From the ADC webpage:


Washington, DC | November 13, 2008 | www.adc.org | Today, Congressman Rahm Emanuel, recently appointed White House Chief of Staff to President-Elect Barack Obama, called American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) President Mary Rose Oakar to repudiate negative comments about Arabs made by his father Benjamin Emanuel .

In the phone call, Congressman Emanuel said, “From the fullness of my heart, I personally apologize on behalf of my family and me. These are not the values upon which I was raised or those of my family.” During the phone call, Emanuel added, it is unacceptable to make remarks such as these against any ethnic or religious group.

ADC President Mary Rose Oakar said, “We cannot allow Arabs and Muslims to be portrayed in these unacceptable terms. I welcome Rahm’s apology and his pledge to meet with our Community. I also thank our members and friends who responded who expressed concern about this matter. ”
MEDIA COVERAGE:

NEW YORK TIMES: Emanuel Apologizes for Father’s ‘Arab’ Comments

TIME: RAHM EMANUEL’S FATHER PROBLEM

ABC NEWS: AMERICAN-ARAB ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE ASKS RAHM TO REPUDIATE HIS DAD’S COMMENTS

JEWISH TELEGRAPH AGENCY: ARAB-AMERICAN GROUP BLASTS EMANUEL’S DAD

TEXT OF NOV. 11 ADC LETTER TO CONGRESSMAN EMANUEL
View letter online at: www.adc.org/PDF/rahm.pdf
Dear Congressman Emanuel:

I am writing to you on behalf of the largest American‐Arab Civil Rights group in the United States, with members in every State of the Union, founded in 1980. We work in coalition with all civil rights organizations.

This has been an historic election, one which energized our Country and gave many people the reason to vote for change. I know the Arab‐American community was very involved in this presidential election, and voter turnout in the community was exceptionally high. We wish to congratulate you on being named, by President‐Elect Obama, White House Chief of Staff. We were, however, deeply disappointed by comments made by your father, Mr. Benjamin Emanuel, on the momentous occasion of your announcement as Chief of Staff. According to numerous news stories in the U.S. and in Israel, he made the following comments in an interview with Ma’ariv, “Obviously he’ll influence the President to be pro‐Israel. Why wouldn’t he? What is he, an Arab? He’s not going to be mopping floors at the White House.”

The American‐Arab Anti‐Discrimination Committee (ADC) views this characterization of an Arab as an unacceptable smear. One can readily imagine the justifiable outcry if someone made a similar remark about African‐Americans, Jews, or Hispanics, concerning cleaning the floors of the White House. Do the normal standards of decency and civility not apply when talking about Arabs? ADC asks you to disavow and repudiate these remarks publicly. We sincerely hope you will distance yourself from any demeaning characterization of any ethnic, religious, or racial group. President‐Elect Obama pledged a respect for the diversity of this Nation, and Arab Americans certainly add, in a positive way, to our Country’s diversity.

Sincerely,
Hon. Mary Rose Oakar, ADC President
Kareem Shora, JD. LLM., National Executive Director

Cc: President‐Elect Barack Obama
# # #
NOTE TO EDITORS: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which is non sectarian and non partisan, is the largest Arab-American civil rights organization in the United States. It was founded in 1980, by former Senator James Abourezk to protect the civil rights of people of Arab descent in the United States and to promote the cultural heritage of the Arabs. ADC has 38 chapters nationwide, including chapters in every major city in the country, and members in all 50 states.

The ADC Research Institute (ADC-RI), which was founded in 1981, is a Section 501(c)(3) educational organization that sponsors a wide range of programs on behalf of Arab Americans and of importance to all Americans. ADC-RI programs include research studies, seminars, conferences and publications that document and analyze the discrimination faced by Arab Americans in the workplace, schools, media, and governmental agencies and institutions. ADC-RI also celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the Arabs.
____________________________________________________________
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee | www.adc.org
1732 Wisconsin Ave., NW | Washington, DC | 20007
Tel: 202-244-2990 | Fax: 202-244-7968 | E-mail: media@adc.org

Recently, the Little Big Planet PS3 release was delayed. This peeved many, including my husband, who had pre-ordered it and eagerly anticipated its arrival. The next day, it came out that the delay was due to the presence of Qur’an verses within one of the songs in the game. The song was written by an Emmy winning Muslim musician who explains that it’s normal in his home country (Mali) to include Qur’an or words of the Prophet (pbuh) in music in order to show the inspiration of Islam. Sony decided to strip the song from the game instead of risking offense. They’ve been through this before with the Catholic church. No need to reenter the arena.

What surprised many was the response by the American Islamic Forum for Democracy. On their behalf, M. Zuhdi Jaffer, M.D. released the following in a statement:

“Muslims cannot benefit from freedom of expression and religion and then turn around and ask that anytime their sensibilities are offended that the freedom of others be restricted. The free market allows for expression of disfavor by simply not purchasing a game that may be offensive. But to demand that it be withdrawn is predicated on a society which gives theocrats who wish to control speech far more value than the central principle of freedom of expression upon which the very practice and freedom of religion is based.

“…We [the AIFD] do not endorse any restriction whatsoever on the release of this videogame but would only ask those with concerns to simply choose not to buy it. We would hope that the producer?s decision not be made in any way out of fear but rather simply based upon freedom of expression and the free market.”

The creator’s of Little Big Planet stated that they made the decision to remove the song because the game is meant to be for everyone, and if the song’s presence will disenfranchise as many people as it seems might be offended by it’s presence, it should go. From the message boards:

LittleBigPlanet will be remastered in order to remove a track from the game that contained two expressions found in the Qur’an. Whilst shorter expressions from the Qur’an are sometimes used in nasheeds, we are aware that the mixing of musical instruments with recognisable extracts from the Qur’an is offensive to Muslims. Therefore, we have taken immediate action to rectify this. We will confirm a new launch date shortly

By far, the most interesting aspect of this issue is the glimpse you can get into the world of gaming by reading through the message thread started by the gamer who first brought the Qur’anic quotation to Sony’s attention. Non-Muslim readers are confused as to why the inclusion is considered offensive. There is an attempt to explain, but mostly there is a push to keep from discussing religion within the thread. Commenters mostly express the hope that the game won’t be delayed.

This is not what I’m used to seeing on message boards. Here, for the most part, is a very respectful conversation. One person observed:

I also don’t understand what is so offensive about it. At the end of the day it must be only extremist/hardcore religeous people who could get offended by lyrics in songs of this nature.

Surely extremists from any religion will always find something to complain about in video games, whether it’s violent content, sexual content, swearing etc, etc, etc. There is no point in pandering to them because once you start changing games for little things like this we will all be left just playing pacman, even then there will probably be some obscure Religion that will complain about that! As long as a game is not trying to be deliberately offensive to a Religion, like have you running around headbutting baby Jesus or something, then I don’t see what the problem is

Like any game, surely the answer is simple, if you don’t like it, don’t play it, but stop trying to be spoil sports and going off on missions to prevent other people from playing games just because they don’t fit into your view of life or religious preferences. This is not aimed at the op, just a general observation that whether it’s Religous groups, Politicians, Lawyers, Parental groups etc, there is always someone whinging on about games!

Interestingly, the end concerns of this debate are that 1) players angered over the delay will just create anti-Muslim levels; and 2) the divide between Muslims and non-Muslims will become more pronounced over this issue. So, ultimately, gamers are concerned for the way the reception of the song combined with the delay of the game will affect Muslim-non-Muslim relations.

I think this is a great study of the counter-fear culture that has arisen in response to the last seven years of Islamophobia. It also gives a more well-rounded view of Muslims–there are those that care, those that don’t, and those that ride the line. As for non-Muslims, there are those that are suppotive, those that hate Islam, and those who ride the line.

The game has since been released. I think it’s as fun as people hoped. I know my husband is enjoying it, as are other Muslims around the world.

“a letter to my sons on the eve of a nation’s great change”

November 5, 2008

My Dear Sons,

If I can indicate to you the significance of Barack Obama’s election as President of the United States of America in even the smallest way, I will have succeeded with this letter. You’ve seen that I’ve spent much of this day in silence and tears. Most likely you won’t remember, but if you do, forgive my silence. I don’t know what to say. There is a great wheel of thought turning in my head. The ideas fly past before I can grasp them, to take a moment and investigate what it is I’m feeling; to grapple with the full import of what has happened in our great country. As for the tears, they are tears of joy. Never stem tears of happiness. They are like the rain that replenishes the earth.

I admit that with the curious circumstances surrounding President George W. Bush’s election into office in 2000, I lost faith in the effectiveness of U.S. democracy. In 2004, there was a repeat of 2000’s debacle, and with W’s claims of “political capital” at his fingertips, it seemed to me that our democracy may have crumbled. Hope was a match in my fingertips, it’s flame whipped out by a quick wind. But today, my beautiful and wonderful boys, my faith in our country has been restored. I once again believe that my voice, a voice that generations before me fought to assign a value to, has not only been heard and valued, it has become tenable twice over. My voice is not only that of a woman, it is that of a woman of color.

I’m certain you will grow up with the knowledge of your own ethnic roots if in no other capacity than in relation to your faith. What speaks to my heart today is that you may not struggle to find your own place in society the way I did for much of my life. The adversity I (and the rest of your extended family) faced during my years in Oklahoma,Texas and Arkansas may be something forever foreign to you. In those pre-9/11 days, there was certainly undisguised hatred for us as Muslims, but the main disgust we encountered was race-based. Years of hatred culminated, for us, in repudiation based on the darker tones of our skin in a White, Presbyterian-dominated area. Last night, around 11PM, it became clear to me that there is a chance you may grow up without facing, witnessing or being pressured to take part in this type of adversity. While this hope is certainly incredible in its scope, and perhaps unfounded, there are reasons that my heart is opened to your freedom from racial stigma.

Certainly, Obama’s election would not have happened at this time in America’s life if not for the many incredible failures of George W. Bush as America’s 43rd president. Had Bush not abused his position of power by pursuing war on unfounded reasons and overspending the “political capital” he claimed to have earned, America could not have reached a point of such openness to and even desire for change. I am greatly aware of Obama’s weaknesses as a candidate for this office. The polarity of the campaign period shed light on the many failings of each candidate searching for nomination, but I believe Obama was the best of the lot we were granted despite his lack of experience in governance, and it is my hope that he will be a capable leader–one who continues on in the traditions of his campaign; to stay focused on the issues and to work for an America truly united by refusing to engage the propaganda and slander of naysayers and ne’er-do-wells.

You were both born into a time of misunderstanding with regards to Islam. After my move to Indiana from Arkansas, I saw the race-driven hatred fall away to be replaced with a subversive reinforcement of anti-Islam sentiment. In high school, I did not yet know myself as a Muslim. That identity had always been secondary. I’m sure the discrimination I faced based on my skin color aided me in defining myself as “Other” when it came to race. With our move from Arkansas to Indiana, I saw that fade away. Instead of being characterized as Arab and Muslim by default, I was characterized as Muslim and Arab by default. Looking back, I can say the consequences of this inversion was an increased interest in faith. With your father by my side, I clung to my new Muslim identity to find that it came with its own challenges.

Yes, there was harassment, but I was not generally subjected to it. I had female friends whose faith was visible due to the cloth on their heads. They were treated with derision. “Is there a bomb in your backpack?” was a question one of my friends regularly faced as she tried to pass through a particular hallway on her way to class. A group of boys, three or four of them, would yank her bag, tug her scarf, stand in her way or simply stare her down. It hurt her, but she kept walking. For many of us at that time, there was no recourse for the overt and sometimes physical aggression we experienced in places that should have been safe. This was pre-9/11.

I will say one thing for the horrid events of September 11, 2001. Had they not happened, we as Americans would not have had the chance to plumb the depths of the hatred for and fear of the “other” that we hide within. Before 9/11, harassment was tolerated, allowed to happen with merely the shake of a head or a click of the tongue. “What a shame,” we subjects of discrimination were told. “Some people just don’t understand.” We were then laden with the responsibility to understand for them, to forgive them for their ignorance. We were expected not to educate.

9/11 ended the “do nothing” period for Muslims in America and around the world. Suddenly, we were targets due to the crimes of those who perpetuated terror in the name of our faith. Our majority was forced to stand up and shout until we were blue in the face that we do not tolerate, accept or condone this type of violence. That we, the Muslim masses, believe in democracy, in the freedom of religion the Constitution promises.

We could no longer sit idly by. Our friends and family were being whisked away to detention centers, fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers detained, tortured, murdered in response to the acts of unilateral thinkers whose views we did not share. We had to speak up, to claim in voices rough with tears that we are people too. Like those minorities before us, we will not be denied our civil rights in a country we love because of its promised equality. Perhaps the writers of the Constitution were not so forward thinking when they promised freedom of religion–perhaps it only applied to those who worship in churches–but we would not let our mosques be riddled with bullets or burned to the ground.

My precious boys, neither of you is old enough to understand why the tears keep falling from my eyes yet I cannot stop smiling. My silent treatment of you will likely be forgiven by its omission from your memories. I am writing this because I want you to understand the incredible blessings of the world you have been born into. There is adversity at every corner, but with adversity comes hope. Barack Obama’s election proves this. He is a man of color elected as president in a country built from the blood of minorities. He is not a Muslim. He did not make a strong standing for Muslims in his campaign, but unlike his contemporaries, he has not incited hatred against us, derided us for our beliefs or used our differences of faith as cause to exclude us from our rightful category of American.

Here is what Obama’s election means to me: Yes, you will still grow up in a minority. You, like all humans, will face challenges day by day. But you are starting your lives in a world much different than that one I grew up in–in a world that has wildly changed. It may be that you will have more doors open to you based on your diversity. You are starting your lives in an America embracing a new reflection in the world’s mirror. I hope you help to keep that reflection crisp and clean. I hope your journey toward self-identification is filled with opportunity. You are the newest generation of American Muslims. Today I am able to believe that perhaps once another half a century has passed, you will be leaders for this great country. Perhaps, now that we are moving past race-based limitations, faith-based limitations will also begin to fail. Perhaps, one day, you will inspire hope for those both like and unlike you, your heads held high, your voices lifted as you say it: Yes we can.

I pray that you’ll find these words some day and that they will illuminate a history that seems to you fashioned of fiction. May you grow up knowing only the equality our constitution promises and the beauty of democracy at its best. May you grow up free from the hate that has plagued this country for far too long. May you grow up free. May you grow up Muslim Americans.

All my love,

Your Mother

This is simply amazing, and wonderful at a time of such uncertainty! Thank you to all of you who stand with us.

Dear readers, I hope you enjoy this!

We’ll be back after the election.

From Meet the Press:

I’m also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, “Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.” Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he’s a Christian. He’s always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s no, that’s not America. Is there something wrong with some 7 year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, “He’s a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists.” This is not the way we should be doing it in America. I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son’s grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards–Purple Heart, Bronze Star–showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn’t have a Christian cross, it didn’t have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life. Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourself in this way.

I found this on Aisha: Perpetually Befuddled. She likened Colin Powell’s above statements to a hug and a cup of hot cocoa. I can’t think of a better analogy, unless, of course, you don’t like hugs or cocoa.

It’s wonderful to see a politician (and a Republican!!) stand up and say that Muslims are Americans too. That we love and serve our country, and that if a person is Muslim, so what.

I feel like much of this election has been spent with Muslims and liberals in the background grumbling that politicians are either fearmongering or they are deflecting issues of the American culture of fear regarding Muslims and Arabs that has sprung up post 9/11.

Well, for those of us who have been shouting at the top of our lungs until we’re blue in the face that being Muslim does not void love of America and that it shouldn’t matter if a person is Muslim, take that deep breath of fresh air. And if you’re so inclined, hold it until Obama’s in office.

Speaking of which, I’m sure there must be a hard core McCain supporter out there who is also Muslim. Would you care to share your voice?

Too often Islam is viewed in monochrome. Muslims are seen not for their variety, but for the skin color or ethnic heritage of a few. Yes, the majority of Muslims live overseas, but that doesn’t mean they all share the same skin tone or cultural upbringing. We are a myriad of cultures and colors. We are not made up of one ethnicity. We may all fall under the umbrella term of Muslim, but that makes us no less varied than those encompassed under the umbrella of Christian.

John McCain had an opportunity to point this out to his constituents when a woman addressing him claimed she can’t trust Obama because he’s an Arab. No he’s not, says McCain. He’s a good guy.

This issue of Arab does not equal good guy has been hit on all over the blogosphere by Muslim writers. There are others who have taken notice that Arab not ony is not antithetical to good, it also does not equal Muslim.

What do you think of what Affleck has to say (he chimes in at minute five)?

As human beings, we should be outraged and disgusted by the kind of racist and xenophobic behavior we’re seeing from McCain supporters. First, we heard GOP chair of Lehigh County, William Platt, emphasis on Barack Obama’s middle name, “Husayn” (my spelling), which caused an uproar of angry boos. Next, we heard supporters shout “kill him!” and “traitor!” Now, we see an old lady call Obama an “Arab” while several others shout “he’s a Muslim” and “he’s a terrorist!” as if (1) being a Muslim is a bad thing, and (2) being a Muslim means you’re a terrorist.

To his credit, Senator McCain condemned this kind of behavior and encouraged his supporters to be respectful, but this still doesn’t change his supporters’ perception of certain words like “Muslim” and “Arab,” or names like “Husayn.”

As a Muslim, what’s frustrating and upsetting to me is how racist and prejudice these attitudes are. As Eve Tahmincioglu of the Huffington Post writes, “So What If Obama Were a Muslim?” Has the word “Muslim” become an insult? If Obama was a Muslim, would that mean he’s incompatible with American values? If Obama was a Muslim, would that mean he’s incompatible with Judeo-Christian values? Absolutely not.

The common misconception is that Islam is completely foreign and alien from Christianity and Judaism, but in actuality, it is not. Islam, like Christianity and Judaism, is an Abrahamic religion that began in the Middle-East. By Abrahamic religion, I mean Muslims, Christians, and Jews all descend from Abraham, peace be upon him. Prophet Muhammad is a descendant of Ishmael through his second son, Kedar — Ishmael being the first son of Abraham, of course (peace be upon them all). If one opens the Qur’an, he/she will find familiar names like Noah, Moses, Isaac, Joseph, Jonah, Solomon, David, Jesus, Mary, etc. In fact, the Qur’an mentions Moses and Jesus by name more than Muhammad. To a Christian or Jew, does this sound like a completely “foreign” religion to you?

Instead of focusing on what we share, certain McCain supporters and media outlets reinforce the faulty idea that Islam is “foreign” and “incompatible” with the West. If we listened to this kind of logic, then shouldn’t we say the same thing about Jesus, a Middle-Eastern man who spoke a Middle-Eastern language (Aramaic), wore Middle-Eastern clothes, and ate Middle-Eastern food? Of course not.

Another thing that is upsetting to me is that individuals who may not have had any exposure to Islam or Muslim cultures may not be aware of how beautiful the name Husayn is. Instead the name is vilified and associated with dictators and terrorists. Obama is not a Muslim — he’s a devout Christian — but his heritage includes Islam as his father and grandfather were Muslims, which explains why his middle name is Husayn.

“Husayn” means “good” and “handsome or beautiful one” in Arabic. Husayn is also the name of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, who died courageously fighting against an oppressive and greedy regime. He is one of the most respected and Loved figures in the Islamic tradition. As I wrote in my poem about Husayn, he “stood boldly in the face of a thousand spears and swords, unyielding to the inhumanity of a cruel and vicious tyrant.” May God’s Love and Blessings be upon him.

With this in mind, it is offensive to Muslims when the name Husayn or the words “Muslim” or “Arab” are used to smear Obama and portray him in a negative light. It is offensive to Muslims when people equate “Muslim” or “Islam” with “terrorist” or “terrorism.” It is offensive to Muslims when it is preached that Islam doesn’t have a place in American politics. As I have written before, the fact that 20% of the African slaves forcefully brought to America were Muslim, not to mention the Muslim achievements in mathematics, medicine, and astronomy over the centuries, can we really say that Islam has no place in America?

One final note about those who shout “kill him!” “traitor!” and “terrorist” at McCain rallies whenever Obama’s name is mentioned: As many analysts and reporters have pointed out, Barack Husayn Obama deserves better than that. He has worked hard in America, he has worked hard in helping people in their communities, and he has taken that extra effort to reach out to people of all races, cultures, religions, and political parties.

Whether you agree with him or not, he deserves to be respected, and anyone who shouts “kill him” or calls him a “traitor” has serious personal issues that they need to sort out. It is not Obama’s middle name that is ugly, it is this attitude of inciting hatred and racism that is ugly.

Salaam, Shalom, Shlama, Peace

~ Jehanzeb

Junaid Levesque-Alam of Crossing the Crescent has given Islam on My Side permission to reprint posts made to his blog. Here is a recent post originally published at WireTap (link below).

The presidential candidates don’t argue over whether it is right to bomb Muslim countries, but rather over whether they’ve chosen the right Muslim country to bomb. A special interest group commanded by Israeli ex-officials unloaded 28 million copies of an anti-Muslim hate film in swing states to titillate idle exurban imaginations. The hammer of the “war on terror” is wielded against an ever-expanding pool of people who conveniently appear as wayward nails.

As these ominous realities unfold before their eyes, some American Muslims appear resigned and fatalistic.

Wajahat Ali is not among them. The 27-year-old California-born Muslim with Pakistani roots takes an aggressive but level-headed approach to politics and the arena of ideas. An attorney, activist, writer, journalist, and playwright, Wajahat aspires to the dynamism and versatility of Muslim scholars and poets of past ages.

There’s no rule that say you only have to be one thing,” he says, emphasizing the need for American Muslims to become valuable leaders within their own communities—and to make their own communities leading examples of Muslim values: tolerance, justice, and scholarship.

“Prophet Muhammad said, ‘Seek knowledge, even if you have to go as far as China.’ You want to be part of a renaissance, you want to be part of a cultural, spiritual, intellectual revolution, where you revive Islamic scholarship,” Wajahat says.

The Bay Area resident says he never sought out to take up that path; rather, the path sought him out.

“It was when I went to preschool and realized for the first time, like most minorities do, that you’re different,” he notes. Born into a traditional South Asian family and living with both his parents and grandparents, he spoke Urdu exclusively the first four years of his life, entering ESL in the first-grade.

“From elementary school, and even in high school, I ended up being the token Muslim guy” who teachers and classmates approached for knowledge about Islam, Wajahat explains. Sometimes, they also came for pranks: “Some of my friends would put bacon bits in my salad to see if I would go to hell,” he says in a bemused tone.

“It’s not that I wore religion on my sleeve…when you’re growing up as a minority, all you want to do is fit in like everyone else. You want the cutest girl to talk to you and you want to be one of the cool kids.”

But Wajahat quickly learned he could leverage his uniqueness. “You become an exotic…but you make a decision whether you’re going to be hermetic with your Otherness or whether you’re going to be proactive.”

Choosing the latter route, Wajahat wrote his debut American Muslim play, Domestic Crusaders, when he was 23. The play was produced by his writing teacher and Pulitzer-prize nominee Ishmael Reed.

Developing his repertoire through improvisational comedy (“I started doing jokes because I was a fat kid, and I saw that humor really worked”), he created the post-Sept.11th superhero “Captain Islam” and played an active role in the Muslim Student Association.

An associate editor of the publication AltMuslim.com—“it’s neither too apologetic nor too antagonistic”—Wajahat exhorts wealthier American Muslims to invest in their own future by creating think tanks and scholarships in art and media instead of collecting luxury cars. “We have to break out of our culturally isolated bubble,” he says.

Wajahat knows that Muslim mobilization will not immediately alter the political landscape—but he understands that the Muslim landscape must be altered by political mobilization.

“As the joke goes, the question is, ‘Who is going to kill us less?’,” he says of the candidates. “But [Obama] is the lesser of two evils. You have to be strategic. I’m a strong believer that Muslims have to engage.”

| Published at WireTap |

On Thursday (October 9th, 2008), the Elmhurst College campus in Chicago went on a lock-down for about an hour after a female Muslim student was pistol-whipped in the women’s restroom by a masked gunman. “She received a concussion, a bruise on her side, and she passed out,” said Soofia Ahmed, a close friend of the victim. Before the attack, the Muslim student reported that she noticed graffiti on the restroom mirror: “Kill the Muslims.” One week ago, she also reported that her locker was sprayed with threatening anti-Muslim graffiti which read: “Die Muslim, die. Rid us of your filth,” followed by a swastika.

When asked if this armed assault on a Muslim college student was a hate crime, a spokesperson for Elmhurst College, Charles Henderson, said, “We’re leaning that direction, yes, we are. Since this morning, a crime alert has been posted that does say this is reported as a hate crime.”

Libby Glass, an Elmhurst College student said, “We don’t accept hate, and the fact that it’s happening is unbelievable.”

Another student, Justin Tierney, shared the same sentiments, “This is something that’s shocking to us. It’s something that I would have never expected here. But everybody says that until it happens.”

On Friday (October 10th, 2008), as reported by the Chicago News, “students held an impassioned rally to deplore the incident and appeal for information to find the attacker.”

“We in the administration and all of us here on the college community, as you’ve heard, are doing everything we can to work with law enforcement, to identify the perpetrator of this incident and restore this campus to the great institution that we all know that it is,” said Alan Ray, Elmhurst College president.

According to the Council on America-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization which is currently calling upon local, state, and national law enforcement authorities to further investigate this incident, also stated that fellow Muslims on the college campus experienced anti-Muslim discriminatory acts as well. One Muslim student reported an incident where someone said, “Get the f**k out of here, you don’t belong here. Muslims belong in hell. Go back home.”

“These disturbing incidents must be treated with the seriousness they deserve by relevant law enforcement agencies at the local, state and national levels,” said CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab. “There is no room for religious, racial or ethic intimidation or violence on our nation’s college campuses.”

Rehab also stated that CAIR is concerned — and rightfully so — about the distribution of the “Obsession” DVD and it’s impact on how Americans perceive and treat the Muslim-American community. The DVD has been mailed to 28 million households in the swing states by the Clarion fund, an organization that largely supports the McCain Campaign.

Click below to watch the news report:

VIDEO: Woman Assaulted on College Campus (ABC)

~ Jehanzeb