The first one comes from a Muslim American, Fatema Blvjla, who became involved in this election after receiving a GOP mailer connecting Obama to Islam negatively. I personally cannot imagine receiving something in my own mailbox that cut down a presidential candidate on the basis of something that is fundamental to me.
Secondly, I think the summaries of Colin Powell's quotations about Obama's connection to Muslims are worth looking at. Powell states, "What if he is? is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? No that's not America. Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim kid believing that he or she can be president?" I think this brings up a very interesting point concerning the future of Muslims in America. Should the dreams of a little boy who believes in Allah have to be different than the dreams of a Jewish girl or a Baptist boy? They obviously shouldn't, but I am just not sure how much they can be the same.
At this point I'd like to introduce a youtube video from a Palin rally in Ohio earlier this month. In this video, Palin supports are asked about Obama and why they do not support him. In the first commentary a woman exclaims that, "he is just not a Christian!! This is Christian Nation!!" Several people go on to say that he is a Muslim, that he is a terrorist. One woman's response particularly linked that connection: "Just the whole Muslim thing, I dunno, a lot of people might have forgotten 9/11, but I haven't."
This country runs on certain facets of the American Dream and I think Powell's hypothetical 7-year-old boy, as well as all the real Muslim children in America, are stuck between two very conflicting ones. As the CNN article points out, America is a melting pot and there is no one face of America. Anyone can succeed with hard work. On the other hand, there is this deeply embedded myth that the religious Christian foundation of this nation are what gives validity to the opportunities in America. Jerry Farwell's reliance on early American history is a perfect testament to this argument. He once wrote," God has blessed this nation because in its early days she sought to honor God and the Bible, the inerrant World of the living God. Any diligent student of American history finds that our great nation was founded by godly men upon godly principles to be a Christian nation."
Maybe in a few more generations Muslims will overcome intolerance towards them as the Catholics did in the 19th and 20th centuries. The harsh reality of today's views towards Muslims are exemplified in the you tube video and they create a rough situation for today's Muslim youth: their means to the American Dream must go way beyond their own hard work; it will take much more to overcome that religious ignorance in this country.
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I think Marion brings up a great point. During this election, I have seen clips here and there in the news that question Obama’s religious convictions. While it seems as though no one pays attention to the religious views of McCain, Obama is always questioned and his religious views are thrown into the spotlight. There is still a strong misconception that Obama is a Muslim. I do think it is understandable to be curious about the religious beliefs of the future president of the United States, but the point is that that people are confused about Obama’s beliefs. Rather, it is that stereotypes against Muslims that have gone far enough to completely take a candidate out of the running for some voters. It is sad to still see ignorance that blinds people to the actual issues at stake. The US has gone through waves of intolerance towards different races and religions, and unfortunately, it is the Islamic population that is experiencing it right now.
I feel that the issue which Marion brings up has been largely ignored during this election at the expense of Muslim Americans. The youtube videos from the Palin rally highlight the ignorance and xenophobic hate which still exists in our political system today. The suggestion that Obama is a Muslim has repeatedly been described as a “smear”-- would this be the case if someone alleged that a candidate were Christian or Jewish? I think Marion is correct in her assertion that the United States public is not yet ready to embrace a Muslim candidate for president. In a recent poll, ( http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,251802,00.html ) 45% of voters said they'd be less likely to vote for a candidate because he or she is Muslim. The September 11th attacks have cemented an image in the minds of a segment of the American public that Muslims are terrorists and cannot yet be trusted. One thing I found notable from the CNN article was Ahmed Rehab's remarks that a candidate visiting a mosque “might not be a gesture that's the politically right thing to do." Muslims are well aware of the public's persisting prejudice against their religion. Since the Obama campaign has faced the “accusations” of Barack being Muslim, they have played it safe and not yet visited a Mosque. This is a failure to substantially reach out to the Muslim community which is indicative of both candidates reluctance to be associated in any manner with the religion of Islam.
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