Politico.com reports that campaign volunteers from Barack Obama's presidential bid asked two women in Muslim headscarves to move out from behind the podium in two separate incidents at a recent rally in Detroit. The volunteers wanted to make sure the headscarves were not in television shots or photographs taken at the event. Given certain events throughout the globe, one volunteer told a Muslim woman that it wouldn't be good " 'for [Aref] to be seen on TV or associated with Obama.' " Aref was one of the women with a hijab.
In another incident, a Muslim woman was told that nobody with any head-coverings would be allowed behind the podium.
This, of course, is made all the more sticky due to the fact that the world's largest Middle Eastern population outside of the Middle East is in southeastern Michigan, where the rally was.
Of course, the campaign (not the candidate) has apoligized to the two women concerned. However, I believe the uproar, had this been the Republican campaign would be considerable. There would be calls to have the candidate replaced, frankly. But there has no such outcry against Obama yet. The volunteers responsible should at least be asked not to help anymore.
Obviously, McCain's campaign has discriminated some - one Hispanic supporter was asked to sit behind the candidate to add "diversity" to the backdrop - but had it been anything as flagrant as what has been done by the Illinois Senator's campaign, McCain would be dismissed as a bigot. Or at least a candidate who allows bigots to participate in important aspects of his campaign.
So will they light the stakes under Obama? No. He's a Democrat.
