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Journalism of Courage
At a campaign rally in Detroit on Monday, Shimaa Abdelfadeel and Hebba Aref were prevented by volunteers from taking seats behind Obama that would have been in view of television cameras, apparently because of their headscarves.
“I reached out to Ms Aref and Ms Abdelfadeel this afternoon,” Obama said in a statement. “I spoke with Abdelfadeel, and expressed my deepest apologies for the incident that occurred with volunteers at the event in Detroit.” Obama said the volunteers’ actions were “unacceptable and in no way reflect any policy of my campaign.”
“I take deepest offense to and will continue to fight against discrimination against people of any religious group or background,” he said.
Obama said Abdelfadeel had accepted his apology and he hoped that Aref would as well. The Detroit Free Press reported that Obama had left a phone message for Aref. His personal apology followed an earlier apology made to the women by his campaign staff.
Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged Jewish voters to denounce the whisper campaign that for months has pushed the false rumour that Barack Obama is a Muslim. Bloomberg warned a Jewish group in Boca Raton, Florida, on Friday that the attempt to portray Obama as a shadowy Muslim with a hidden agenda often targets Jewish voters online.
The deceptive campaign against Obama, who is Christian, “threatens to undo the enormous strides that Jews and Muslims have made together in this country”, the New York mayor said.
The lies are “cloaked in concern for Israel, but the real concern is about partisan politics”, said Bloomberg, who is Jewish. “This is wedge politics at its worst, and we’ve got to reject it — loudly, clearly and unequivocally.”
Bloomberg, a billionaire independent, had considered making his own run for the White House this year, but decided against it. He has said his endorsement and potential financial backing could still be up for grabs, and there has been occasional chatter about how he might make a good running mate for either Obama or Republican John McCain.
