COMMENTARY: Not that there’s anything wrong with that …

c. 2008 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Now it’s gotten out of hand. At a Detroit rally for Sen. Barack Obama on June 16, two Muslim women were barred from appearing in the prominent seats behind the senator because they wore the hijab, or Islamic headscarf. According to Politico.com, one campaign volunteer explained that “because of […]

c. 2008 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Now it’s gotten out of hand.

At a Detroit rally for Sen. Barack Obama on June 16, two Muslim women were barred from appearing in the prominent seats behind the senator because they wore the hijab, or Islamic headscarf.


According to Politico.com, one campaign volunteer explained 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 (the women) to be seen on TV or associated with Obama.” Another campaign volunteer was paraphrased as saying, “We’re not letting anyone with anything on their heads like baseball (caps) or scarves sit behind the stage.”

In a statement e-mailed to Politico.com, the two women, Hebba Aref and Shimaa Abdelfadeel, called the incident “unfortunate and extremely disappointing.” They still support Obama’s White House bid.

To his credit, Obama has since apologized.

“The actions of these volunteers were unacceptable and in no way reflect any policy of my campaign,” he said in a statement. “I take deepest offense to and will continue to fight against discrimination against people of any religious group or background.”

I can tell you this incident sparked a lot of anger in the Muslim community, and deep sadness in me. It seems that the Obama campaign is deathly afraid of being associated with anything Muslim, despite assurances from the senator and his campaign to the contrary.

Yet, on his new campaign Web site, http://www.fightthesmears.com, Obama lists the lingering rumor that he is Muslim as a “smear.” Why is that considered a “smear”? Sure, I know Obama is a Christian, but what is so wrong with being Muslim?

Islam is one of the three Abrahamic faiths and comes directly out of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Muslims worship the same God as Christians and Jews. Islam teaches love of God, love of country, love of humanity, tolerance, respect and peace. The Islam that I know gives me enormous spiritual comfort and demands of me that I be the best doctor, writer, father and citizen possible.

Unfortunately, that is not the Islam that many _ if not most _ Americans have come to know. The Islam they know is the twisted, ugly, satanic cult of the 9/11 hijackers and other terrorists who claim to be Muslim. Even though Islam strenuously condemns the murder of innocents, these terrorists have used the cloak of Islam to hide their criminal barbarity.

At the end of the day, it falls on us Muslims _ not Obama _ to change this perception. We must double our efforts to engage our fellow Americans in the activities of everyday life. We must get involved in local government, in PTAs and school boards, in homeowners associations and neighborhood watches, in block parties and neighborhood barbecues. The more non-Muslim Americans get to know their Muslim neighbors on a personal level, the more that negative perception of Islam will melt away.


Still, Obama could help in this effort. These “whispers” that Obama is a Muslim will not go away; in fact, they will probably get louder as the presidential campaign swings into high gear. I wish he would say, just once, that even though he is a committed Christian, there is nothing wrong with being Muslim.

It’s almost as if Obama should invoke a version of “Seinfeld”: “I’m not Muslim … not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

I’m not asking Obama to be a positive spokesman for Islam; far from it. Yet such a statement from the senator would go a long way toward bringing Americans together and, as he said on June 3, shun “the kind of politics that uses religion as a wedge.”

(Hesham A. Hassaballa is a physician in the Chicago area. He is co-author of “The Beliefnet Guide to Islam,” published by Doubleday. His Web site is at http://www.drhassaballa.com.)

KRE/PH END HASSABALLA

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A photo of Hesham A. Hassaballa is available via https://religionnews.com.

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