RE: - If you were Palestinian, would you trust your fate to Zionist Israel

I doubt that this is the right month to ask them the question after all those dead Palestinian children killed by the Israeli military.

I wonder if next month will be any better to ask it.

Obama addressed Naomi's point to some extent in the 60 Minutes interview that aired last night. He didn't go on and on about it as some may have liked, but when the Muslim question came up Obama did make the point that attempting to use it as a smear was offensive to both Christians and Muslims.

Personally I am more disturbed by what this says about Hillary than I am about Obama's response. Hillary is playing on the ignorance of Americans who would treat Islam and all Muslims as one big terrorist group and the Eurocentric arrogrance that lacks respect for the cultural traditions of African countries (e.g., the Somali dress that was given to Obama as a token of "honor").

If Obama wins the presidency, in my view that's the point when he can best make the case that America has respect for Islam and other cultures outside our own -- and I believe he will if he wins the presidency.

militantliberal - It doesn't matter if Mohammed thought Christians were blasphemists. Catholics believe their religion is the "correct" Christianity, as do Evangelicals, Pentacostals, and other Protestant sects. As I stated in my post, I have talked to many Christians who have told me that there are very, very few "real" Christians in America. They all believe that the other "so-called" Christians are blasphemists. That doesn't change the fact that their beliefs are still quite similar.

Of course, Christians believe that Christ was a deity, and are the only ones of the Abrahamic religions to do so. Muslims believe that Mohammed was a prophet, and they are the only ones of the three who believe this. However, the roots of the three are the same; they all come from the belief in Yaweh or Jehovah or Allah or however the particular religion spells or pronounces it. They all have (or had originally) similar beliefs in the One God Who Created Heaven and Earth, certain dietary laws (note the Islamic and Jewish taboos against pork and some seafood, although the Christians mostly ignore this), sexual suppression, the submission of women, and a host of other connections.

No, they are not quite the same. They have diverged into conflicting dogmas, ridiculous wars based upon who is the rightful heir to the theological throne, arguments about the "correct" way to baptize, nitpicking disagreements about the trinity (or lack thereof), and other points of religious trivia. However, they are based upon the same assumption of a single, omnipotent, omiscient, and more or less all loving deity (offer not valid in all locations for all people); they are all exclusive rather than inclusive; they are mostly restrictive and oppressive; and their most ardent followers all believe they are the only ones with the True Path to Righteousness.

In short, they are different in the details and degree, but not in kind. It's sort of like the difference among wife beaters and abusers. One might be mean and abusive most of the time, another might be generally amiable unless he's drunk, and another might be wonderfully kind and gentle until his wife does something to anger him, but their abusive behavior makes them essentially similar. (And yes - I actually am saying that the Abrahamic religions are abusive. Like the mostly wonderful, kind, gentle wife beater, they have their good sides. But that does not make up for all the real damage they do.)

Aladdin :
"It doesn't change the point, Hamas are not targeted because they are Islamists, but because of their hostile agenda."

Does Israel exhibit a passive agenda, or is it not a Jewish state, following a Zionist agenda, of ethnic cleansing of lands seized by aggression and occupied with criminal racist tyranny and terror?

If you were Palestinian, would you trust your fate to Zionist Israel, America, and its lackeys (such as Abu Mazen), especially after 50 years of this lopsided arrangement?

Mmmooo :
Thank you for your recommendation and in fact I have read, with great pleasure Thich Naht Hanh's "Anger" and it was an excellent view which helped me greatly. I am of your opinion and realise that anger changes nothing and is wasted and negative energy.

In fact my comment was only a statement in a hope of making the deluded realise a point of fact that this "show" of selected Republican V. selected Democrat and the pretence of democracy is extremely damaging, when in fact the elitist machine of American imperialism which looks more like a presidential police state by the day, together with the Zionist Fascists continue to hoodwink their citizens, who have no effect on real change.

Obama has to jump through well placed hoops and affirmations to be nominated other hoops to be elected, or rather enslaved by the status quo into the job, all of which makes it literally imposable for him or any one else for that matter to effect any real "change" in the delusional bases on which America now destroys itself and directly and indirectly spreads violence, terror and aggression as the principal means of coercion and tyranny throughout the world. The more the countries people and its powers deceive themselves as they do, the greater their decline and the suffering.

It is not anger I feel, and I certainly abhor the cycle of violence and revenge. Sincerely I am filled with grief and compassion for the victims, the innocent, the ignorant and the apathetic, even for the perpetrators of these endless crimes.

Universal enlightenment would be preferred, but a functioning democracy depends on a minimum of knowledge, awareness, and responsibility. I wonder whether America is even as democratic as Putin's Russia right now, but it certainly has a lot to learn if it is going to overcome the hardships that it is bringing upon itself, and even as a president, unfortunately Obama can but fail. His best life insurance might be to appoint Dennis Kussinich as his VP, but he probably can't do that either. For the citizens, at a minimum, their survival may well depend on learning the meaning of compassion and solidarity quickly, before society collapses.

Obama is walking a fine line between using the "race card" (from the perspective of most Americans, which will probably be used against him) and assimilating completely into the abyss of political "whiteness." If Obama were to launch an attack (which is more than requisite and justified), he would have to be performed in a way that will demonstrate his willingness to stand up to the virulently racist attacks while staying a "race neutral" (inclusive) candidate. It will be a tough job for Obama but it must be meticulously performed.

god bless you, ms klein.
mike in honolulu

"Some of the comments that have been uttered about Islam do not reflect the sentiments of my government or most Americans."

"Ours is a country based upon tolerance ... And we're not going to let the war on terror or terrorists cause us to change our values."

"By far, the vast majority of American citizens respect the Islamic people and the Muslim faith. After all, there are millions of peace loving Muslim Americans."

George Bush (Whatever happened to THAT guy?)

Excellent article! I would only add two more points:
1. Article VI of the Constitution states that "No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." In other words, it shouldn't matter if Obama is Christian or Muslim, just as it shouldn't have mattered that Al Smith or JFK were Catholic or Mitt Romney is a Mormon. Rather, those who imply that only Protestant Christians are "good enough" to be President are actually in violation of the Constitution.
2. Many of the news articles on this topic have been quick to point out that Obama wasn't sworn in on a Koran - "no, no", they say, "that was Rep. Keith Ellison." The implication, as Ms. Klein points out, is that such an act may indeed be a bad thing, but it wasn't Obama. I was at the Capitol in January 2007 when the new Congress was sworn in, and sought out Ellison to congratulate him on his election, the history of his being the first Muslim in Congress, his admirably progressive positions on Iraq, impeachment, the economy, etc., and his clever use of Thomas Jefferson's personal copy of the Quran for his ceremonial swearing-in. But these newspapers, while seeming to innocently set the record straight, are subtly reminding readers that there's already an "evil" Muslim who's "infiltrated" our federal government, which is almost as bad as the original smears against Obama.

quote:
elmysterio February 29th, 2008 7:53 pm
Alladin said: "When Fatah was elected in Gaza there was not "collective punishment…" Hamas are targeted because of their 100% hostile agendas, not because of their Islamic identity!"

elmysterio replied: That's wrong my friend. Fatah is NOT an Islamic organization. They are a secular nationalist organization. Where as Hamas is an Islamic organization.
------

It doesn't change the point, Hamas are not targeted because they are Islamists, but because of their hostile agenda.

Mooooo: This is what happens when you start off on a false premise. The sate of Israel is an illegal entity, contrary to common sense, and justified only by the massacre of jews in Europe, as if Palestine had anything to do with that. Jews from all over the world, many converted Europeans, now lay claim to a distant land whose culture is foreign to them, and implant themselves with an attitude from the first day on. This illegal and illogical state behaves aggressively and is bent on domination and empire building, as if wanting to provide a place in history to a people who basically embody history by virtue of their Torah's wide acceptance by Christians and Muslims alike. There is no justification for a state like Israel. The murder of millions of jews does not mean they get to pick any place on earth as theirs. The only realistic claim would have to be based on the Torah and the concept of the promised land.

I really like Naomi and her writing and there is no doubt that what she says is ethically correct, but I think Obama is taking a wise course in light of the abysmal ignorance of citizens who elected Bush twice and 70% of whom thought we were attacked by Saddam H. I fear that the proper response of defending the propriety of full respect for Muslim citizens would be very likely to backfire. Though these may seem to be far from subtle distinctions to the CD readers, they would be red meat to the Limbaughs of the world already doing their damnedest to link Obama to Farrakhan (this taken up by Russert also).

Who cares what religion someone is? I mean, I don't. What I care about is that they're all slavering corporate money-whores.

Aladdin says: Hamas has a 100% hostile agenda.

If you occupy my house against my will I can assure you my agenda is going to be 110% hostile. Count on it. Your comment is obtuse. Let me define obtuse for you: not very bright.

This is just like Fox News calling the pervert and criminal Republicans caught in the act D for Democrat on the TV screen. Disinformation, lies and distortion reduces the discussion to trivial matters. It is a plan to confuse anyone who is not careful. Try this out - ask people even sports media why the hockey season was disrupted a few years ago and they will say strike. Not true it was a owner lockout after the owners ended negotiations.

All media presents all labor issues in management terms only - it took years to do this but it is completely entrenched. This prevents thousands of reasonable improvements in working conditions world wide.

Obama being called Muslim when he is not IS an insult because it is wrong. It forces corrections by the target just like calling someone the wrong name or associating them with something they haven't been associated with. It makes him look like a liar or a flip flopper when he mentions something that indicates he is a Christian.

Look at the damage caused to Gore by claiming he said he invented the Internet. Gore was instrumental in pushing funding through Congress and explaining the importance to other Senators that made the Internet grow sooner and become more useful. He claimed credit for what he basically did. After the spin machine got it, he came off poorly and the media never asked the Internet developers to explain Gore's help. They just had fun repeating the worst possible interpretation of a misquote.

If you don't mind me changing the subject, I just want to say--
"There is hope for the world, because Naomi Klein IS the next Noam Chomsky. Period."
Mark from the Midwest

KUDOS to: EMPTY SET, QUASAR & FAINT HOPE.

LEE ANN G: It's KLEIN not KLINE since you often correct others on grammatical errors.

Lizard said, "If the US wanted to hurt Islam it would have kept Saddam," I wonder... a lot of Iraqis, particularly those who might have preferred to still be alive, definitely feel OTHERWISE.

The worse things get, the more people turn to the sky God to save their miserable asses from themselves.

Political pandering to religions, Hillary calling Chavez a dictator, holy Crusaders and poor little Zionists against evil Muslims and the like are nauseating ploys to get the voting minority votes consultants decide they need. It seems to work because this bullshit sets the tone.

When we really decide to do something about all this crap, we will begin having binding public referendums. But don't hold your breath for politician-led referendums. They already got rid of Gravel who threatened to take us into a future where people, not politicians make the laws.

My favourite leader - Nelson Mandela - never played the religious card. We are too diverse for that. Not denying or supporting any group. And not standing up for any specific group that could alienate others. People still don't know where he stands on religion. Is Obama the American Mandela? Obama brings a message of hope and change to a country at the crossroads. It is choice between the past and the future. But is Obama the American Mandela who could inspire Americans to a better future at home? And a future where America takes it rightful place at the global table? Is he the one? The question of whether Obama is the American Mandela is discussed in my blog Angry African on the Loose at http://angryafrican.wordpress.com/2008/02/20/is-obama-the-american-mandela/

"Rednecks and the rest of the right-wingers want to literally keep the White House "White," so they will vote for the senile warmonger McCain. "

What a red herring this is. You don't think that right-wingers might vote against Obama because he's on the left? Duh! What a racist comment you have made. Wise up.

Being called a muslim is indeed a smear in retrograde Amerikkka today. Just watch Borat. Obama should've said "SO WHAT? I'm proud to have worn the clothing!" But that takes a real man, and not a mouse like Obama.

Lucitanian: you can't heal humanity by hating anyone. Though you are angry and probably have a lot to be angry about, anger won't solve anything, revenge will only beget revenge, and violence violence.

5,000 years of history must surely be enough evidence to you of this. Which nation we belong to matters not a bit, we are simply playing out our human nature again and again. We will keep doing this until enough of us become enlightened, hopefully before we poison our planet for ourselves and for all the other animals which we exploit as if they were commodities for our pleasure with complete disregard to their needs and interests.

I recommend reading texts of the great Buddhist teachers. Thich Naht Hanh is a fabulous teacher and has a book entitled "Anger". If this book alone were compulsory reading for all humanity, and if graduation depended on understanding the book (simple to understand though)... this would be a much much much happier world. Then hopefully we would never have any further need for Sun Tzu and Machiavelli.

Peace out!

Naomi, I agree in spirit and in fact with everything which you have said (ready for it?) except...

You state that Muslims around the world are convinced that the United States has been waging a war against their faith and that this is a "perception... based on facts": I agree with you with respect to two of the facts:
1) that Muslim civilians are not counted among the dead in Iraq and Afghanistan; and
2) that Islam has been desecrated in US-run prisons.

There are other bases which I believe are valid, but this following one can not as a matter of editorial objectivity be proferred without some appropriate qualification:
"that voting for an Islamic party resulted in collective punishment in Gaza"

First of all the collective punishment is understood by the world to be one meted out by Israel, not the US, even though there are many who see this to be a distinction of little substance.

More importantly, to characterise this as "collective punishment" is in disregard of what at its core this party represents and what the people who have voted for it are supporting. The party in question is Hamas. The 1988 charter of Hamas calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. This charter is not just theoretical in nature. For no-one doubts that if Israel were to lay down her weapons and all defences and to take a Gandhi approach, within moments of Hamas being aware of this the world would witness a wholesale massacre of every Jew on Israeli soil. The Leader of Hamas Dr Al-Zahar after winning the election stated his "dreams of hanging a huge map of the world on the wall at my Gaza home which does not show Israel on it...I hope that our dream to have our independent state on all historic Palestine (including Israel). This dream will become real one day. I'm certain of this because there is no place for the state of Israel on this land". Hamas proudly declares its active involvement in promoting suicide bombings and other types of lethal attacks against Israeli targets.

The Israeli leadership has to my mind one of the toughest decision-making posts of any government in the history of this planet. It often makes dreadfully wrong decisions, and these decisions ought to be criticised. However, to describe the reaction of Israel (and the USA as a supporter of Israel in this) as indicative of a war on the faith of Muslims is misrepresentative. The hostile reaction of Israel to a population, although an impoverished and struggling population, which has just voted for a party sworn to the destruction of Israel might accurately be described as disproportionate, but it can not in the true context of these circumstances be characterised as a war against the faith of Muslims.

At the same time, a policy of compassion, wisdom and cooperation in my opinion would go a long way, despite the charter of Hamas favouring the destruction of Israel, to helping heal the bitter rivalry that exists. If Israel were to fund improvements to the lifestyles of the people in Gaza, and be seen over a long time to be doing so, although it would take time, human nature would see a healing occur. No doubt about it.

RE: - Vaudree: Perhaps I wasn't clear because that is exactly my point.

There is not much disagreement here so details get quibbled. We both agree that it is about oil and corporate greed rather than "terrorism" or "freedom" or "weapons of mass destruction" etc - the latter is just a means to the end and even Muslim-Americans are collateral damage.

RE: - Hamas are targeted because of their 100% hostile agendas, not because of their Islamic identity!

Hamas were elected to office - the Bush administration just didn't like how the election turned out. Avi Lewis (Naomi Klein's husband whom she dedicated the book to) held a town hall presumably about Palestinian prisoners which turned into a debate about whether or not "the right for Israel to exist" is or isn't implicit in the "two state solution" and why, if Israel wants Palestine to confirm its right to exist, Israel doesn't agree in turn to confirm Palestine's right to exist. Ok, the video was still on line last week. You hear in the news Harper attacking the CBC and then most of Avi's stuff goes missing.

Didn't Fatah have a corruption scandal? Harper got in because of the Liberal corruption scandals (voters figured they needed a time out). And now Chuck Cadman is haunting Harper and his Conservatives from the grave.

RE: - (3) the Supreme Court will be composed of 42 Virgins

Is one of them named Mary and did she name her son Jesus? Reminds me of the old Mary Walsh line that "bombing for peace is a bit like scr-wing to get your virginity back."

Note that men can be virgins also.

On the plus side, Air Farce finally worked up the nerve to portray Obama in a skit (picture):

http://www.sketchcom.com/

RE: - When I first saw the picture and the news release about the negative chord struck over Obama wearing a turban, I immediately thought that his enemies were trying to frame him up as an "other" - a potential traitor.

I think that it was the Obama camp that leaked the photo. It came after the previous attempt at swift boating had died down and at a time when Hillary was promoting the idea that Obama did not have any foreign experience. There is a tape on like of Obama referring to "the President of Canada" - so his foreign credentials need a bit of work.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Yp9KpbWjT-o

Think of it, going to meet his grandmother for the first time in his life, being made an honorary member of a dirt poor village of honest decent folk like many that exist in the US. And, despite Hillary's claims to the contrary, Obama has lived in Indonesia and has been to Kenya while Clinton has lived in the US her whole life and knows very little about the rest of the world. Just saying that the message is too ready made for Obama.

Racism won't keep Obama out of the White House. Where racism will come into play is that every Black person who runs for office - whether it is Condi Rice or Blair Underwood - will be judged by Obama's performance in office in a way that no one would accuse Nader of making the same mistakes Bush did.

RE: - What's the big deal? He wore the outfit right? Someone took a picture right? For political gain someone circulated it right?

Obama knew that a picture was being taken of him. But, unless someone put it in the local paper at the time, how did anyone get their hands on it! How did they know to look? That would be the only source for either Clinton or McCain. The people in Kenya love Obama - they even named a school after him there.

RE: - some times giving them 2 surnames such as Suzuki-Robinson

What about Severn Cullis-Suzuki - daughter of Tara Elizabeth Cullis and David Suzuki. David Suzuki did support Svend Robinson for his bid for the leadership of the NDP - before his near-death accident.

When David Suzuki was a young boy, they took away his parents business, home and belongings sent them to internment camps. Even as a young boy the Canadian government saw David Suzuki as dangerous - partially because they could not take away his love of nature.

Some would say a culture that prefers to feed the rich by waging pre-emptive wars has to create enemies.

America being a multi-ethnic society can not very easily float the idea of wars for the purification of it's racial stock, but it is predominately Christian, isn't it?

Onward Christrian Soldiers!

When I first saw the picture and the news release about the negative chord struck over Obama wearing a turban, I immediately thought that his enemies were trying to frame him up as an "other" - a potential traitor. This frame might just alienate him further from bigots who are already against him for other reasons. I can't think it will bring any new influx of McCain or Clinton supporters to the primary race.

Clinton's "otherness" lies in her gender. The social construct of "otherness" versus/in tension with the "norm" of the white, hetrosexual man is central to much feminist analysis.

Oh ... wouldn't it be wonderful if this baby species, homo sapien sapiens, grew up ...

There might even be time then to save ourselves before it's too late.

Bummer. I thought he was Muslim. Well, personally I will vote for him even if he is a Christian.

As will my son. And daughter. And neighbor.

Fingers crossed. Obama!

The core of Obama's candidacy is that he alone–who lived in Indonesia as a boy and has an African grandmother–can "repair the world"

What a crock. Thanks Naomi for this complete non-story. I wouldn't vote for Hillary if she was the last politician left on Earth. Neither would I vote for Obama.

What's the big deal? He wore the outfit right? Someone took a picture right? For political gain someone circulated it right? Big deal! For crying out loud they are both politicians and this is what politicians do. Where is the crime? What law was broken? They will both do or say anything that will give them a political advantage. What's new?

Only an idiot would not vote for Obama because he got dressed up like a clown. Those idiots are going to vote for Johnny "100,000YrsWar." McCain anyway. Where's the harm?

Only Obama can repair the world! Only Obama can save us. Obama as the Messiah! Long live the second coming! Long live Obama!

Obama (Osama)?! He is Muslim and if he is elected- America will go to hell! Go ahead and vote for him you foolish sheeple. Hilary Clinton is the best candidate. Rather an experienced lady pres than an african american muslim.

My guess is that Naomi Kline must be Jewish.

We have a long way to go on the evolutionary trail. What separates us holds us back. It really isn't very complicated at all.

The problem is that self-loathing in one of the three can lead to artificial promotion of one or more of the others. All water under the bridge. Let's move on, Homo sapiens.

Ever notice that religion seems to be at the root of human evil?

Funny that the Ape Children of Abraham, i.e. Christians, Jews, and Muslims, seem to cause a disproportionate amount of pain for the rest of the human race.

I guess I really don't quite understand why Jews like Klein or anti-war figures like Sheehan are blanket-defending Islam. Blanket defense is no better than blanket condemnation.

All people are deserving of basic human dignity, but it's a misnomer (i.e. bullshit) to claim that all religions/ideologies (or most any religion, for that matter) are ultimately compatible with free intellectual inquiry, free speech, women's equality, democracy, progressive thinking, etc.

Lizard, there are 3 pillars in the Hadith, 5 in the Qur'an. No you do not have to fast during Ramazan(Turce spelling) if you work in horrid conditions, a student, a pregnant woman, elderly and infirm.
Of course they believe in Muhammad is from whose mouth Allahs words came forth. The Sunni that use the Hadith as their Book of al-Islam, not all but many, before a Muslim enters a Cami preceding prayers they are to wash their feet, clean out the nose and the ears, the believers in the Hadith do not wash their feet and it is considered heathen like. By the By lizo how many Mosques, how often have you heard the call to prayer from the top of the minaret?
Please do not piss on my head and tell me it is raining.
In so far as Obama and being Muslim, why does it matter? Our FIRST makes that clear, to me a Presidential candidate should reinforce this. When someone, I know you were kidding, said if such and such were elected then declared they were followers of al-Islam and took his Qur'an out to swear his oath upon. The book of their choice is where they place their hand, the Constitution is what they swear to uphold, not a Book of faith.

For a country founded on religious freedom and individual rights, many of our American citizens are singularly intolerant of any religions outside of their personal experience. Mormanism, Islam, Hinduism, various "cults" (which are simply religions that have not yet taken hold in mainstream society), and other world religions often threaten people who have narrow or limited experience.

Excuse me, Lee AnnG but you have sects confused with cults. For any family member or friend who has had to take on saving and helping a loved one recover from cult mind control it is palpably different. Choosing beliefs that are not commonly held is far different from being manipulated and mind controlled, isolated from loved ones and used and abused. "Combatting Cult Mind Control" by Steven Hassan will clarify the very real differences.

Rednecks and the rest of the right-wingers want to literally keep the White House "White," so they will vote for the senile warmonger McCain.

Maybe we should change the name to the "Presidents' House" or maybe even the "Rainbow" House....hehe, you know, give everyone a chance.

As far as him being a Muslim, can we give it a rest? He's never been one and can prove it.

I don't think Obama should have to say anything about his middle name or being considered a black man. Just as I don't think Hillary, if she were attacked for being a white WOMAN with the middle name Rodham should have to say anything. Get over it, we of the younger generation date and marry whoever we want to date or marry, name our kids whatever we want to name them, some times giving them 2 surnames such as Suzuki-Robinson, whatever. Some of you old farts need to give up graciously.

Earl Simmins: Are you trying to be funny? Or are you just ignorant. Either way, I don't get it.

Alladin said: "When Fatah was elected in Gaza there was not "collective punishment…" Hamas are targeted because of their 100% hostile agendas, not because of their Islamic identity!"

That's wrong my friend. Fatah is NOT an Islamic organization. They are a secular nationalist organization. Where as Hamas is an Islamic organization.

Ahuramazda Said: "let's face it most americans have the name of Bob, Rick, Kelly, Sam, Smith or Jones, rather than Barack, or Hussein"

I would disagree with that... I would argue that there's more "spanish" sounding names than there are the traditional "english" names.

The Things he will do: (1) Those call to prayer speakers will go on the Washington Monument
(2) the Democrats symbol will be the Camel
(3) the Supreme Court will be composed of 42 Virgins

Quote:
that voting for an Islamic party resulted in collective punishment in Gaza.
----

???
When Fatah was elected in Gaza there was not "collective punishment..." Hamas are targeted because of their 100% hostile agendas, not because of their Islamic identity!

While I agree with the authors general point, going the other way and inventing discrimination scenario is as ridiculous as the Obama turban allegation!

Vaudree: Perhaps I wasn't clear because that is exactly my point.

RE: - Islam is not under attack, although that perception is helpful to the leaders. The middle East is under occupation for its geopolitical importance.

You make the two sound contradictory! Look at the racist Bugs Bunny cartoons from WWII! The enemy is always portrayed as evil and not truly human.

War is a means of making money for big corporations but that doesn't make Americans want to enlist.

Having an external enemy keeps people's minds off of domestic issues.

When 9-11 took place an Muslims emerged as the enemy, anybody with good sense should have immediately read the Koran. It only makes sense. If you haven't done so, do so. It is fast easy reading. It honors the bible. The book is about how great the bible and God are. If you ar a Christian or a Jew, it is hard to see what conflict there could be. The Koran is gentler and kinder than the Old Testament, resembling more the New Testament in its forgiveness and kindness to the enemy. When it appeared, the Koran was very good for women and orphans who, until then, had no rights. Everyone should read it. Mohammed's claim that Christianity is polytheism is a very good one, and might open up some eyes. His criticism of Jews, which is extremely gentle, is also quite sound. Have fun with it.

blah, blah blah, Matt G. While I agree w/ you on policy positions, I think you're full of it on this.

Build a movement. I haven't see you do a f-in thing since you ran in SF. Now you wanna' run on like exactly zero experience.

silly.

GLAS (Gay and Lesbian Arabic Society) has a special way of handling racists (El-Farouk Khaki's page links to it):

If you are planning to send us hate mail because you hate queers... don't bother, we heard it all before. You might want to type it on a piece of paper and save for your next visit to a therapist. We love you and will pray for you.

RE: - My husband is an Afghan-American and up until this point he was an enthusiastic Obama supporter. / he doesn't want people to think hating Muslims is acceptable.

I can see why he wouldn't! Things can get very dangerous for you when hating you is considered OK. Maher Arar got off easy compared to Abdullah Almalki.

Why did they go after Omar Khadr? He was Ahmed Said Khadr's son. Why did they go after Almalki? Almalki had met AS Khadr and didn't like him. Why did they go after Arar? Arar worked in the same company as Almalki's brother. Another got his car fixed at a mechanic who was related to someone they were checking out.

RE: - My elderly aunt convinced my elderly Mom that Obama is a Muslim. It took a lot of discussion to unconvince her, especially as my aunt supposedly has "proof". This stuff has to come from somewhere.

Yes it had to come from somewhere and the people who planted it figured that Obama would not be able to find a convincing way to dispel it. But I think that photo is a Obama campaign plant. First of all, why wasn't it included with the original smear? Secondly, it is too easy to dispel and explain compared to the earlier stuff. Thirdly, where would they get it from? Finally, even a simple explanation of it makes Obama look like he has foreign experience (which is Clinton's strong point).

I think that the photo makes Obama look good, everyone else look bad, and keeps focus off the issues.

RE: - As a Muslim, I have felt like my religion and ethnic background has been under attack

They are. It is wrong, but they are. They only thing you can do is be your self and know that there are people out there who like you the way you are.

The only thing I can do is point out is my own silly way that Muslims are as diverse and varied as Christians. Or complain about how unrepresentative Little Mosque on the Prairie is of the Muslim community:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DBJXg_N3hXs

"Not really all that religious" did not protect the Jews during WWII either - and why should it matter if someone prays five times a day either - many non-Muslim sports enthusiasts do so already during the play offs.

RE: - The only thing that will help is telling the truth about 9/11, something that Naomi neglected to do in her book, The Shock Doctine ( an excellent book) and not only that, she perpetuated the same lies about 9/11 as the rest of the corporate shells and in the process aided and abatted the fear mongoring and racist Islamophobic attitudes so common among Americans.

Well, Naomi couldn't write "It's the Crude Dude" or "Holding the Bully's Coat" because Linda McQuaig already wrote it.

You would like the latter, it is a light read and has surprisingly very little Canadian content (focusing more on the American bullying that we are complicit in)

As the Bush administration has turned the United States into a belligerent and lawless force in the world, the Canadian government has followed in close step. Attempting to please our powerful neighbour,

BTW - what is the truth about 9-11? Read Holding the Bully's coat first so only on chapter 5 in Shock Doctrine.

Das Boot: You can't be a Muslim if you don't pray and fast. Those are the rules. You have to believe in one God and Mohammed as his prophet, fast, pray 5 times a day, do the pilgrimage and donate to charity. There are 5 pillars, not 3. Why don't you just leave religion? You are part way there.

Islam is not under attack, although that perception is helpful to the leaders. The middle East is under occupation for its geopolitical importance. It is anybody in the area, who is not a reliable ally, who must be taken out. If the US wanted to hurt Islam it would have kept Sadaam.

If Obama is a Christian, why should he go out of his way to defend Islam?

Maybe because religious freedom is one of the bedrock foundations of America.

It's sort of the same principle as believing your spouse is the best spouse there could ever be. That hardly gives anybody the right to berate others because they have different spouses.

I normally agree with Klein's columns, but I disagree that attacks on Islam are "racist". Islam isn't a race.

For those who think there's nothing wrong with Islam, check out this story from Iran: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,538466,00.html. The government now wants to make the death penalty for apostasy part of its penal code, along with heresy and witchcraft. Of course, it's not just Iran. Remember Abdurrahman in Afghanistan a couple years ago, the convert to Christianity and a German citizen? If not for U.S. and German protests, he might well have been executed. So posters above who say they are Muslim agnostics had better not voice their views while visiting countries that uphold Islamic law.

LeeAnnG wrote: "It's amazing to me that so few Christians realize how essentially similar their religion is to Islam or have any concept of its roots in Judaism." Actually, Christians who understand the essentials of Islam know that Muhammad labeled their beliefs as blasphemy. Check out these suras from the Quran:

In blasphemy indeed are those that say God is Christ the son of Mary. Say: "Who then has the least power against Allah, if His Will were to destroy Christ the son of Mary, his mother, and all--everyone that is on earth? For to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between. He creates what He pleases. For Allah has power over all things." 5:17

They do blaspheme who say: God is one of three in a Trinity for there is no god except one God (Allah). If they do not desist from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the believers among them. 5:73

The Jews call 'Uzair [Ezra] a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the Son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the Unbelievers of old used to say. Allah's curse be upon them: how they are deluded away from the truth! 9:30

If Obama is a Christian, why should he go out of his way to defend Islam? There are essential differences between the two religions. Should we demand that Jewish politicians defend Christianity even though it (like Islam) purports to exclude them from heaven?

Indentifying Obama as a Muslim is a red herring. The objection is racial. We live in a society where people are reluctant to be identified as openly racist in the traditional sense, meaning against Blacks. It is okay to be against Muslims, that is also racist, but okay because of the war on terror.
I hope we hypocrites elect another President like Bush who has the right color, right lineage, and holds the country and most of it's people in contempt.

The fact that most Americans seem unfamiliar with Islam could be onew reason why BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA is receiving such criticism. I am not a Barack Obama fan, but this seems like bigotry to me. The reason is because MSM is linking a "foreign" name (let's face it most americans have the name of Bob, Rick, Kelly, Sam, Smith or Jones, rather than Barack, or Hussein). That is wrong to me! It is bigotry plain and simple. I am very sorry that Mr. Obama has to go through this situation.

Anyhow it should be irrelevent if Obama is or is not a Muslim. What country is the USA again? It should not matter what religious affiliation or lack thereof a candidate is. Unfortunately in American poitics, not only must a candidate BE CHRISTIAN, but must be the "correct" denomination of Christianity. Of course, those Americans who pay attention are starting to reap what they have sown for the choice of having fundamentalist Christianity infiltrate their Government these past few decades.

I would like to say that there is nothing wrong with Islam. It is just a religion like all of the other religions on Earth. Islam just happens to be a very popular religion worldwide, unlike say Wicca or Buddhism. I am not a practitioner of Islam, but I do respect Islam for being a COMPLETE way of life. It takes much discipline to be a Muslim and I have always respected Islam for it devotional demands on followers of the faith. The Koran, in my humble opinion, is one of the greatest books ever written. Unlike the Holy Bible, the Koran has stayed the same as it has been from its inception some 1300 years ago.

I hear radio and TV people talk poorly of Islam and I wonder why? Their ignorance of a subject never learned or discussed perhaps...

Naomi,

Why are you assuming that Obama will act on any matter of principle? He is a slick politician who will serve his own interests and his corporate backers. I agree with you that a positive spin on muslims would be a good thing, but you're talking about the same guy who refused to pose with SF Mayor Newsom in order to avoid be painted as a guy that would support gay marriage.

You might want to read up on his voting record:

Count Me Out
The Obama Craze

By MATT GONZALEZ

http://www.counterpunch.org/gonzalez02292008.html

Actually, I have a dream.
Obama starts to support Nader's ideas(which are one the average citizens care about).

He wins in landslide.

Takes Shahaddah ( becomes a Muslim) and takes the oath of office on a Qur'an.

Good points raised by Naomi Klein, and many other good observations. But lets get real, Barack is growing in leaps and bounds as a statesman, all the while fending off like a martial artist a rain of assailants from the right. Let's not jump to the conclusion that simply because he has not yet raised the flag of religious bigotry aimed at him and all Muslims yet, doesn't mean that in the next few months he won't. What a delicate challenge. We are at war, albeit one so horrendously ill advised and wrong it borders on incomprehensible that the American people still won't stand up united against it, against Islamic fundamentalism fueled in large by the export of the Saudi version, and by Al Queda. Unfortunately we also have a dumbed down masses, so for Mr. Obama to defend Islam and Muslims in general, he must do so in the most delicate and intelligent manner possible. Give him a chance, he will rise to the occasion.

I agree that Obama should not respond to the ignorant association of himself to the Muslim faith, except to matter of factly correct the error. Those who persist in trying to "libel" him will wind up looking ignorant, foolish, bigoted, and desperate. There's nothing wrong with being Muslim. There is something wrong with continuing to label someone a Muslim who isn't a Muslim. I would be highly offended if anyone persisted in labeling me a Christian.

You are a class act, Naomi. You walk in the footsteps of your big sister and my hero, Arundhati Roy. Keep up the good work.

Love,

Don

chakka

I agree.

It is interesting to recognize the tempation we all have to give Mr. Obama advice. The writer of this article obviously experiences this temptation. Yet, the fact is, Mr. Obama has an endowment which makes him wiser and more adept than most of us. I have every confidence he will handle the "Muslim" matter with the same grace and force with which he has handled everything else.

The white male Christians have done such a great job running the joint, I can't imagine ever wanting to give someone else a try.

As a Muslim, I have felt like my religion and ethnic background has been under attack since 9/11...well ever since the 1979 Iran Revolution to be exact. This despite the fact that I am simply spiritual, not religious and do not go to Mosque and do not pray or fast. There are hundreds of Millions of Muslims like me around the World As an example there are several agnostics in my own family and counting my extended family, there is probably about 10-15 of us out of 5o-60 people who are agnostic or down right atheists even though we were born Muslim. The vilification of everything Muslim has been carried out to such hysteria and heights that the very word Islam has become a dirty word in this country. This has, of course, been facilitated by the notion of fear, fear-mongoring, the corporate Media, and a cultural environment infused with self righteous patrio-fascit group thinking. Patrio-fascitic Nationalism on the part of we American has had alot to do with vilifying Muslims. But more than anything else, the corporate media and it's perpetual propogation of the the myths related to 9/11 and what happened on that day has been the biggest factor in producing this hateful environment that could lead to possible future wars, more torture, more bombs and innocent Civillian deaths, more destruction and more profits for the Military Industrial Congressional Complex. They will come after Obama like you won't believe. Their aim is to make Obama into a former drug addict and drug dealer who is also a Muslim and whose middle name is Husien. I suspect that this will work and if it does not or appears to not work, then watch out for another False-Flag operation and watch as they blame it on Muslim terrorist. These Republicans and Neocons are very very different than previous groups of Republicans in that they will stop at NOTHING in order to hold on to power and why is that? Because they have made tens of Billions so far from this "war on Terror" via transfering the money from the poor and middle class to the rich and the Gravey train has been very very good to them. They will not let go of the gravey train that easily. Trust me, Obama will be busy most of the Summer and Fall defending himslef against these sort of Racist attacks. I am affraid that simply referring to Republican methods as racist or Islamophobic will not work because there is so much hatred for Muslims and Islam already in this country. The only thing that will help is telling the truth about 9/11, something that Naomi neglected to do in her book, The Shock Doctine ( an excellent book) and not only that, she perpetuated the same lies about 9/11 as the rest of the corporate shells and in the process aided and abatted the fear mongoring and racist Islamophobic attitudes so common among Americans.

My elderly aunt convinced my elderly Mom that Obama is a Muslim. It took a lot of discussion to unconvince her, especially as my aunt supposedly has "proof". This stuff has to come from somewhere.

trueblue said: "I don't think Americans want to think of themselves as bigoted."

Yeah, don't want to *think* of themselves as bigoted, but are none the less. In fact, I'd argue that the vast majority of people are to a certain degree.

It's a sad testament to the state of affairs when the fact that Obama's middle name matters at all. Besides, you've had presidents before with more ridiculous names... GROVER Cleavland, LYNDON Johnson (with his even more ridiculous wife LADYBIRD), Franklin DELANO Roosevelt... so come on, Hussein is a pretty darn common name. But I'm sure it freaks out the red-neck crowd... Ignorance is rampant.

Naomi makes very good points. Obama has the opportunity to go beyond correcting being mistakenly called Muslim to adding that there is nothing wrong with being Muslim and with the millions of Muslims in America as well. This would seem politically advantageous if countered directly since it makes visible the thinly veiled bigotry contained in the charge. I don't think Americans want to think of themselves as bigoted.

Wouldn't it be great if all the God-botherers could be transported to another planet to fuss and fight and leave us more rational humans here so we could get on with enjoying life and making the world a great place to live.

Don't the God-botherers realize that they have outstayed their welcome, that many of us are tired of the endless silliness that religion is, of the competing claims and counter-claims none of which have the tiniest shred of evidence to support them.

Religion is for adults who can't accept there is no Santa!

www.dangerouscreation.com

In my opinion, it's more of a smear to call him a Christian, based on the behavior of our so-called Christian leaders.

All the focus on skin color, identity and religion keeps everyone from noticing the actual issues. Obama voted to keep the PATRIOT Act alive. He voted against impeachment. He voted to make class action lawsuits almost impossible. What kind of a candidate is that? I'm voting for Nader. Talk about identity politics, this is the man whose first paragraph of his wikipedia page describes his as an "Arab American." Obama's first paragraph says nothing about his ethnicity.

I suggest that y'all put on your tinfoil hats.

I strongly suspect that there are psyops operations going on to fan the flames for a religion/hate war between Christians and Muslims.

The 20th century was a bloody affair, but compared to the 21st it will seem to have been but an appetizer.

ALL the bombs are in the hands of terrorists!

You know over 1 billion Muslims are watching this debate all over the world and its not winning hearts and minds. Its making their front page papers and I promise you its hurting America's already damaged image even more. We really cannot afford that right now.

Obama should take the high road and he should say to people I am a Christian and this is my faith but there is nothing wrong with Islam or Muslims. We should not endorse hate and the Republicans are endorsing hate tactics to scare people. As President I support freedom of religion and the rights of all Americans to peacefully practice their faiths. Religious pluralism makes this country a strong and successful one.

My husband is an Afghan-American and up until this point he was an enthusiastic Obama supporter. He's a very liberal Muslim and occasionally indulges in a martini or two. He loves American football and Christmas is actually his favorite time of the year. However, he's still proud of his faith. Now he is beggining to wonder if Obama deserves his vote. My husband is feeling like Obama is giving in to this bigotry and it frightens him because my husband loves America and this is his home and he doesn't want people to think hating Muslims is acceptable.

Thank you Naomi for taking the high road. I love your books and your values. I hope my country can learn something from you.

_ T H A N K ___ Y O U ___ N A O M I _

Your insightful article is fundamentally (joke intended) a method for all of us to realize how much bias we all carry around, w/o even knowing about it.

We're blessed to have access to those who paint the reality out for us to see clearly, especially when we are so often the source of our own problems …

Namaste
… … … … … Mahatma Gandhi … & … ML King … … Inspiration … … … … …
« We must be the change we wish to see in the world »
« There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed »
« We adopt the means of nonviolence because our end is a community at peace with itself » — MLK

You know, I have the same reaction every time I hear the term "muslim smear." Why is being called muslim a smear? I'm an atheist but I recognize Islam is one of the most widely practiced religions in the world. Like all institutions, it has its problems but are they any worse than Christianity or Judaism?

Unfortunately, the sad truth is that in this country, it is not only a smear to call someone Muslim but it is perhaps the worst smear available.

"Hate-talk radio shows, rightwing pundits, and Fox "News," are among the promoters of "Islam is always bad."

What would be your best example?

"Bill-O or rush limbaugh can simply state some absolute lie and listeners will follow like lemmings."

What would be your best example?

Obama will say whatever he thinks will get him the presidency. This will not include a defence of Islam.

The turbin pix are a graphic of the trivialization and dumbing down of the American public by our betters of the main stream media. They should need a license to practice the same a doctors, and when they pull stuff like this, they should be thrown out, their licenses revoked, and made to walk in black robes through our inner cities begging alms.

It is important to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate criticism.

While there's no way that I will vote for a corporate hack like Obama, I have been put in the position of vigorously defending him against racist and other hysterical smears.

Observing reactionary mouth-breathers attack Obama with visceral hatred (go with your strenghts?) puts me in mind of partisan Democrats talking (sic) about Ralph Nader.

As a retired Foreign Service Officer I can recall more than one occasion when I was called upon to wear the national dress of the host country. It is a way to compliment another culture. I recall wearing Indonesian and Philippine dress shirts, and African attire on many an occasion. For the last seven years Bush has doned the national dress of the host country at Asia Pacific Economic Conferences.

One of the great benefits of an Obama presidency will be having a President who has actually lived in a foreign culture (Texas does not count!) Obama's middle mname will actually win us friends in the Middle East. What a change from the Bush administration which has made the US the most despised nation on the face of the earth. Islamophobia that is emerging from under the rocks of the Clinton and McCain camps serves us all ill.

These two are a Freakin' joke! Hey, Dennis! Where are you????????????????????????

As Ms. Klein pointed out -When asked during the Ohio debate about Louis Farrakhan's support for his candidacy, Obama did not hesitate to call Farrakhan's anti-Semitic comments "unacceptable and reprehensible."- But he went on to give a more than hearty reaffirmation of his undying support of the Zionist Terrorist State of Israel. (which made me perfectly sick!)

So someone suggests he has the support of an anti-Semitic black leader, and he has to fall over himself to appease all the supporters of the murderous killers of the Palestinian people.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A6D28BF0-554F-42A6-975E-5472D29C935D.htm
Pretty soon, will he'll be sounding like Condom Rice and blaming the legitimately elected Hamas for the daily bombings and inhuman apartheid torture being meted out by the Zionist mafia state on the residence of Gaza, while then as president, singing the cheques for weapons, munitions and money to help Israel continue its decimation, just like every other well trained puppet American president before him.

America, the beacon of democracy and freedom? Sure! Congratulations, perhaps it is representative of the majority where an intelegent half black man with a perfectly good middle name has to appear to support a racist state engaged daily in war crimes, using ethnic cleansing and apartheid, in order to have any chance to be elected president.

Change? They won't be holding their breath if they live in Gaza!

RE: - Naomi Kline articulates what I have been thinking for some time.

Ditto!

RE: - (at least to many Fox viewers, who think any headdress other than a baseball cap is a declaration of war on America)

There used to be a poster a few years back on rabble pointing out that one doesn't blame all Christians for the actions of Timothy McVeigh (sp?) - and it showed a picture of a man in a turban and pointed out that the person wasn't even Muslim, they were Sikh. Most of those wishing to commit hate crimes against Muslims don't care if they harass or intimidate a Sikh by accident.

RE: - The best part is this: unlike ending the Iraq War and closing Guantánamo, standing up to Islamophobia doesn't need to wait until after the election. Obama can use his campaign to start now. Let the repairing begin.

Naomi Klein's husband was harshly criticised by the racist right (they called him racist and sexist) just for questioning a guest (Ayaan Hirsi Ali) who said that there was no such thing as Islamophobia. This is a woman who would make you believe that an entire religion is made up solely of pedophiles - which is apt to increase violence against the group. I have met people on line who figure that there is no such thing as a good Muslim recommending her book to me as a means of proving their case.

There is a movement in the US to convince people that hating Muslims is not racist or wrong but based on the premise that Islam preaches evil. But isn't that the way it always is that the most disgusting of racist acts are committed by racists in denial!

RE: - It's amazing to me that so few Christians realize how essentially similar their religion is to Islam or have any concept of its roots in Judaism.

The only reason I know of the similarity is first because I read the Satanic Verses and second that I listened to an interview with Maher Arar and his wife Monia Mazigh where he said that Yussef was the profit Joseph who was unfairly imprisoned by his brother and later became a Finance Minister. He said that the story kept him going when he was imprisoned and being tortured.

RE: - When Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball he was called every disgusting name in the book. He never reacted. He was able to transcend race by not getting caught up in the accusations. He just played great baseball.

Jackie Robinson was chosen for the task because he was deemed the one out of a talented bunch who could best withstand the taunts. He has both a regular minute and a radio minute:

http://www.histori.ca/minutes/minute.do?id=10218

RE: - Perhaps Obama should start every speech with "I am not a Muslim nor have I ever been a Muslim." Maybe that would shut the smearmongers up.

Ok, there is nothing wrong with clearing the record and pointing out that he is Christian, but he should also do more than he has done (and he has done more of late) to stick up for those most marginalized by society.

Guess who is endorsing Obama's candidacy - El-Farouk Khaki, an openly gay Muslim human rights lawyer running for office who supports the concept of women Imams.

One of my co-workers announced that Obama was "practically a Muslim" (whatever that means)

Another announced that Obama and Clinton had voted to make Spanish the official language of the USA!

I can't imagine where she got that. It had to be email or talk radio, I'd guess.

Great article. The best time for Obama to address the anti-muslim problem is when he is President Obama. He is only going to loose votes if he is seen as defensive of Islam because of misconceptions that were fostered into the american mindset over a decade ago. This is more apparent in the swing states of Florida and Ohio, and others.

Yes, he should do something about this racist behavior but he will be more effective at a later date. Stay tuned.

Huh. That would be like Hillary being called a Wikkan, and instead of simply saying she is not a Wikkan, leaping to the defense of Wikkans everywhere and admonishing everyone for their prejudice against Wikkans. "Well if I was Wikkan, which I'm not, why would that be a bad thing?" Guilt by association. It would be Hillary aligned with the witches, or Hillary the Witch.
That's just what the Right would love, to maneuver him into being associated with, defending, and highlighting the Muslim faith, constantly. Let Obama stand by his own faith and work toward the acceptance of all in his inclusive presidency if he is to have one. The Muslims can take care of themselves.

yerch, I agree with you that Obama's best tactic is to remain above the fray and simply correct the factual errors. Any other attempt at deeper arguments will only be turned around by the right-wing conservatives using the "True Scotsman" fallacious argumentation techinique.

Time enough after he is sworn in as President, for Obama to remember that clique of fanatical American Jewry who are pulling out all stops to try to prevent a presidency which heralds "change". Even moderate readers of the contemporary Jewish press (Rosner's column, for instance) sense the angst in certain Jewish ranks that change might mean Israel's fellow travelers in the US might lose their IRON GRIP on US foreign policy.

It is a kind of "swiftboating" because it is the MSM with its hands on the throttle. They target the smear, appropriatre it, coddle it, feed it and let 'er rip. Obama can rise above it and should, but, let's be honest, if you had so many burning bags on your front stoop how could you be sure to step on the right one? The man's only got so many pairs of shoes.

I live in Georgia and no more than 2 hours ago I pulled into a supermarket to do next week's shopping. On my way into the store, I passed a store employee chatting with a customer, who said, "Barack Obama's a MUSLIM, and that scares me to death." I'm not even an Obama supporter, since I was left candidateless when John Edwards dropped out, but that comment made me see red. I actually interrupted them to say that Obama is NOT a Muslim and never has been, he's a Christian. One of them said in response, "But he'd be VERY bad for this country." As I walked on, I responded, "No, he would NOT!"

Later I thought that I'd been rude to interrupt their conversation. I'm sure they both got their "information" in church or maybe FoxNews, though I'd bet church first.

While I agree that there's prejudice against Muslims in a lot of rightwing thought, I think FIRST that Obama needs to make it crystal clear that he isn't a Muslim every time it comes up. That at least removes the "bad-religion taint" from him, and it doesn't keep on multiplying because he hasn't responded to it. He's no John Kerry.

The next step is certainly to say, "And even if I were Muslim, so what?" But do you know what kind of LONG discussion that would take with somebody who believes all Muslims are terrorists? Or that all religions are "wrong" unless they're Christian? Sometimes all you can do is protest the upfront lie because of time constraints OR because those who believe the lie and are terrified by it have other deep-seated negative issues with all religion, even true Christianity.

Maybe if Obama's the Democratic candidate, he can address the fears and prejudices of the ignorant and misguided who believe that all Muslims are terrorists or damned heathens. But I think it's a problem that has become deeply embedded in the psyche of a part of America because of GW Bush's fearmongering, and it will now take generations to eradicate.

Come on. In the middle of the race for the nomination, it's not the time for Obama to be side tracked to making a point for a politically correct view but one that might bring on a flood of unwanted and unnecessary criticism from the GOP.

Sounds like the great distinction Hillary demanded re rebuke and denounce.

People who know that slurring someone due to their being a Muslim is wrong don't need that message, and the ones that don't won't change.