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February 10, 2012
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David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
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Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
June 23, 2008
/ 20 Sivan 5768
Who's afraid of a headscarf?
By
Mitch Albom
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
With all the problems facing this country, the issue of "who sits where" shouldn't rank very high.
But last week it did, after two Muslim women were denied seats behind Barack Obama at his rally at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena, seats that would have placed them in full view of the TV cameras broadcasting his speech.
The women were moved away, they said, because they wore a hijab, the traditional Muslim headscarf. That image, volunteers told them, was politically sensitive for Obama.
As so the women were moved. And they complained. And it became a big story. And they demanded an apology. And the campaign apologized. But they demanded a personal apology from the candidate.
And so Obama, who seems to suffer the unique affliction of too many people wanting to support him Muslims, Louis Farrakhan, Rev. Jeremiah Wright called and offered apologies from his own mouth.
All because of two scarves.
You'd like to say this kind of thing would never have happened with Abe Lincoln or Franklin Roosevelt, and you'd be right but not because they were finer candidates than Obama. Rather because they didn't have to deal with television.
Today, image is everything. B-roll is everything. Think how many times you saw Bill Clinton hugging Monica Lewinsky, an image used to drive home his inappropriate relationship with her. Think how many times you saw that photo of Donald Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam Hussein in 1983, and how it was used to dilute Rumsfeld's case against the dictator.
You can say it shouldn't matter. But in a nation where we would rather make up our minds off a quick glimpse, "Who's In The Picture?" makes a big difference.
MANIPULATING THE MEDIA
Personally, I was not surprised those women were asked to move I'm just surprised the askers were honest about it. Politicians have been manipulating photos since the first tray of developer was tilted. Do you really think candidates love kissing babies? Do you really think JFK regularly played football on the beach? Do you really think George Bush lands on aircraft carriers wearing a bomber jacket?
This business of molding the image is as old as TV itself and has become more significant in the age of high-def. Whatever demographic a politician is trying to appeal to, you can bet that demographic will be represented in the frame.
What I'd like to know is who gave the Obama volunteers their instructions to move the Muslim women? That seems an awfully bold decision for a couple of campaign workers to make on their own, doesn't it?
As of publication, no one has come forth and admitted giving the orders. The volunteers are being blamed for their own poor judgment. Maybe that's the truth. Or maybe they're being sacrificed to keep fingers from pointing closer to Obama.
IMAGES OF OLD IGNORANCE
In any case, someone in Obama's world is to blame for insensitivity here. But others are at fault as well. Namely, those who would have used those images had the women been seated. There are people out there who want nothing more than to paint Obama as some terrorist sympathizer, who point to his middle name Hussein and hiss it through clenched teeth.
These are people who likely would have used such an image in a subtly negative way, maybe some TV campaign, tight on Obama and the hijab-clad women, with a suggestive voice underneath ("When Obama speaks, who's really listening?").
The fact is, there is a knee-jerk distrust of Islam in America today that has a parallel in the anti-Japanese fervor of World War II or the anti-Communism fever during the 1950s. That kind of fear sparks foolish and regrettable history. There are plenty in this country who would see those two Muslim women behind Obama and tell themselves, "If those people are for him, I'm against him."
And that's a shame. If Obama is smart, he will try to frame this as, "Hey, if my biggest problem is that all types of people want to support me, I'm not doing badly." Whether others will buy it is another story. As always, it depends who is in the picture, and who is looking at it.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
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