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"Yesterday, many of you posted comments to my blog saying that I should consider becoming a Democrat or Independent as my Muslim heritage would be better respected there. In a pure coincidence, two of my fellow Muslim sisters (not related by blood but by our faith) were dissed by the Obama campaign. In two separate incidents at the same Detroit event, two Muslim women wearing hijab were not permitted to sit behind Obama at the rally, although other members of their respective groups were invited to sit. I know what you are all going to say&amp;amp;#8212;that Obama has no other choice, that he has to fight this Muslim label being used to hurt him. While I understand, I do disagree. I think Obama does have another choice. As I have urged before on this blog, Obama has the eloquence to tackle Islamophobia in a thoughtful way, perhaps with a major speech and with rows of women in hijab standing all around him. But his campaign is instead actively feeding the Islamophobia&amp;amp;#8212;first, by having staffers who are not trained on the issue (a major oversight, in my opinion, considering the large population of American Muslims in Detroit), but also by the fact that the Obama campaign is trying to manufacture an image of Obama&amp;#x27;s supporters. Not to mention Obama&amp;#x27;s continual denials of being Muslim. It&amp;#x27;s getting up there with &amp;amp;quot;I am not a crook.&amp;amp;quot; Until Obama acknowledges his Muslim heritage, the rumors will persist. It&amp;#x27;s time for Obama to finally be the candidate who transcends this baloney, rather than say he is the candidate who will. I know he can do it because he does it all the time on other issues, and I would love it if he would. I am so proud of my Muslim sisters, who handled the situatation with grace, and in particular, Hebba Aref, for telling the Obama Campaign, after their generic apology, that she wanted a personal apology from Obama and a front row seat at the next rally. As many of you suggested yesterday in your comments, things are not going to change until, like Hebba, we start fighting for the change ourselves. &amp;amp;#8212;Asma"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/blogs/glamocracy/2008/06/between-a-hijab-and-a-hard-pla>