ADC Denounces Al-Qaeda vile and racist attacks against President-Elect Obama

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) today denounced the racist comments made by Al-Qaeda second in command, Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahri, about President-Elect Barack Obama.  Al-Zawahri, among other things, called the President-Elect a "house slave" and attacked him for denying his father's Muslim heritage.  The Muslim and Arab communities here and abroad reacted with shame to such vile language.  Al-Zawahiri’s message perpetuates division between civilizations by attacking a man who has pledged to bring people together. While proporting to speak as a “Muslim scholar,” Al-Zawaihiri does a great disservice to Islam, a religion which has welcomed members of all races and ethnicities since its inception.

ADC National Executive Director Kareem Shora said, "As we've always stated, these people do not speak for Islam, they do not speak on behalf of Arabs, and they are not representative of our community.  Al-Qaeda remains a fringe element in the Arab and Muslim world and we hope that President-Elect Obama will work with all communities to address legitimate grievances, vanquish extremist elements like Al-Qaeda, and bring people together. As His Majesty King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia said in a recent speech at the United Nations ‘We say today with a single voice that religions through which Almighty God sought to bring happiness to mankind should not be turned into instruments to cause misery....Human beings are created equals and partners on this planet.’  It is these voices of tolerance and unity which we must adhere to from the Arab and Muslim world and not the banter of malicious extremists.”

MPAC Condemns Al-Zawahri's Racist Comments About Obama  

(Washington, DC - 11/19/08) -- The Muslim Public Affairs Council today condemned the despicable racist comments released today by Al-Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri about President-Elect Barack Obama on a video message.

MPAC deplores Al-Zarahwi's exploitation of religion and race in his derogatory remarks against Obama, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. In the video, Al-Zawahri is heard calling Obama a "house negro" who is "the direct opposite of honorable black Americans" like Malcolm X.

"Malcolm X would roll over in his grave at the way his name and his words have been abused by Al-Qaeda," said MPAC Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati. "Al-Zawahri and his fellow Al-Qaeda thugs do not speak for Muslims, who have celebrated around the world at the election of Barack Obama."

Al-Marayati added, "To Al-Qaeda, we say clearly: Stop using our name as Muslims and our religion to spread your suicidal, hateful and un-Islamic propaganda. We condemn you, your terrorist actions and everything that you stand for. Islam serves as a unifying force bringing people of diverse backgrounds together, and we are committed to working with the Muslim majority who seek to work constructively to confront the problems being faced by our country and around the world."

The insult directed toward former Secretary Powell is also particularly offensive given his recent groundbreaking recognition of the role of Muslim Americans. Powell has helped to defend the name of Islam and Muslims, while Al-Zawahri and his ilk have only succeeded in smearing the name of Islam for their political gains and exploiting grievances of the Muslim masses to drive a wedge between racial and religious groups in America.

As it has done so since before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, MPAC clearly and unequivocally condemns Al-Qaeda and all other terrorist groups for their terrorist actions and their vile distortions of Islamic teachings to serve their criminal aims.

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