The most important thing Colin Powell said: Is there something wrong with being Muslim?
by Southerngirl

I was very happy to see Collin Powell endorse Barack Obama on Sunday.  He was articulate and reasoned in making his case for Sen. Obama.  I am grateful for that but I think the most important part for me was when he talked about the tone of the campaigns and he said:

I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim; he's a Christian.  He's always been a Christian.

But the really right answer is, "What if he is?"  Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America.  Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president?  Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, "He's a Muslim and he might be associated [with] terrorists." This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine.  It was a photo essay about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.  And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave.  And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone.  And it gave his awards—Purple Heart, Bronze Star—showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death.  He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross, it didn't have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith.  And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American.

He was born in New Jersey.  He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life.  Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourself in this way.  And John McCain is as nondiscriminatory as anyone I know.  But I'm troubled about the fact that, within the party, we have these kinds of expressions.

 Here is the picture he was refering to.  1000 words indeed!

As an American I cry when I see the dates on these fallen soldier's headstones.  I know that we refer to them as young men and they are but to us mothers they are babies.  As a mother I cried when I saw this picture my heart aches for her.  For me it makes this war and all this divisivness personal. This baby was only a few years older than one of my sons.  This Muslim and all like him belong to us all.  This baby went out to fight for all those freedoms we hold dear.  I hope the next time someone associates Muslim with anti-American they think of this picture.

Great job Mr. Powell.

Submitted by Southerngirl (view blog) on Mon, 10/20/2008 - 14:34

Comments

 

Colin Powell's speech...

I have to say that listening to Colin Powell on Meet the Press was one of the highlights of this election, for me.

I understand his position. I respect him for it. I respect the way he presented his points and his concerns.

I have expected General Powell to make this announcement for several weeks, I did not expect him to do it with quite this much class. He exceeded my expectations, completely.

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

Submitted by Denise on Mon, 10/20/2008 - 15:42
 

Exceeded Mine too

Gen Powell exceeded my expectations too.  It seemed to have been a decision he did not come to lightly and for that I respect him.  He could have just stayed away and let others speculate.  This certainaly was not something I expected him to touch on at all.  I was very happy to hear him address it. 

Michelle

I blog at http://www.mommycan.blogspot.com/

Submitted by Southerngirl on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 09:32
 

Too Bad Powell Isn't Running for President

I too found thoughtful and profound Colin Powell's discussion on Meet the Press about why he was breaking rank with the Republican party and endorsing Obama a Democrat instead of McCain a fellow Republican. Powell spoke like a seasoned, elder statesman with many years of experience at his disposal. I wasn't surprised at all by the way he laid out his reasoning and handled himself before the camera. Many across the country were waiting to see who Powell would endorse precisely because they knew he would rise above politics and decide on the basis of core values,  sharp insights, and years of experience. Among his peers in government, the military, and public life, Powell is in a class of his own. Always has been.

Read Renita's Blog Since She Spends Way More Time on It Than She Should: http://www.somethingwithin.com/blog.

Submitted by weemsrj on Mon, 10/20/2008 - 16:40
 

President Powell

President Powell does have a nice ring to it.  He is a republican this life long democrat would have gladly voted for.  But Mrs Powell has other ideas.  She has said she spent enough time alone while he was in the service.  She said it is her turn now and First Lady was not on her to do list for retirement.  That I can really respect. 

Michelle

I blog at http://www.mommycan.blogspot.com/

Submitted by Southerngirl on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 09:47
 

I'm Glad You Showed The Picture

I hadn't seen it before and I think it's very important for every American to see.

Megan

Megan Smith

BlogHer CE, TV/Online Video

My Personal Blog: Megan's Minute

Submitted by Megan Smith on Mon, 10/20/2008 - 17:46
 

Thank You

Thak you Megan.  I felt it was important for it to be seen as well.  As a small town girl I make it my business to seek out peole who are different for conversations and friendships.  When the email about Obama came out I asked the same question.  What if he was?  No-one could expalin to me why being Muslim was so bad. I find myself yelling it at the TV or computer everytime I see it mentioned.  So when I heard this from Collin Powell I was jumping up yelling and still trying to dress for church.  It just solidified my children's veiw of me as a crazy woman.

Michelle

I blog at http://www.mommycan.blogspot.com/

Submitted by Southerngirl on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 09:58
 

I'm glad that General Powell

I'm glad that General Powell said that because maybe that will inspire people to quit being so prejudiced against Muslim Americans.  I have gotten into many an argument over Muslims with people, both online and off, and it amazes me that people honestly believe that there is something wrong with Islam.  Then, to prove the point, they try to stick Obama with actual Muslim Americans as if that would automatically make everyone go, "Oh, so he's with them?  Then he sucks."  It's just blatantly xenophobic. 

Janet + http://fuzzypinkslippers.com = love

http://urban-sunrise.net - a blog for 18-35 year olds

Submitted by Janers0217 on Tue, 10/21/2008 - 13:08
 

I hear you

I hear you Janet.  This though is one area where I am a little ticked at Obama.  I know he has had to deal with trying to correct bogus information about him.  But I also think he passed up a great opportunity to speak to this un-American crap.  This patriotism test that people seem to be putting him and others through.  I loved his speech on race but I think he could have done a little more to address the intolerance going on in the campaign. 

Michelle

I blog at http://www.mommycan.blogspot.com/

Submitted by Southerngirl on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 10:26
 

Picture's worth a thousand words

I'm with Megan, it's good that you included that picture.  Painting all Muslims as un-American reminds me of how some Republicans tried to make it seemt that African-Americans cannot question the treatment of people of color in America and yet be patriots, and so by extension portray all African-Americans as unAmerican.  Have you heard about Rush Limbaugh's latest nonsense, that African-Americans are invovled in a 30-year plot to raise their children to hate America?

Recently I posted America's Dark Night of Soul here at BlogHer and mentioned Powell and a journalist who said Powell was voice the concerns of many Republicans.  I'd add many Americans too, at least I hope so.

This whole guilt by association thing that the McCain Campaign's doing is reprehensible, but even more reprehensible is the rhetoric that spins Muslim=terrorist.  And yet they claim to believe in God and religious freedom for this country.  

Powell got to the kernel of it--wha't wrong with being a Muslim? While some people give lipservice to religious freedom, they actually don't want religious freedom for all at all.  He shone a light on the "otherness" campaign message from McCain.

Nordette is a Contributing Editor with BlogHer.com whose personal blog is hosted on another site at this link.

Submitted by Nordette on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 10:00
 

Otherness

You nailed the whole mess with that one word.  Otherness.  We are all differnt even from those we love and that is the beauty of America.  I heard that mess Rush said and I don't know how he has such a following but he does.  As one person said to me recently the reality of equal rights is that people like him get to have their opinions too. 

I have spoken with people who are angry at the republican party for the mess they have allowed this election cycle and in the past.  For most of these people this year has been the worst.  I think when it wasa 2 white guys going at each other the tone was different but when you get these things said about a guy of color then it brings a mirror to the crap that has been there all along.

Michelle

I blog at http://www.mommycan.blogspot.com/

Submitted by Southerngirl on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 10:42
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