When a Muslim elected official becomes an issue

[question everything]

I wonder: Keith Ellison, an African American who converted to Islam was elected to Congress from Minnesota in November 2006. He took the oath of office on a Quran and several bigoted people in Congress and on the media and, no doubt, "in the street," questioned his patriotism and his fitness for office.

Ellison, by the way, has been an Obama supporter from early on.

I don't have the exact dates, but I suspect that Ellison's taking office and Obama's declaring his candidacy - or the intention - took place at about the same time.

And I wonder whether somehow one event "merged" with the other to provide opportunities for the bigoted to suggest that Obama was a Muslim.

What I am trying to say is that I wonder, if there were not that "stirring" of a Muslim serving in Congress with Ellison's election, whether anyone would have even considered going that way with Obama.

Just thinking aloud about a bad coincidence. Don't flame.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. My boss told me Obama was sworn in on a Qur'an

when I told him it was Ellison, he told me I was a liar, because his preacher had told him, and preachers tell the truth. I'm sure that photos of Ellison being sworn in have been shown and people told it was Obama--after all, one black man looks just like another :sarcasm:

[question everything]

4. Right, even though Obama is probably a foot taller

than Ellison and is half Ellison's girth.

[dflprincess]

5. Make your bosses head explode and remind him that the Quran

Ellison used was borrowed from the Library of Congress and originally belonged to Thomas Jefferson.

Actually, like all Congress critters Ellison was sworn in with the rest of the House in the official. The picture of him with the Quran (or a picture of another Congressman with a Bible) is strictly a photo op.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

11. I tried to

and he shouted me down. After all, I'm a woman, and women are supposed to be subservient to men. Yeah, right. If I didn't need the job I'd have walked out (for that and many other reasons).

[theboss]

14. I've been told this too

I'm not sure how that got into the public consciousness but it did.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

2. Alert. Alert. Alert.

:-)

[FightingIrish]

3. With all the talk about racism and sexism

this bullshit about "Muslim or not a Muslim" is a form of religious bigotry that seems to be widely accepted. There is an implication that to be a Muslim is somehow disqualifying if not criminal. This campaign has shined some light on many of our national failings but religious intolerance is getting a pass. America's Muslims must be very disturbed that their religious identity is treated as something akin to pedophilia.

[JerseygirlCT]

8. Yes. I agree. It's nasty on many counts, and this one is the most

insidious. It's dangerous to us as a people, that sort of bigotry.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

10. I sure wish Obama had reacted differently. nt

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

12. Very disturbed-and scared

The firebombings of mosques and other harassment is barely reported, and when it is, it is taken as "no big deal", at least by local broadcasters. There is so much ignorance over the faith it is ridiculous! On Saturday, in Springfield MO, I lead the Dances of Universal Peace. Two ladies from Africa came-I found out both were Muslim. They wore blue jeans and shirts, no head scarves, they danced and sang--all things that many Americans think are somehow forbidden by Islam. But to hear some people (like my boss), all of us should "be shipped back where we came from". America would lose a lot of good people if they did (and I guess I'd be in Michigan, which is where I was born).

Know what's really ironic, I think? When I was a Christian, I was asked by other Christians what my denomination was, and sometimes comments were made, like why wasn't I going to THEIR church. With any Muslim I've met, the sect has never come up, and I am made welcome as a sister in the faith. This is a refreshing attitude, imho.

[Freddie Stubbs]

17. Obama sure played along, being outraged that someone would imply that he is a muslim

[Blue_In_AK]

19. Exactly, Fighting Irish...

I've been making this same argument this morning. There is NOTHING criminal about being Muslim. There are over a billion Muslims world-wide, making Islam the second largest religion, and millions here in the United States. The demonizing of this religion disturbs me greatly.

[kwenu]

6. The garbage emails about Obama have intentionally...

confused the two candidates. There was no confusion. It was by design in order to use the "He's a muslim" scare tactic. And yes, they would have used it even if Ellison hadn't won. Apparently, when the opponent doesn't have facts they are more than willing to use lies.

[JerseygirlCT]

7. I do think there's a certain amount of conflation

You know, to those people for whom all African Americans look alike?

But deeper than that even is the carefully fostered idea that all Muslims are suspect - terrorists or their supporters. And we should all be afraid of them. Very afraid.

I suspect the confusion with Congressman Ellsion is just icing on that cake.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

13. the religious intolerance is frightening

though in some instances I think it is a smokescreen for racism. Sadly, in this country, it is considered OK to be anti-Muslim, and many who I think are probably closet racists are using it as an excuse. Funny thing is that around here these same people have no problem going to see the heart specialist Dr. Mohammed Kahn--when a Muslim offers something they need, suddenly religion is forgotten. And there are many many smaller communities in the US where the doctors, especially specialists, are immigrants from the Middle East, and many are Muslim.

[JerseygirlCT]

16. Yes, you're probably right. It may actually be very difficult to tease

out where religious tolerance ends and racism begins - in this instance they're both just about an irrational fear of the "other". And as you say, people tend to hold different standards when their own needs come into play, or even when they just have personal contact with a member of a group they'd usually happily discriminate against. (The old "some of my best friends are...)

[ProgressiveFool]

21. call them on it

That's what I've begun to do with people who use the immigration issue as an excuse to indulge their closet racism. Frankly, if I call someone out as a racist and they can't refute it plausibly, at least I know I'm done talking to them. I just call them an irredeemable moron and move on.

[BlooInBloo]

9. To vast number of good white folks, they all look the same.

[KharmaTrain]

15. No Direct Relationship...Plenty Of GOOP Racism Though...

When the GOOP slimes, it grabs on the "flavor of the moment" and once the lies are spread, moves on.

Ellison's biggest flaps were right after he was elected and prior to his taking the oath. Obama didn't announce for nearly a month later. If anything the Osama/Obama game was tried here in Illinois in the '04 elections with little effect. The good thing was Obama's "opponent" was Alan Keyes and people were too busy laughing at him to hear his slime attacks at that time.

The real work here are the codewords that wingnut land is sending...it's not that Obama or Ellison is a Muslim, but that they're "brown-skinned". IRC, Darrell Isa is of Lebanese decent...albeit a Lebansese Christian, so should we paint him with that same brush? Or there have been several other members of Congress who were Black Muslim...not a word was mentioned about them. It's the "flavor of the moment" that matters.

No matter how much its debunked, the rabid wingnuts will continue to spew lies...and as their situation gets more desperate watch them try to come up with even more lies. The good thing is that this is getting out early and its shelf life is already wearing thin...only those who WANT to believe this still do...and they wouldn't vote for Obama or any Democrat for that matter.

[question everything]

18. Right. So is Ralph Nader

of Lebanese descent. We dislike him, but for a valid reason.

Yes, it is obviously the double whammy of being both a black and a Muslim, though in earlier time we liked Muhammad Ali.

And then there is Ann Coulter who, of course, will say the first thing that comes to her mind just to stay in the headlights, "calling" on all Muslims to convert to Christianity. I am sure that many here have taken her seriously.

[ProgressiveFool]

20. Whenever anyone brings up the Obama-is-a-secret-muslim canard

I ask them whether or not they're disturbed by McCain's supernumerary nipple. When they look puzzled, I tell them to Google it, pretty much safe in the knowledge that they won't know how to spell supernumerary.