Barack Obama isn't just running from "Muslims," he's running from Arabs, too
In a profession where the term "dumb down" ranks next to the phrase "if it bleeds it leads," one might be expected to better understand the reality of Barack Obama's so-called "Muslim problem." But the problem and the issue is way larger than just whether Obama is a Muslim. It reaches into the depths of the hypocrisies not only of mainstream Americans but also the discriminatory practices of some Muslim organizations against Christian Arab activists and journalists and leaders. It's very complicated, and that by itself explains why it is so much easier to address the entire matter as "Obama's Muslim Problem."
In addressing the issue, many are ignoring the fundamental problem. It is NOT a Muslim issue. It is an issue of stereotyping. Americans can't tell the difference betweenb Muslims and Christian Arabs, but the media can. So we're all lumped into the problem (discrimination against Muslims and Christian Arabs is rampant), BUT, we are separated in the solution. The media only addresses the problems facing Muslims.
America has an "Arab Problem" but Americans don't seem to distinguish between Muslim and Christian Arabs, and many Muslim organizations discriminate against Christian Arabs who don't embrace their agendas or who speak out too forcefully against the extremists in our community. In fact, speaking out against the extremists is more of a crime for many Muslim activists and organizations than media criticizing a Muslim's religion.
In preparation for a Detroit speech recently, volunteers asked a woman in a Hijab to step down from the stage where Obama was to speak -- she would have been visible behind in (this new thing candidates do to show they are "close" to the "people).
Obama apologized, as you would expect a candidate to do even if he didn't want to do it.
Now, the media is filled with stories about the "controversy" surrounding Obama and his "Muslim problem." It was sparked in part by a slip of the tongue by Chris Matthews who reportedly referred to Obama as "Osama."
GOP Jihadists -- extremist Republicans in politics and the talking-head circus that passes itself off as journalist -- are helping to spread false email messages that Obama is a Muslim, has a Muslim agenda, plans to convert Americans to Islam, will be sworn in using the Qu'ran (Muslim holy book). It goes on endlessly.
But it's the media that is perpetuating the myth. Obama isn;'t afraid of Muslims. He is afraid of "Arabs." Had the woman in the Hijab in Detroit been an Arab American -- they come in many varieties but mainly Christian and Arab -- who wore a kaffiyeh on his or her head, the volunteers would have asked that person to stay off the stage.
So when reporters ask, as they are now doing, is Obama's denial that he is a "Muslim" a form of racism, they are contributing to the problem. The real question is this, is the news media married to the better story that Obama is a "Muslim" and ignoring the real issue that they can't seem to tell the difference, like most Americans by the way, between a "Muslim" and an "Arab?"
Even ADC (the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee) criticized the notion in a letter to the New York Times that Obama is afraid of associating with Muslims. The letter started out by noting the fear of "Arabs and Muslims" but quickly funneled down to the real focus, Muslims.
There are about 7 million Muslims in America and the majority are non-Arab. Only about 22 percent are Arab. There are about 4.5 million Arabs in America, and the vast majority are Christian Arabs (Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Baptist and more).
Muslim leaders like Salam al-Marayati are questioning Obama as a "self-hating Muslim," a loathsome term for anyone's religion. Yet, al-Marayati heads up an organization that sometimes is criticized for marginalizing Arabs by focusing on Muslim issues only even though it embraces Arab World issues that include many non-Muslims. Many Muslim groups pander to Arab American issues under the Islamic umbrella, and as a result Christian Arabs are excluded from the dialogues, unless they embrace their political agenda and strategy.
Muslim Americans complain about discrimination, but some,e specially the leaders, are engaged in a campaign of ostracizing, isolating and intimidating Christian Arabs and secular Muslims who, for example, speak out against the wearing of a Hijab. (A Hijab is not a berqa, and only covers the head. But, it is not mandated in the Islamic religion, but rather has become 1) a symbol of Muslim women's pride, 2) a political statement of defiance and 3) a symbol of devotion. All three. But 15 years on the streets of America, you NEVER saw a Muslim woman wearing a Hijab, only the grandmothers and the elderly women wore it.
Many point out accurately that Obama "seems" to be avoiding speaking at Mosques. He has spoken at many Christian Churches and even synagogues. But no Mosques.
Well, guess what? He hasn't spoken at a Christian Arab Church, either. Well, who cares about that? Right? Because "Obama" doesn't rhyme with "Jesus." It rhymes with "Osama." And Osama is NOT a "Muslim" name. "Osama" means "lion Like" in Arabic and while it is most often used by Muslims, some Christian Arabs also use the name.
So why am I asking that Christian Arabs not be excluded from the anti-Muslim hatred in this country?
HEY! CHRISTIAN ARABS HAVE RIGHTS TOO!
Ray Hanania
www.TheMediaOasis.com