive promise of his campaign. The next time he's asked about his alleged Muslimness, Obama can respond not just by clarifying the facts but by turning the tables. He can state clearly that while a liaison with a pharmaceutical lobbyist may be worthy of scandalized exposure, being a Muslim is not. Changing the terms of the debate this way is not only morally just but tactically smart -- it's the one response that could defuse these hateful attacks. The best part is this: unlike ending the Iraq War and closing Guantánamo, standing up to Islamophobia doesn't need to wait until after the election. Obama can use his campaign to start now. Let the repairing begin.

From The Nation
www.naomiklein.org


Update:

Ari Melber has criticized this column, citing a video the Obama campaign has been circulating featuring a member of Obama's church who makes is clear that while Obama is not a Muslim, there would be nothing wrong with it if he was. I had the same clip sent to me directly from the Obama campaign and wrote this in response:

"What I am suggesting needs to be said can only be said by the man himself, just as he has taken brave stances against racism directed at Latinos under the guise of fighting illegal immigration. Do not underestimate the message that his silence is sending, not just in the U.S. but around the world."

One more thing: now is the time when candidates are most open to pressure. For instance, Hillary Clinton just announced that she will co-sponsor legislation to ban the use of private military companies -- exactly one day after my Nation colleague Jeremy Scahill revealed that both Clinton and Obama were poised to let the mercenaries stay in Iraq even if the troops come home. Pushing candidates on the issues during a campaign can have a real impact, so can we please move beyond superfandom? I have also heard from people who think that saying Arabs and Muslims are worthy of exactly the same rights and protections as other minorities is just too high-risk a position for Obama during the campaign. If that's the position, so be it, but don't pretend the campaign is doing something it is not. It is precisely because he has been so strong on other issues of discrimination and racism that his trepidation on this issue leaps out.

Comments

[Kundera]

BHO! BHO!

[teahead]

Easy for a white woman blogger to tell Obama to embrace these Muslim smears, but you're not the black man w/a funny name and Muslim heritage on his father's side running for President!

[zull2]

The people who are calling it a smear are Hillary's friends in the media. It's not the notion of being CALLED a Muslim a smear, but rather, the intent behind it. When you do it as an obvious attempt to try and appeal to bigoted people, you are smearing someone by reinforcing their bigotry. That is precisely what Hillary Clinton's campaign has done. It's the same sort of stuff that Bob Corker did to Harold Ford Jr. in 2006...the­re's nothing wrong with the notion of a white man or woman having a crush on someone of the opposite race, but when you make that ad specifically to appeal to the bigoted folks on whom such an ad would sway their opinion, you are lighting a fire under bigots and reinforcing their bigotry.

[MagisterLudi]

Gotta love the targeted Huffpo ad for Single Muslims.com . Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[MagisterLudi]

Using immortal words of Seinfeld :' Not there's anything wrong with it."

Obama should start using "Hussein" as his first name, a lot more euphoneous than Barak, sounds like "Barracks" or something. Go for it, Hussein , it'll certainly help in Texas and Ohio.

[cinecity]

I'm uncomfortable with the logic of this post. Less discussion about religion - not more - would be a helpful trend in political discourse. I just want to be reasonably assured the candidate will defend the separation of church and state, and not have discussions with supernatural beings before deciding to wage war on sovereign nations.

[Pneumaticus]

This stupid conversation about religion has been going on for about 6,000 years now, and it hasn't gotten any of us anywhere yet. Let's hope the leader of the free world can get the faith out of here.

[klizard]

Brilliant article. You've brought up the single most important point about the 'Muslim' 'slurs' that the Obama campaign ought to heed:.
He can state clearly that while a liaison with a pharmaceutical lobbyist may be worthy of scandalized exposure, being a Muslim is not. Changing the terms of the debate this way is not only morally just but tactically smart -- it's the one response that could defuse these hateful attacks.

[shockedNawed]

Naomi, you kick ass. Keep up the good work.

[CanadianinNY]

Thank you, Naomi Klein. I always had the greatest respect for you and your husband Avi Lewis. You are both great world citizens and you make this Canadian very proud.

I agree with everything you said. As a Muslim western woman who believes in liberal democratic values, I am extremely disappointed and disheartened by the way Mr. Obama distances himself from the faith of Islam (including his middle name). It re-enforces all the bigotry and wrong perceptions ignorant Faux News watchers have about Muslims. I understand that he is dispelling remours that might cause him the highest office in the world. However, he can say he is not a Muslim without sounding as though being a Muslim is a disgrace. What is wrong with embracing his middle name. What does his attitude say to an American child named Hussein or has a father named Hussein? It says to him that he is an other and that his name is something to be ashamed of.

As much as I am excited about Mr. Obama’s candidacy and as much as I would like to cast for him my first vote as an American citizen, his campaign’s reaction to his name, leaves me disillusioned.

[Myrrhis]

All respect, CinNY, but . . .

There SHOULD be nothing wrong with it, however we cannot be blind to the prejudice that is widespread in the US against Islam, Muslims, and even people from the Middle East of other faiths.

I know this because my brother in law is Armenian. Both he and his family suffered from prejudice after 9-11 becuase they "looked and sounded Middle Eastern", never mind that they are Armenian Orthodox.

It would be wonderful if Barak could say, not only that he is proud of his name, but that he is proud of the faith of his father, but it's clear that the American public is not ready for that, anymore than if Hillary were to say that she was a lesbian and proud of it. That time has not yet come.

We will have either a woman or a black candidate. That is one barrier torn down. The others still need some work.

[CanadianinNY]

He is not Muslim, we get it. I certainly would not have minded voting for an atheist or Buddhist or Hindu, or a Jew as long as they share my values. I would vote against a Muslim in a heart beat if he/she does not share my values. I understand everyone is not the same and some people have religious tests for their candidate. I also understand the hysteria and Islamaphopia born out of 9/11. I completely recognize why he should debunk any false claims that he is Muslim. What baffles me is the way he is running away from his name-which was given to him by his parents, in honour of his grandfather. They could have challenged the way his opponents use his name without making it seem he is ashamed of it.

I fully understand the double standards at play. He is attacked for a support he did not welcome nor solicit from Farrakhan while McCain is given a pass for questionable supporters such as Pastor Hagee-an anti-Semitic bigot (unless you consider his enthusiastic support for Israel based solely on his desire to smooth the progress towards Armageddon, as being support and acceptance of Jews) who said countless offensive things about other faiths including Catholicism. I fully understand that his campaign must counter any innuendoes or labels that are not true but he must not also feed bigotry. I still maintain his reaction to the “Somali garb” was weak and it made it seem that it was o.k. be against people who dressed differently. All I am saying is there is a way to fight these rumours without normalising hate against Muslims.

[cinecity]

I'm sorry, but why should he not distance himself from the faith of Islam if it is not his faith? I distance myself from the faith of Islam, and Christianity, and Judaism, and Hinduism (etc.) but it's not the same as reinforcing bigotry. I do not believe he has ever implied, by words or tone, it would be a disgrace to be a Muslim. He states the facts of his religious preference. As Humanist, I don't demand that he embrace my beliefs, just that he defend my Constitutional right to practice them.

But those Platonists. Those guys REALLY burn my bacon.

[OSUMercutio]

You make a good point, but you fail to point out how the Clintons and their surrogates have pushed this story. Whether or not Obama has done enough is debatable. However, the Clintons attempt to play on fears and racism should be denounced first and foremost. They have they have also targeted Jewish Americans especially, who are especially concerned about his stance on Israel. I agree that Obama could go an extra step, but I believe you should focus your criticism more on the people who start these rumors. It is a cynical attempt to play upon our society's worst nature.

[amosduncan]

This strikes me as pretty weak, in particulair coming from Niomi Klein. Most of the highly dubious charges of racism against the Clinton camp seem pretty much primed if not utterly created by a Press Corps devoted body and soul to doing Clinton in.

Given Klein's logic, it is O.K. to print a photo of a white candidate in Muslim garb, but not O.K. to print a black candidate. Because, I guess, overreaching liberals are afraid of how it will effect the thinking of very stupid people on the right. Why does this sound more like something a white liberal as opposed to black person is going to get bent out of shape about?

At some point, the man is what he is, and his middle name is what it is. Do you think anyone who's bent out of shape over "Hussian" was ever going to vote for the guy anyway?

[Myrrhis]

Don't be disingenuous.

Obama is entirely correct in viewing the increased circulation of this photo (yes, it was posted earlier in 2007, but it received a recent push from some party with a political interest) as an attempt at a smear.

The question is not what Obama thinks of Islam or Muslims, he is on record about that, but how this picture could easily be used to shore up the tired but not-yet-dead rumor that he is a Muslim. It doesn't take a pollster to predict that, while the US might be ready for a female or black president, recent events and widespread attitudes would make the candidacy of a muslim impossible.

Who ever was behind the new wave of this photo clearly wanted to use it against Obama, and an attempt to reinforce a negative-tho-false image of a candidate easily merits the term "smear".

Doesn't even take a pundit to see that.

[6thVenom]

So it has been shown that Obama has spoken out about the bias against people who practice Islam. But that's not enough for you. So how many times should he speak on Islam? Once a week? Once every three days or so? Should he come out during every campaign rally with a list of groups that have been demonized by the press and offer apologies and concessions to each and every one before he makes his stump speech?

The thing I like best about Obama is that he allows his supporters and even those that don't support him to think for themselves about what is best to do in order to unite the Democratic party and the country. He doesn't assume that people are idiots and can't tell the difference between an outright lie created to paint him something that he is not and an indictment against a religious group.

*rolls eyes*

[ElectionFanatic]

The attempts to smear are so distasteful. They reflect the old, tired, Baby Boomer style of politics that so many of us, especially those of us from the younger generation­s----Gener­ations Jones, X, and Y--are burnt out from. Obama, as the first Generation Jones candidate, campaigns with a different style, one which refelcts his generation (Jonesers are now 42-53 years old), and which is far more palatable to the electorate.