Obama's Team Needs to Drop Phobia Towards Arab-Americans and Muslims
A couple of well-placed insiders have told me that US Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad is going to make a quick split after the November 4th election. Some think he is going to position himself to run for the presidency of Afghanistan -- which I sincerely hope he does not do. Others think he has lined up a financially lucrative perch at an investment house. The problem with the latter scenario is that I was informed by my sources of Khalizad's departure agenda before the financial meltdown.
Khalilzad has been an effective and important successor to John Bolton at the UN on a number of levels, but one aspect of his service and identity that rarely gets attention is that he is the highest-ranking Muslim in the Bush administration.
America needs Arab-Americans and Muslim-Americans in positions of responsibility in our government -- and not just dealing with Arab-American and Muslim issues. This is important as America needs to keep open the doors of civic opportunity to all Americans however hyphenated.
Yesterday, Justin Vogt of The New Yorker wrote a piece titled "Imagined Community" for the new Abu-Dhabi based The National. His article is one of the most serious and comprehensive discussions of the state of Arab-Americans in American politics I have read. I had a few quotes in the piece including the comment that "Both Muslims and Arab-Americans have been ill-treated in this political environment."
But the reason to read it is that we do need the 'likely' Obama administration to immediately suspend its generalized phobia of most things Muslim and Arab. McCain and Palin have been trying to slander Obama for relationships with "questionable" Arabs and have through a variety of means allowing a whisper campaign that he may be "Muslim."
I agree with Colin Powell. Why should it matter?! Muslims and Arab Americans are no less American than anyone else reading this blog -- or reading RedState.org or listening to Fox and Friends in the morning.
Although, shame on Tom Ridge for jumping on the bandwagon of hysterical demonization and slander of Columbia University Rashid Khalidi and Barack Obama even though Ridge said on Fox's show Tuesday morning that he knew nothing about Khalidi or what he had written or said -- but that this showed Obama's tendency to associate himself with terrorists and questionable people. That was outrageous.
Some of these Fox critics ought to dig into the founding entities of the Likud party in Israel and apply some historical objectivity.
-- Steve Clemons publishes the popular political blog, The Washington Note
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Mr. Clemons, criticisms on this particular subject should be sent directly to the McPalin camp who continue to promote fear-of-Muslims tactics.
Unfortunately in a nation where so many people eat lies and half-truths and slanders from the GOP as if they were Halloween candy, certain choices get made in terms of which battles to fight and which ones to leave until after the election. As a gay person, I personally wish BHO had not been so tepid on gay marriage, but I understand he needs to get into office first before he can do ANYTHING for ANYONE. He has been very vocal about equality for everyone in the country -- that no one should be a second-class citizen. Might he be more specific, sure. But I take his words to mean all of us regardless of race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, etc....
Four days before the election is an odd time to engage this battle.
But, once he is president, I will be right there to hold him to account on his words. For Muslims, Jews, gays, straights, even little green men in need of little green cards.
"Little green men in need of little green cards"--hilarious! I love it, Pogopaws.
Well said, but I disagree. Today is a fine day to debate.
You picked up on the more subtle meaning of the title quicker than I did. Too often, "later" turns into never, and here we are now. Rain rains when it starts raining; who who's gonna dis the rain for raining? People are amped to the max over this, let the current flow, I say.
Unfortunately true, Obama's camp has been put in the impossible position of trying to stand up for the right to be a Muslim in America, and defend their candidate from an attack based on the bigotry of others.
It is all about getting elected. The one thing Obama did not need to take on during the campaign was this Muslim = terrorist nonsense, because a good portion of the electorate is too bigoted, blind, or stupid to make a distinction between them, thanks in large part to the GOP and right-wingers stoking this fire.
Frankly, it has been quite enough and a huge achievement for him to get past the anti-black bigotry against him which is masked by code words without taking on an even more complex racial or ethnic issue.
I believe an Obama adminstration will take all necessary steps to address this issue in a dignified and adult manner, as Colin Powell did two weeks ago.
Don't forget, Barack Obama is an effective teacher -- he taught Constitutional Law in Chicago and has proven his ability to find and take advantage of "teachable moments" for those eager to listen and learn. He will find the right time and place to make his position clear.
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If Obama singled out Muslims it would be pandering. If you'll notice he doesn't even pander to blacks. He wants to be president to everyone and if/when he wins he will be president to everyone. I think the author is wrong.
I happen to be black and Muslim and I don't really see that he has shown any more distancing from Arab-Americans and Muslims as he has with black people. Although I have read about the campaign removing some Muslim women from being behind him where the cameras would see them while he would be speaking. They did apologize for that but , overall, I think what he has tried to show is that he wants to represent all people. Most black people that I know recognize that if he were to be too partial toward us, he would have been painted as some pro-black militant or something. We just want to get the man elected. That's just my view.
This is crap, Obama has no phobia toward Arabs and Muslims, he has come out and said, right after saying he isn't Muslim, that there is nothing wrong with being Muslim, and he is against it being used in the pejorative. He has been clear on this. Get your facts straight.
Everybody on this blog knows I criticize Obama. I'm not infatuated with him like these other bloggers are. He's nothing but a TYPICAL Chicago/Cook County politician in my opinion. A scripted politician that reminds me of Robert Redford in "The Candidate".
However, having said that, I will give credit where credit is due. Barack Obama has NO phobia towards muslims and Arab-Americans. Thats a lie.
OK, instead of "phobia," how about saying it like this: aversion to embracing in public a presently down-trodden group, (hopefully) in order to get into office where he can then act on the better angels we all share?
Listen, you don't know what YOU are talking about. Where I live (far southside of Chicago) the muslim population (and very Arab) is over-whelmingly UPPER-middle class. And especially in Palos Hts, Chicago Ridge, Tinley Park, Palos Park, and Oak Lawn. I wish I could afford the big homes they live in. Are there people who don't like muslims---yes. But guess what, there are people who don't like blacks. Guess what, there are people who don't like whites and especially white men...So take your downtrodden and shove it......Ag
I don't see how Zalmay Khalilzad could become president of Afghanistan without loosing his US citizenship. Or is he not a naturalized US Citizen? I've always been puzzled about other statements I have heard about him, I even tried to ask him that question on the DR Show once but I did not make it on the air :(. When I became a US citizen, I had to "declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen." Didn't Zalmay Khalilzad have to do that when he was naturalized? Not that it is not ridiculous that we have to say that, mind you. I am still a citizen of my country of birth, whether the US government recognizes it or not. Anybody out there knows the answer?
And yes, it is appalling that Obama, otherwise perfect in every way :-), has not come out more clearly in defense and support of all of us Muslim Americans.
Khalilzad is a member of PNAC (in fact a signatory to the organization's statement of principles), if he were to be elected President of Afghanistan he would, in actuality, be the Governor General of the United States Commonwealth of Afghanistan, so his nationality would be of little concern.
Obama has been honest and direct in all his answers. When asked directly what he thinks of muslims he has been clear, and even indicated that his father was born a muslim, though he was not a practicing one - didn't say his prayers 4 or 5 times a day. Obama is not ashamed of his father (read his book, Dreams from my father).
Your point is well taken, but how many American Politicians talked up their affection for Japanese Americans during the WWII Internment period? The actions might be different today, but the mindset not far from. I have no doubt that Obama is open to people of all backgrounds, and that is a trait that bodes well for the United States after the damage the Bush Administration has brought on our nations image, but the American people, by and large, are very provincial in their view of the world and we can't pretend they aren't.
I'm from Michigan where we have the largest Arab population outside of the Middle East. It was horrible after 9/11 how Arab-Americans or just people from the Middle East were treated. But, the reality is we are slowly turning the corner of a fear-based society. The past election cycle was all about being afraid of the "other"...
Obviously, Steve in this election cycle "fear of the other" is still a big issue. Obama is trying to get people comfortable with him being an African-Am
Bravo! "The past election cycle was all about being afraid of the "other"... " That's my impression, too.
I share your hope, Finnegan569, that we're finally learning from our mistakes and moving beyond the divisive politics of fear.
Finnegan, remember one thing. Japanese-Americans were treated 10 times worse after Pearl Harbor. Put in concentration camps and properties confiscated (and by a liberal democrat president yet)......
Why stop with the Internment? Before that, before even slavery was practiced, my Euro-American ancestors slaughtered my Native American ones wholesale. Where do you think we got the idea for the concentration camps? "Properties confiscated?" How 'bout BEING property?
That in no way takes anything from the suffering of those who are being terrorized today. What purpose is served by diminishing ("say what you will" is rather dismissive) the suffering going on right now?
As gently as I can, I must say, methinks you do protest too much, dear fellow American (I presume).
How's this? Paraphrasing Neil Armstrong, with each advance we make, that's one small step for HUmanITY, one giant leap for HUmankind--but we still have a long way to go. We agree here, yes?
Very good post, right after Powell`s endorsement I got a call from a major newspaper , conducting a poll. One of the many questions was...Do I know Barack`s religion. My answer was yes, He is a Christian, and that is not an important factor to me. The other one was , Powell`s endorsement made any difference to my deciding whom I would vote for, the answer was...No.
Both the campaign nreed to stop this nonsense, particularly Mccain/Palin , once you dabble into that area where do you stop ? Can`t fault Obama much, it is politics after all. But I do wish he was more straight forward about religion.
didn't you just say it was no an important factor to you- so then why does he need to be more straight foward? jsut askin
he's been straightforward and said there's nothing wrong with it. Very clearly too.
...yes he did, now, not at the begining ! As I have said before, to me , not a factor....
It only matters because the media, and most white folks are scared as hell of Muslims, they don't care if they are American or not. ....and you know this.
I agree that there is anti-Arab and anti-Muslim phobia and rhetoric being thrown around in this race, but it's not from the Obama camp, but rather from the McCain camp. I hate stating the obvious, but Obama cannot show any kind of empathy towards Palestinians or any other Muslims at this stage in the race because of the accusations he will face from the right wing who have hijacked the Republican party.
Strange how both campaigns are distancing themselves from anything Middle Eastern, yet the Bush family is very buddy buddy with the Saudis. And to Bush's credit, he has visited a mosque, held a Muslim holiday celebration at the White House, and appointed a Muslim as U.N. ambassador. So in that single regard, Palin differs from Bush. She is much more of an exluder than Bush. I discuss Palin only because McCain seems to be playing second fiddle to her lately and the McCain we see is not the real McCain (or maybe it is and we've been seeing the fake McCain for the past 26 years).
StopNThink has a great post below, addressing this very concern.
http://www
If it were a phobia I think muslims could see through it and not vote for him. All the muslims I know, 3 Pakistanis, 2 Gulf Arabs and 6 Guyanese, absolutely love Obama. They understand that he can't come out and embrace their group at this moment, because of all the race bating going on, and would rather see him get elected first and foremost.
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