
I haven't read the book, but came across this article about it. Is this a conservative distortion of words? What is your take on the book/this article?
http://www.americanconservativedaily.com/2008/03/muslim-obama-says-in-his-book-he%E2%80%99s-on-the-side-of-muslims/ |
The article is complete drivel. First of all, the title of Obama's book is "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream ", not "Audacity". You should immediately doubt a reviewer who can't even get a book's title correct.
Swank then goes on to discuss this from Obama's book: “In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans … have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging,” he laments. “I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.” Swank claims that this means that Obama "will side with the Muslims". However, Swank distorts the meaning of what Obama actually wrote. Here is the full quote: “In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans, for example, have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging. They have been reminded that the history of immigration in this country has a dark underbelly: they need specific assurances that their citizenship really means something, that America has learned the right lessons from the Japanese internments during WWII, and that I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.” Obama is saying that Arab and Pakistani Americans needed assurances that he would stand with them in the case that they are singled out for punishment in the manner of Japanese Americans during WWII. Anyone who had any interactions at all with Arab and Muslim Americans following 9/11 would understand exactly what he is saying. The idea of ethnically profiling Arabs was widely discussed. Mosques were attacked and defaced, people thought to be Arab or Muslim (often wrongly in the case of turban-wearing Sikhs), were attacked and even killed. The period between now and the election is going to bring out the worst of the right wing. They have nothing left but lies and hatred. The distortion of words is only the least of what you can expect from them. |