![]() ![]() Those to AIPAC’s right are even worse, and their followers among Republicans are legion: the Zionist Organization of America, along with Gaffney’s group, helped organize the anti-diplomacy rally attended last week by Cruz and Donald Trump. In its tens-of-millions-dollars campaign to beat the nuke deal in Congress, AIPAC didn’t hesitate to call on “experts” with ties to the Islamophobic fringes. And they draw on the bevy of anti-Muslim bigots when it suits their purpose: for years, the flagship Israel lobby AIPAC-a major opponent of the Iran deal-invited Steve Emerson to speak at its annual conferences, until the embarrassment of Emerson’s serial errors became too great to bear. The leaders of an pro-Israel groups traffic in this messaging-sometimes in softer forms, as the former head of the ostensibly anti-bigotry group, the Anti-Defamation League, did a few years ago. One would be shading their eyes from reality if they failed to recognize the growing anti-Muslim animus among right-wing pro-Israel forces, extending even to mainstream groups. Obama’s most notable foreign policy achievement of late is his nuclear deal with Iran, and many of the opponents of the diplomatic accord are steeped in the sort of anti-Muslim invective that has grown all too commonplace at the highest level of office. Such a message would-and forgive my cynicism-be politically useful at this moment as well. It is past time to name names: Obama should call out the GOP candidates, Frank Gaffney, and the rest of America’s most influential Islam-haters. The message isn’t, for once, “We are not at war with Islam” rather, Obama should declare, We are at war with anti-Muslim bigots. And the president should use the occasion to speak frankly on anti-Muslim bigotry. This would be the real way to stand with Ahmed: in his home, in his place of worship. After Mohamed’s arrest, the Twitter hashtag #IStandWithAhmed began to trend, before going completely viral. It would have the benefit of coming in the wake of an incident of anti-Muslim bigotry, rather than an incident of Muslim terrorism. In Irving, on Mayor Beth Van Duyne’s home turf, this would send a powerful message. Obama should announce that, in addition to inviting Mohamed to Washington-who would deny the kid a chance to attend NASA’s Astronomy Night at the White House?-he’s taking a trip to Texas to visit the family’s mosque. Bush remain the only sitting American presidents to have visited an American mosque despite the pleas of leaders from the American Muslim community, Obama hasn’t ventured into a Muslim house of worship in the U.S. Want to bring it to the White House?” The invitation is a nice gesture-Mohamed accepted-but it does not go far enough. After Ahmed Mohamed’s clock ordeal, President Obama tweeted, “Cool clock, Ahmed. Obama has raised the notion, at the United Nations, among other places, that the U.S. But too few of our intellectual and political leaders-even President Obama-consistently and directly take on the bigotries of the right. But what can American liberals do? We have belatedly come to recognize this scourge the time of tolerating the Marty Peretzes of the world among our own ranks has more or less passed. Have you seen any prominent media reports about GOP presidential candidates kowtowing to Gaffney? Me neither. That Gaffney’s group-and its many allies on the American right-have not been deemed persona non grata in polite company speaks volumes about how far, as a society, we have to go. She became a hit with Gaffney, appearing numerous times on the notorious birther’s radio show and eliciting defenses from his websites. In response to her own misinterpretation of a private group that performs arbitration on civil matters-a misunderstanding no doubt fueled by right-wing media-Van Duyne launched an asinine campaign against Sharia, or Islamic law. Likewise, Mohamed’s mayor, Beth Van Duyne of Irving, has long recited the chapter and verse of anti-Muslim bigotry. Mohamed’s own senator, Ted Cruz, a GOP presidential hopeful, appeared at a rally last week against the Iran nuclear deal organized by one of America’s leading anti-Islam activists, Frank Gaffney. The apathy has allowed hate to creep into the mainstream of politics. And despite its having proportionally the fifth-most Muslim residents by state, anti-Muslim sentiment flourishes in Texas. For too long, anti-Muslim bigotry has gone unremarked upon by too many Americans. ![]()
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