Indeed, Obama’s responses to accusations that he is Muslim should bemore than just denial; they should be a condemnation of the prejudicesthat lace such accusations.
During this election, we have seen the spectacle of two presidentialcandidates fighting over one voter while snubbing an entire segment ofthe American population worthy of their attention.
We in theMuslim-American community look wistfully at people like Joe thePlumber, wishing that we too could be courted for our vote by thepresidential candidates.**
At the same time, we look gratefullyat figures like former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who reassure usthat there is hope for greater acceptance of Muslim-Americans.
Over time, we grew to expect standoffish treatment from the RepublicanParty. Almost a decade ago, many Muslims, my parents included,supported President Bush for his humble foreign policy stances, strongfamily values and reaching out to the Muslim-American community.
Things have obviously changed since September 11, 2001, and we havegrown used to anti-Muslim rhetoric from Republican candidates. We haverun like refugees to the Democratic Party, only to find reluctanttolerance and hope that we will go somewhere else.
Americancivil rights activist and intellectual W.E.B. Du Bois wrote, “[TheAmerican Negro] simply wishes it possible to be both a Negro and anAmerican, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, withouthaving the doors of Opportunity closed roughly on his face.”
Over a century later, I and many other Muslim-Americans feel the same,hoping that we can be accepted in America as both Muslims and Americans.
As a college student voting in my first presidential election, I havebeen inspired by Barack Obama’s call for change. My campus is full ofObama posters, and several of my classmates have taken time off to workfor his campaign.
**Joe the Plumber has not actually been courted so much as lambasted by way of public smears, racial (white) innuendos, and he has had his private life probed and violated by the Democratic election machine itself — for asking a question that, to our benefit and Joe’s remorse, ultimately revealed in mere seconds Obama’s true agenda.