America's ugly side surfaces
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Barack Obama's presidential candidacy may have uncovered, unintentionally, a growing bias in this country against Americans of the Muslim faith.
In fact, Obama found himself apologizing to two Muslim women who say they were asked not to appear behind the candidate during a Detroit rally because they were wearing head scarves.
In another incident, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., a Muslim, says he was discouraged by the Obama campaign from speaking on its behalf at a Cedar Rapids, Minn., mosque. These incidents point to a sensitivity in the Obama camp to being too closely identified with Muslims, a perception that persists despite denials by Obama.
Obama's name - or, more precisely, his full name, Barack Hussein Obama, has fueled rumors that he's a closet Muslim, as if you can identify adherents to that faith by their surnames. If that were the case, what does Ellison's name reveal about his religion?
The controversy kicked up by Obama's former minister, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, should have put that issue to rest.
But even if Obama were a Muslim, so what? When did that become either illegal or a disqualification to hold the office of president?
The First Amendment to the Constitution, says, in part, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or the free exercise thereof."
But the sad truth is that since 9/11, suspicions are harbored against all Muslims or anyone with a so-called "Muslim name."
A recent Newsweek magazine poll found that 44 percent of respondents favored placing restrictions on the civil liberties of Muslim-Americans. Forty-eight percent said there should be no restrictions.
The survey also showed that 27 percent of those polled support requiring Muslims to register where they live with the federal government; 22 percent favor racial profiling to identify potential terrorists threats and 29 percent think that having undercover agents infiltrate Muslim organizations is a viable idea.
Recently, Dunkin' Donuts canceled a television ad because of a ruckus instigated by some in the media who strenuously objected to the scarf that TV celebrity Rachael Ray wore in the ad. The beef was that the scarf was thought to be similar to the ones worn by Muslim jihadist terrorists.
I wonder if the protesters of the Dunkin' Donuts ad stopped to think how their insinuation about wearing a certain type of head scarf made millions of practicing Muslim women and girls in the U.S. feel? These are people who go to school or work every day wearing the traditional head scarf as part of their faith. Should we suspect that the minds under these scarves are busy hatching terrorist plots?
The last time this country allowed itself to entertain such wacky ideas, thousands of Japanese-Americans were herded into internment camps during World War II.
Not long after that war, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Americans found themselves barred from employment because someone, somewhere - they often didn't know who - branded them a Communist.
Many American Muslims are solidly middle class accountants, doctors, engineers and scientists. Talk about irony - these are people who, by and large, have embraced the American dream only to suddenly find themselves under suspicion by large numbers of their countrymen. Why?
Lest you think these poll results were a simple overreaction by the ignorant among us, Newsweek researchers found that poll respondents who paid more attention to TV news were more likely to fear terror attacks and support limiting the rights of Muslims.
As a friend of mine used to say, "Everyone is entitled to their own stupid opinion."
Source: The New Jersey Journal
http://www.nj.com/columns/jjournal/morgan/index.ssf?/base/columns-0/1214...
We ca never judge other nationality in general there are decent Americans who does not stereotype and discriminate..
I heard of this news that Obama is a Moslem, is there any problem with that? He is an American citizen now and has the right to run as a President right?
Well the decision is still with Americans and not in our hands, it's their country and they have to practice their rights to vote for whoever leader they want.
Police apologise over mosque show
West Midlands Police and the Crown Prosecution Service have apologised for accusing the makers of a Channel 4 documentary of distortion.
The apology and the promise of £100,000 were made at the High Court on Thursday.
It follows comments made about a Dispatches programme, Undercover Mosque, which tackled claims of Islamic extremism in the West Midlands.
The police statement said the force was wrong to make the allegations.
A press release issued by the police and the CPS in August 2007 claimed the Dispatches programme, broadcast in January of that year, misrepresented the views of Muslim preachers and clerics with misleading editing.
'Damage and distress'
One preacher was shown saying a homosexual should be thrown off a mountain, another that women were born deficient.
Police also reported Channel 4 to television watchdog Ofcom for "heavily editing" the words of Islamic imams.
But in November, Ofcom rejected the police and CPS claims, and Channel 4 said it was going to sue the CPS and police for libel.
The statement, released to the media after the High Court hearing by West Midlands Police, said they accepted there had been no evidence that Channel 4 or the documentary makers had "misled the audience or that the programme was likely to encourage or incite criminal activity".
It added that the Ofcom report showed the documentary had "accurately represented the material it had gathered and dealt with the subject matter responsibly and in context".
The police statement concluded: "We accept, without reservation, the conclusions of Ofcom and apologise to the programme makers for the damage and distress caused by our original press release."
Kevin Sutcliffe, deputy head of current affairs at Channel 4, said the apology was a vindication of the programme team in exposing extreme views.
"Channel 4 was fully aware of the sensitivities surrounding the subject matter but recognised the programme's findings were clearly a matter of important public interest.
"The authorities should be doing all they can to encourage investigations like this, not attempting to publicly rubbish them for reasons they have never properly explained," he said.
David Henshaw, executive producer of Hardcash Productions, who made the documentary, said it was a thorough and detailed programme, made over nine months and at personal risk to the undercover reporter.
Channel 4 boss Julian Bellamy said they had had no choice but to pursue action when the police and CPS refused to withdraw their remarks.
The programme infiltrated a number of mosques, one of which was Green Lane Mosque in Small Heath, Birmingham.
An undercover reporter claimed to provide evidence that certain speakers preached messages of religious bigotry and extremism.
Police initially investigated whether three of the people shown in the programme could be prosecuted for inciting terrorism or racial hatred.
But they later switched their attention to the documentary makers, suggesting they may have been guilty of stirring up racial hatred.
Channel 4 said £50,000 would be donated to the Rory Peck Trust for freelance journalists and their families.
The broadcaster will also receive £50,000 to cover legal costs.
Well i dont think so, i have read article about this matter and it was clearly said that they made a heavy editing to the movie just to take the sentences out of context and present it as hatred and intolerance.
we always say somethings which if we take from the story may seem like hatred or etc but actually is not hatred while in full context.
"He who does not thank people, does not thank Allah" prophet Muhammed (pbuh)
Actually Ofcom found that the programme was "a legitimate investigation" and said there was "no evidence that the broadcaster had misled the audience or that the programme was likely to encourage or incite criminal activity".
The fact is that Muslims have to understand that there are lgitimate mechanisms for voicing their opinions and concerns to the government. It does include inciting young men to rise up violently against the country you live in or carry the passport of.
Its these freedoms which we have that protect ones right to religion. thats why the Police will prosecute any wrong doing on the TV peoples part.
See, the West isnt all bad, is it ?
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NIL ILLEGITIMI CARBORUNDUM
and yes the media is the most trouble making one, for example remember this issue of "Undercover Mosque" in UK, which this TV channel 4 send one of its reporters to mosques and again done so much editing just to remove the context of the speeches and create hatefull view.
Its good now, i think the police has even started investigating the program creators for trying to create hatred towards Muslims.
"He who does not thank people, does not thank Allah" prophet Muhammed (pbuh)
the problem is , there is no clear description for terrorists, the US is confused about this that they started capturing innocent people.
i dont think we can agree on who is terrorist...
"He who does not thank people, does not thank Allah" prophet Muhammed (pbuh)
As I said, its normal reaction.
the public outcry against Guantanamo and also the US courts rulings are a sign that sanity is beginning to prevail.
Damage has been done, but its also up to the Muslims to stand up and denounce terrorism.
terrorists are to be treated as terrorists. they must be wiped out from this earth as Israelis do :)
The US attitude is a normal human reaction. The problem is that the Neocons have created a "bogeyman" called terrorism and teh media and people have gone along with it.
Slowly as sanity prevails, and we are seeing this already, people will become to realise that not all Muslims or foreigners are terorists and things will go back to some type of normalcy.
What does that hint for britexpat that i am from Somalia, ... I guess i didnt made that hidden its on my profile.
britexpat your comment is considerable, but the main problem is this so called War on Terror.
"He who does not thank people, does not thank Allah" prophet Muhammed (pbuh)
Bloody old news :)
Britexpat, Just a hint
Mr.Realsomeone is from Somalian heritage.
I concur with your answer, you have the podium.
yes its true that the perception of Muslims is not very good at present in the USA, or the world for that matter.
9/11 has a lot to do with it. Governments have consistently bombarded the public about threats and security and sadly the Muslim terrorist stereotype has emerged. The media must take some of the blame for this. However, muslims need to also be pro active and lobby to have their side heard.
This is a noromal cyclic reaction. In time, things will revert back, but it will take time..