Fundamentals of Interactive Journalism

Barack Obama faced harsh criticism because his middle name is Hussein, and people assumed that he could secretly be a Muslim with ties to terrorists, even though he is Christian.

Like Obama, my name would never provide any hints that I was born in the Republic of Panama and I was baptized as a Catholic. My mother’s friend named Mualam Weiz Al-Muslim, who had converted into a Muslim, legally recognized me as his daughter and I acquired his last name, which means “the Muslim.” My first name, which means “alive” in Arabic and was the name of Prophet Muhammad’s third wife, was chosen by another friend of my mother who was also a Muslim.

The allegations about Obama sparked my interest about the Muslim vote during this presidential election. I visited the Islamic Cultural Center of New York located 96 Street and Third Avenue to interview mosque goers about their vote for president on Election Day.

During my visit, I knew that as I introduced myself they would assume that I am Muslim too. I felt that by telling them my name, it would make them feel more comfortable because they thought I was one of them. Still, I made sure that I explained that I was not Muslim. I didn’t feel comfortable misleading anyone into thinking I was Muslim. Although I made it clear that I was very proud of my name.

Senegalese Rougui Sall sat outside the entrance of the mosque wearing a headdress as she tried to sell CD’s and DVD’s of verses from the Quran. As I approached a yellow taxi driver to interview him, I shook his hand. Sall yelled that I should not shake his hand because according to Islamic law men and women shouldn’t touch unless it is a family member. Her comment automatically made me become more careful as I spoke to Muslim men.

When I entered the mosque, I walked into the main office to ask for a headscarf to assure that I would not be disrespecting their religious belief by not covering my hair.

Unlike many non-Muslims that think Muslim women are oppressed because they wear veils or burqas, I understand that for many Muslim women living in America it is their choice to continue to wear traditional Islamic clothing.

Colin Powell, Ben Affleck, Campbell Brown Reject Use of Arab/Muslim as Slur

By Rima Abdelkader

Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell demonstrated on Sunday that he too can be a maverick.  The moderate Republican not only endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for president, but also expressed his dismay with what he called an unwarranted connection with “some kind of terrorist feelings” and the Illinois senator by John McCain’s campaign.  He, like CNN’s Campbell Brown and Hollywood actor Ben Affleck recently, set the record straight about Obama’s background.  He is not an Arab nor a Muslim, but so what if he was?

“Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?” Powell rhetorically asked on Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press (see minute 4:28).  “The answer’s no, that’s not America.” 

Hollywood actor Ben Affleck expressed a similar sentiment on Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday (see minute 5:16). 

Affleck referred back to McCain’s response to a woman at one of his rallies who said she did not trust his opponent because he was allegedly an Arab.  “He’s a decent family man that I happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues,” McCain told her.

“What if somebody said to you, “I heard that he was a Jew?” and I said, “No, he is not a Jew, he’s alright?”” Affleck asked Maher’s audience, which laughed after quickly catching on to his demonstrated absurdity of the question.  Affleck gave another example using Catholic.

“Arab and good person are not antithetical to one another,” Affleck emphasized, drawing applause.

“This prejudice that we have allowed to fester in this campaign, where we have allowed this idea—denying the fact that Obama who yes is not an Arab nor is he a Muslim—but, we have allowed that to turn into the acceptance of both of those things as a legitimate slur is really a problem,” he told Maher, “These are not slurs.  They are categories of human being.  They are not slurs of people and no one in the media stood up and said that.”

But, CNN’s Campbell Brown did so this past week on 13 October on her show.  While commending McCain for correcting his supporter, Brown rhetorically asked, “So what if he was?”

“We can’t tolerate this ignorance, not in the media, not on the campaign trail.  Of course he’s not an Arab.  Of course he’s not a Muslim, but, honestly, it shouldn’t matter,” Campbell told her viewers.

Powell agreed before giving a poignant story of a Muslim American from New Jersey who gave up his life to serve in Iraq for 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.”

Many American citizens, including Arab Americans and Muslim Americans, I spoke to were relieved to hear these public figures reject the use of one’s religion or background as a slur, but some were displeased with the timing of the repudiation with the election just two weeks away.

What do you think?  Should there have been repudiation from the start?  If so, why?  If not, why not?