Islamophobia Has No Place in the Presidential Election

Article Extracted from Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) Website

December 31, 2007

The latest comments from the New Hampshire co-chairman for Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani's veterans' coalition in which the volunteer stated that Muslims should be chased "back to their caves" is highly offensive and perpetuates sentiments of religious intolerance displayed by many Republican contenders this election cycle.

"Mr. Deady's statement is damaging to the Muslim American community and is symptomatic of a culture that continues to treat Muslims as suspects and not as equal citizens in this country," said MPAC Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati. "Moreover, that this comment emerged from a presidential campaign is greatly troubling during an election season in which Muslim Americans have been kept at arm's length from the presidential candidates, no doubt affecting their right to engage their public officials."

In an interview with The Guardian, John Deady, co-chairman for New Hampshire's Veterans for Rudy, stated that Giuliani has "the knowledge and judgment to attack one of the most difficult problems in current history. And that is the rise of the Muslims. And make no mistake about it, this hasn't happened for a thousand years...we need to keep the feet to the fire and keep pressing these people 'til we defeat them or chase them back to their caves, or in other words, get rid of them."

After Giuliani faced questions on December 28 about the comments made by Mr. Deady at a Manchester, NH house party, Mr. Deady has since resigned. MPAC condemns this and all incidents of Islamophobia and insists that presidential candidates, including individuals acting on their behalf, to be mindful of inappropriate language that serves to alienate segments of the American population.

Mr. Deady's statement is one of many from the Republican Party this election cycle that reveal apprehension about Muslim Americans' engagement in civic and public life. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) suggested that the United States should bomb the holy sites of Mecca and Medina to "send a message to the terrorists." In October, John McCain (R-AZ) told BeliefNet.com that he would be "uncomfortable" with the prospect of a Muslim in the White House. Earlier in September, and also from the Giuliani campaign, political advisor Peter King (R-NY) stated that "unfortunately, there are too many mosques" in the United States and accused Muslims of not cooperating with law enforcement. Last month, Mitt Romney ruled out the possibility of a Muslim serving in a Cabinet level position.

MPAC urges candidates to put an end to Islamophobia in the U.S. presidential election. Candidates must instead reach out constructively to the Muslim American community, soliciting their participation at all levels in the election and joining them to fend off hateful sentiments that serve only to demonize Muslims and perpetuate differences between Americans.