Obama Camp Apologizes to Muslim Women

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: New York Times

By Sarah Wheaton

Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign has apologized for keeping Muslim women wearing headscarves out of a key shot at his Detroit event. According to Politico’s Ben Smith, campaign volunteers told at least two Muslim women that they could not join friends in special spots behind the candidate unless they removed their religious headwear.

Friends of Hebba Aref recounted to Mr. Smith what happened when they were invited to sit behind the stage at Monday rally:

"The men said the volunteer, a twenty-something African American woman in a green shirt, asked if their friends looked and were dressed like the young men, who were all light-skinned and wearing suits. Miller said yes, but mentioned that one of their friends was wearing a headscarf with her suit. The volunteer 'explained to me 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 her to be seen on TV or associated with Obama,' said Koussan, who is a law student at Wayne State University. Both Koussan and Miller said they specifically recalled the volunteer citing the “political climate” in telling them they couldn’t sit behind Obama."

A volunteer told Shimaa Abdelfadeel, according to Mr. Smith’s report, that no headcoverings, be they baseball caps or religious pieces, were allowed to be worn behind the candidate.

The people standing behind the candidate – in full view of the camera – are almost never accidental, and candidates often speak a diverse, albeit clean-cut crowd. And given that Michigan is a center of Arab-American culture, it is unlikely that potential turnout by this group did not occur to Mr. Obama’s advance staff. However, Bill Burton, the campaign spokesman, said in a statement that keeping Muslims out of the background “is of course not the policy of the campaign. It is offensive and counter to Obama’s commitment to bring Americans together and simply not the kind of campaign we run. We sincerely apologize for the behavior of these volunteers.”...

Read more: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/obama-camp-apologizes-to-muslim-women/index.html?hp

[El Supremo]

1. First Cookiegate and now Headscarfgate.

Is that what elections have sunken to?

:mad:

[Maine-i-acs]

2. Gee, I wonder if Hannity's going to report on this? Or Scarborough?

What are the odds?

But ... isn't this "Obama's mean to Muslims" meme counter to the "Obama IS a muslim" meme?

No matter ... anything can be spun as a negative for Obama if the talking points gets hatched up properly, and all the pundits sing with one desparate voice.

How about "Obama IS a muslim, you can tell because he's mean to women!" Yeah, that'll work ...

[still_one]

3. He apologized. We all know the reason it was done though. There is still a percentage who believe

he is a Muslim, and this hasn't only been perpetrated by random emails, but the MSM are up to their neck in trying to misrepresent him

Was it right for them to be excluded? NO
Was it right for the MSM to keep the lie alive that he is a Muslim? NO

It is also not right for Glen Beck to appear on his CNN show and tell an elected American Congressman, who happens to be a Muslim that he could not trust him.

It is also not right for our airwaves to be filled with racist remarks spewed from the limbaughs, becks, buchanan's, hannity, savage, and the other purveyors of hate

[LeftishBrit]

5. ITA!

[Hekate]

4. Damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. nt

[ohio2007]

8. somebody somewhere always pays

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b80_1213832968

[onenote]

6. It was a volunteer staff screw up. These things happen during campaigns

The campaign apologized. Case closed.

[ohio2007]

7. Panic in Detroit

With a huge Muslim population, it was expected apologies would be demanded

and now;
some compensation is being sought;

CAIR Urges Obama to Include Muslim Women in Upcoming Events
http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/prnewswire/press_releases/District_of_Columbia/2008/06/18/DC25525

If women are treated as second class citizens in some Muslim countries, just who is behind this demand women get front row exposure in an Obama campaign spot ?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv-6VIr8CyY&feature=related