ADC Thanks Sen. Obama for Taking Leadership and Personally Speaking with Muslim Supporters

posted on: Jun 20, 2008

Today, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) sent a letter to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama thanking him for his leadership in personally contacting and apologizing to the two Muslim supporters whom this past Monday were sidelined by two campaign volunteers during a rally in Detroit, Michigan. Michigan is home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in our nation and ADC is the largest civil rights organization working on behalf of the Arab-American community.

To read ADC’s letter thanking Senator Obama, see: http://www.adc.org/PDF/obamathankyou.pdf

Background:

On Monday, Obama campaign volunteers barred two Muslim women from sitting behind the podium because they did not want the women’s hijabs (headscarves) from appearing in photographs or on television with Senator Obama. One of the women was told she could be behind the podium only if she removed her religious head covering. See story in the Politico at:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/11168.html

Following the incident, ADC sent a letter to Senator Obama. In the letter, ADC President Hon. Mary Rose Oakar and ADC National Executive Director Kareem Shora asked the Senator to take the leadership in addressing this troubling issue and to personally send the message to everyone associated with the Obama Campaign, and all Americans, that such incidents of intolerance and disrespect will not be tolerated in the campaign just as they would not be tolerated in an Obama Administration.

To read ADC’s letter to Senator Obama, see: http://www.adc.org/PDF/obama.pdf