CNN’s Campbell Brown makes an excellent point:
So what if Obama was Arab or Muslim? So what if John McCain was Arab or Muslim? Would it matter?
When did that become a disqualifier for higher office in our country? When did Arab and Muslim become dirty words? The equivalent of dishonorable or radical?
Whenever this gets raised, the implication is that there is something wrong with being an Arab-American or a Muslim. And the media is complicit here, too
We’ve all been too quick to accept the idea that calling someone Muslim is a slur.
I feel like I am stating the obvious here, but apparently it needs to be said: There is a difference between radical Muslims who support jihad against America and Muslims who want to practice their religion freely and have normal lives like anyone else.
(…)
Of course, he’s not an Arab. Of course, he’s not a Muslim. But honestly, it shouldn’t matter.
And the fact that it does to some people, and that both Obama and McCain find it necessary to defend him against what is clearly intended as a slur, signifies that something is very wrong with the way a certain segment of society views religion and religious liberty.
Kudos to Campbell Brown for speaking the truth.
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October 14th, 2008 at 9:00 am
The problem with having an Arab or Muslim leader is that there is an occupation and fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, and people tend not to elect a member from an opposing nationality as leader. This would be like a German or Japanese descendant running for president in the middle of WW2, people just wouldn’t be able to trust those leaders to remain impartial when dealing with their countrymen. The slur isn’t so much “Muslims are bad”, but “he’s a member of the people we are fighting against”. The irony in this attack on Obama is while accusing him of being a Muslim, his relations with his Christian reverend are also brought up as more reasons to distrust him. It’s beyond silly.
October 14th, 2008 at 10:21 am
I would rather vote for an atheist then we would not need to worry at all.
October 14th, 2008 at 10:36 am
I commend Cambell Brown and CNN to bring this issue to light that how people have the perception that being a Muslim or Arab is a bad thing it is a curse or a disqualifier for anything. Forget about the Nations highest office but on a day to day life any person of Muslim faith and or of Arab descent face this prejudice everyday. The majority of the Muslim world does not in any form or fashion support the ideology of the radical Islam. Cambell Brown and CNN is absolutely correct in pointing out this issue.
October 14th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Well, If Obama were to say he were a Muslim, then, I would have had more reason to grant him credibility!
October 14th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Perhaps it shouldn’t matter if a political candidate were an Arab or Muslim. And, along the same lines, it shouldn’t matter if the candidate were black or white, male or female, gay or straight, short or tall, fat or thin. Yet, to many people, it does matter. There’s no getting around it; that’s just the way it is. I don’t agree with it, I often pose the question myself (albeit rhetorically), but I doubt such matters will ever NOT be an issue. As it is, I’m AMAZED at Barack Obams’s candidacy; it bodes good things for our nation. Still, I believe there will ALWAYS be a significant number of people to whom these things will matter greatly. Peace…
October 14th, 2008 at 11:00 am
I was so glad that Campbell Brown addressed this issue. That was my exact reaction when I heard McCain’s remarks. So does he believe that an Arab cannot be a decent family man? That a Muslim cannot be an American? His response reminded me of the time I heard a rather unenlightened man say that he is ‘tolerant’ of black children because they can’t help it that they are black. He was serious and I’m afraid McCain is, too.
October 14th, 2008 at 11:10 am
thanks Doug, well said. She does make an excellent point, and athiest, Muslim, or Christian, Jew, or whatever as the PResident religion doesn’t and shouldn’t play a role in the decisions made for the safety and prosperity of this country. That being said Muslim Americans have been mistreated for years and as we try to turn the page on racist america and the lynchings and segregation of the 60’s, we find that racism and bigotry are still very much alive in people’s hearts. I doubt America is ready for an African American president because we’ve seen this sudden surge in racism appear. I hope the next generations don’t hold the same negative sentiments and attitudes as the generations before.
October 14th, 2008 at 11:20 am
From the U.S. Constitution, Article VI, Section Three, The Second Clause mandated that “. . . no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”
October 14th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Amendment I: Freedom of speech, religion, press, petition and assembly.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
This is what the constitution has to say….although there never is the word ’secular’ in the preamble.
October 14th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Asking “what does it matter?” would be a good point if it weren’t for that fact that the Islamic faith calls for a theocracy, one of the biggest fears of the left. Another problem, which has point of pride for fundamentalist Muslims, is their method of evangelism which is coercion through violence. Now “what if” Barrack is a lukewarm believer and only goes to Church one day a week and doesn’t eat pork. That would fit his persona of being non-committal to anything, just like voting “present”.
I can already hear the arguments against Christian candidates, but in a nutshell, they evangelize through love and demonstrated by Christ. What about the Crusades? The difference there is that Christians view it as a dark time in the history of the faith, not a point of pride.
There is not enough space to fully discuss why it is a problem, but at the heart of the issue, a Muslim president would not be a fit to defend the Constitution, since the Constitution is in direct conflict with the Muslim belief.
October 14th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Reliant, even if he were a Muslim, he is not an Afghani, or an Iraqi, or a Palestinian, or a Libyan, or a Somali, or from any other country the US is currently trying to wreck. His allegiance is to his conscience, and thank god for that.
October 14th, 2008 at 11:31 am
This is exactly why we need judges with empathy towards race, sex, and sexual orientation. There is too much reckless ignorance running amok, and the subscribers to this poison should never be given the opportunity to vote on the matters that directly effect the oppressed! This is a force espoused by Bush, and a force that is alive and well in Palin, and a force that will be used, yet conveniently ignored, by McCain!
October 14th, 2008 at 11:36 am
I WOULD NOT VOTE FOR HIM. The problem with that is about what we are fighting for. Fundamentally is there anything wrong with it if he was…no, however I would not be able to put my trust in him to have our best interest as a country.
October 14th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Dear Reliant,
there is one fundamental flaw in your argument:
WW2 was started by the Germans, but Afghanistan and Iraq were wars started bu the US. Iraq never attacked the US.
If this country had had a president (or any member of his staff) who actually understood Islamism, things might have turned out a lot better. Saying “we will be greeted as liberators” and that the war could go “six days, six weeks, I doubt six months” (Rumsfeld) show a clear lack of understanding of the Muslim faiths (yes, plural!!!).
I agree on the silliness though… I don’t how many more lessons it will take Americans to learn that claiming to represent Christian values doesn’t mean you will make wise decisions as a president. And since when is invading a country for personal reasons Christian??? How can you justify in front of God that you support invading a country and killing people that have done you no harm? It’s ridiculous!
October 14th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Of course it matters if Obama is a Muslim. Islam is a religion that teaches NO TOLERANCE for any belief system other than their own. NO GAYS - NO WOMEN’S RIGHTS - NO ISREAL. Campbell, are you kidding me. I know you know more about the state of the world than this. The real problem with Obama is that he doesn’t really believe in anything. He says he’s a Christian yet doesn’t believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. Tha would pretty much define a Christian. Whatever he is, he needs to quit being so homogenous. Stand for something. The mere fact that you don’t even know for sure is telling enough. Might as well say
“so what if he’s a Marxist and wants to nationalize medicine and finances.” IT MATTERS!
October 14th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Campbell Brown
Your hreat is pure and you at last spelled out our real American idialogy!!
Land of the free and home of the Brave
October 14th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
I think Campbell Brown misses the point. It is NOT intended as a slur, rather, it goes directly to his character. If he really IS a muslim, and he is lying about it to get elected, then he really has no character, and would lie about anything. He was at least in Indonesia registered as a Muslem. Suddenly, he denies that when it is politically expedient. A real man would say yes, that was true, but that was by my parents, when I was a child. Instead, he has his campaign lie about it.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Lets say worst case scenario that not only was Barack Obama a Muslim but also some sort of radical manchurian canidate who’s been sent to destroy America from the inside out. I still have a tuff time seeing how that would be any worse than a McCain/Palin/Bush presidency. At least in this case Obama is smart enough to be destroying the country ON PURPOSE. With McCain/Palin thats just whats gonna happen anyway - whether they mean to do it or not.
October 15th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Heavy on the Irony…
John McCain Was The Keynote Speaker For A 2006 ACORN Conference On Immigration Reform
It turns out that John McCain was the keynote speaker at a March 2006 conference sponsored by ACORN on Immigration Reform. Consider yourself zinged:
Bertha Lewis, Aco…
October 19th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
[...] Powell raises the same point that CNN’s Campbell Brown did in a recent commentary — why should it matter if Barack Obama was a Muslim or not ? [...]