Today, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) sent a letter to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama regarding two separate troubling incidents that occurred in Detroit, Michigan.  Michigan is home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in our nation and ADC is the largest civil rights organization working on behalf of the Arab-American community

On Monday, Obama campaign workers and volunteers barred two Muslim women from sitting behind the podium because they did not want the women's hijabs (headscarves) from appearing in photographs or on television with Senator Obama. One of the women was told she could be behind the podium only if she removed her religious head covering.  See story in the Politico at:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/11168.html

In the letter to Senator Obama, ADC President Hon. Mary Rose Oakar and ADC National Executive Director Kareem Shora asked the Senator to take the leadership in addressing this troubling issue and to personally send the message to everyone associated with the Obama Campaign, and all Americans, that such incidents of intolerance and disrespect will not be tolerated in the campaign just as they would not be tolerated in an Obama Administration.  To read ADC’s letter to Senator Obama, see: http://www.adc.org/PDF/obama.pdf

Obama campaign issues apology after head scarf controversy

(CNN) — An Arab-American civil rights group sent a letter to Barack Obama asking him to personally respond to reports Wednesday that two women were denied the opportunity to stand behind the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee on stage at a campaign event because they were wearing traditional Muslim head scarves.

The Washington-based Politico newspaper reported Wednesday that Obama campaign volunteers refused to allow two women attending a rally in Michigan Monday the chance to stand behind the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. The paper said one woman was asked to remove her head scarf, and cited political considerations in keeping the other from joining Obama on stage.

The Obama campaign moved quickly Wednesday to defuse the situation by stating the incidents did not reflect campaign policy. "It is offensive and counter to Obama's commitment to bring Americans together and simply not the kind of campaign we run. We sincerely apologize for this behavior," said spokesman Bill Burton, in a statement sent to reporters Wednesday afternoon

The e-mail also contained photos of women in Muslim head scarves attending Obama rallies and standing behind the candidate on stage.

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