Arab Americans criticize McCain remarks, disappointed with Obama

DEARBORN — The Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) released scathing criticisms of both Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain on Thursday in a statement that focused on comments made by McCain in response to a supporter who said she didn’t trust Obama because she believed “he’s an Arab.”

“Not surprisingly, campaign rallies for Senator McCain have taken on the hateful tone of his campaign advertisements,” said AAPAC President Osama Siblani in the release. “Audience members are picking up on McCain’s desperate attempts to discredit his opponent in any way possible, even to the point of questioning his motives for running, his patriotism, his friendships and his ethnic background. People at McCain rallies are openly calling for the murder of Senator Obama.”

Michigan Radio reporter Sarah Hulett interviews AAPAC President and The Arab American News Publisher Osama Siblani in Dearborn on Thursday after AAPAC released a statement deeply critical of both Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain for what the group called a long string of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim incidents that have sprung from both campaigns. PHOTO: Khalil AlHajal/TAAN

Siblani is also publisher of The Arab American News.
The release specifically condemned an incident in which a McCain supporter at a recent townhall meeting told the presidential candidate she didn’t trust Obama because “he is an Arab.”

“No ma’am. He’s a decent, family-man citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with… No, he’s not,” McCain said after quickly taking the microphone from the woman.

“Senator McCain apparently thinks Arabs could not be decent family men,” read the AAPAC release.

The group also said it was disappointed in Obama’s response to the comments.

“Senator Obama’s response was just as offensive. Instead of clarifying that being Arab is not mutually exclusive with being decent, Obama actually praised McCain for defending him,” the statement read.

“While such behavior is not new from Senator McCain’s campaign and some of his supporters, we are disappointed with Senator Obama,” said Siblani. “This is the most recent in a long string of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim incidents that have sprung from both campaigns. Arab Americans are a significant voting bloc in Michigan and in other critical swing states in the upcoming election. Senator Obama would be foolhardy to take that vote for granted.”

University of Michigan history professor and influential blogger on Middle East issues, Juan Cole’ also took issue with the implied divide between Arab ethnicity and “decency,” in his blog Informed Comment.

“McCain should have said, ‘there would be nothing wrong with being an Arab, but Obama is not.’ The way he put it strongly implied that he had a low opinion of Arabs,” said Cole.

“Ralph Nader, one of McCain’s rivals for the presidency, is an Arab American, and McCain owes Mr. Nader and all Arab Americans, indeed, all Americans, a huge apology.”

The AAPAC statement was released a week after the group decided, for the first time, not to endorse a candidate in the presidential election.

The group’s bylaws prevent it from endorsing any candidate without a written request from a campaign asking for AAPAC’s support.

Siblani said the group made the rule to protect it from having its endorsements rejected because of bigotry.

“We will only give our vote to candidates who respect our community, who serve and unify our nation. Those who divide us and disrespect our community don’t deserve our vote,” Siblani said.

AAPAC endorsed Democrat John Kerry in 2004 and Republican George W. Bush in 2000.

The Obama campaign has not commented on not requesting AAPAC’s endorsement, and neither has the McCain campaign.

But Obama’s campaign did send an email addressing charges of insensitivity, pointing out an instance in which Obama defended Muslims — before having to deny rumors of his being an Arab, too — during an interview in July on CNN’s Larry King Live.

“Hey, all you can do is just tell the truth and trust in the American people that, over time, they’re going to know what the truth is,” Obama said on the program. “One last point I want to —I do want to make about these e-mails, though… You know, this is actually an insult against Muslim Americans, something that we don’t spend a lot of time talking about. And sometimes I’ve been derelict in pointing that out. You know, there are wonderful Muslim Americans all across the country who are doing wonderful things. And for this to be used as sort of an insult or to raise suspicions about me I think is unfortunate. And it’s not what America is all about.”

AAPAC is scheduled to hold its eleventh annual dinner, which the group calls the largest Arab American political gala in the state, on Friday, Oct. 24 in Dearborn.

“While the country is facing its most serious financial crisis in recent times, losing wars and suffering a deteriorating public image abroad, the campaign tactics of the two major presidential candidates have sunk to a new low,” the AAPAC statement went on.

“It is time that the voices of moderation and tolerance ring out and rise above the drumbeats of hate,” the AAPAC statement said.