The New Yorker's Obama Cover: Fanning the Fire [of bigotry]

ABC News ^ | July 15, 2008 | Eboo Patel

[Zakeet]

The New Yorker Cover Is More Offensive Than Dangerous, as It Cements Prevailing Negative Stereotypes

My wife called as I was staring at the cover of this week's New Yorker, trying to decide whether the depiction of Barack Obama dressed in traditional Muslim garb giving his machine-gun-toting wife a fist tap in the Oval Office was "tasteless and offensive" (as both the Obama and McCain camps stated) or mere humorous satire.

I am a loyal New Yorker reader and not easily offended, but something she said gave me pause.

Driving through central Illinois on a business trip, my wife could not believe what she was hearing on right-wing radio talk shows:

"Do you know what they're saying about Muslims on the station I'm listening to now?" she asked. "Basically, that we're a bunch of fundamentalists intent on suffocating people of other religions, and the only way to stop us is to get us all to convert to Christianity."

And that is what concerns me: The New Yorker cover is not so much offensive as it is dangerous, precisely because of the prevalence of negative stereotypes of Muslims (not to mention the resurrection of the ghost of black militancy), stereotypes now further cemented in much of America.

As the progressive Huffington Post blog said: "Anyone who's tried to paint Obama as a Muslim, anyone who's tried to portray Michelle as angry or a secret revolutionary out to get Whitey, anyone who has questioned their patriotism -- well, here's your image."

[Snip]

This fear is ... nearly every [radio] show brings callers who ask me why Islam is such an inherently violent religion.

[SJackson]

Driving through central Illinois on a business trip, my wife could not believe what she was hearing on right-wing radio talk shows:

"Do you know what they're saying about Muslims on the station I'm listening to now?" she asked. "Basically, that we're a bunch of fundamentalists intent on suffocating people of other religions, and the only way to stop us is to get us all to convert to Christianity."

Hate to break it to you Eboo, but the probability is that your wife is a liar. You do have your share of fundamentalists amongst you though, your condemnation of them is noted. As is your sensitivity to cartoons.

[SJackson]

Obama is so sensitive to any kind of criticism. You can't mention his record. You can't mention his previous associations. You can't talk about his lack of experience or qualifications. You can't mention his leftist or communist past. You can't talk about his wife's hatred of this country. You can't even say his middle name. Unless you blindly accept Obama and never question him you will be called a racist.

If I were running for public office based on his experience and with his previous associations, I'd CHANGE the subject and HOPE it worked too.

[3AngelaD]

I hope you emailed that list to the writer of this prolonged whine.

[wilco200]

“I bet this is going to be their best-selling issue, ever!”

Could be. I went to buy a copy yesterday and got the last one. I’m hoping the outrage builds to the point where The New Yorker pulls the issue — could be an Ebay jackpot.

[Spok]

“This fear is ... nearly every [radio] show brings callers who ask me why Islam is such an inherently violent religion.”

Because Christians do not embrace same sex marriage, abortion or homosexuality, the left and the MSM have branded it as hateful, violent and oppressive. If there is a precedent for anti-religious animus, it was established by the left. (Never mind that the Muslim conduct that has given rise to the stereotyping was mass murder, public beheadings and genocidal racial hatred.)

[weegee]

"Do you know what they're saying about Muslims on the station I'm listening to now?" she asked. "Basically, that we're a bunch of fundamentalists intent on suffocating people of other religions, and the only way to stop us is to get us all to convert to Christianity."

Ann Coulter is the only one appearing on right wing talk programs (tv and radio) whom I've ever heard say "convert them all to Christianity". And she has been rebuffed for that comment.

However, but but but. I will tell this man's wife that Islam DOES suffocate and oppress the religious expressions of those of other faiths. Look at the capital city and nation of the Islamic empire. There is a standing death penalty for any non-muslim who enters the cities of Mecca and Medina. There is no tolerance for the practice or religious materials of any faith other than Islam in Saudi Arabia. Muslism are prohibited by law (and under penalty of death) in some nations from converting away from Islam. Those who attempt to convert a muslim from Islam are also served punishment. In Islamic nations like Saudi Arabia there is discrimination under the law against non-muslims; the kufir have fewer rights and protections.

Muslims are trying to establish courts of Islamic law in the West in England and even Michigan where they may settled their legal disputes in a separate but equal system they seek to establish.

When they decide to stop lying to the kufir and denounce these discriminatory and unequal practices of Islamic tyranny and theocratic rule, perhaps then I may believe that the so called moderates really do oppose theocratic rule and discrimination of kufir.

[weegee]

It is a weekly publication. The new issue should be out soon.

[muawiyah]

Moslem countries will have to open themselves up to religious freedom, including Christian missionaries, if they are to ever get over the image that they are fanatically intolerant of other religions.

Just part of the problem of being Moslem.

[weegee]

Every serious presidential candidate always has and always will be the subject of unflattering cartoons.

The media largely ignored/silenced criticism of this cartoon from LA Weekly...

[iopscusa]

I mailed the list ot TERROR ATTACKS for 2004 to ABC....bet they will not post it!

[massgopguy]

I’ve got to dig out my MAD Magazine “Election” issues from the 1970’s.

[popdonnelly]

These people are a bunch of petulant children. The problem is that petulant children always insist on having their way.

Yes, there are dangerous Muslim terrorists in the World. That is a fact. Political correctness does not make facts go away.

[Piquaboy]

yeah right! I believe everything that jackass says.

[Kirkwood]

“Driving through central Illinois on a business trip, my wife could not believe what she was hearing on right-wing radio talk shows: “

Translation: All you lazy white people living out there in the sticks are just a bunch of racists.

[detective]

“45 percent of Americans said Islam encourages violence.”

How can the other 55% be so clueless as to what is really going on in the world today. I would guess that the vast majority of the 55% are Democrats.

[detective]

“If I were running for public office based on his experience and with his previous associations, I'd CHANGE the subject and HOPE it worked too.”

He not only changes the subject, he changes his position every ten minutes and is on at least two sides of every current issue. I guess that's what Obama means when he says he's the candidate of change.

[detective]

In addition to that his own brother says Obama is a Muslim.

[detective]

“There is a well-organized campaign under way to brand Barack Obama an extremist.”

Obama is an extremist. There is an organized campaign by the Democrats and the MSM to create a fictionalized version of Obama. They cover up his record, his history of radical leftism and communism, his past associations etc. Anyone who tells the truth about Obama is labeled a racist.

[detective]

Thanks for the excellent list. Can you post a link to where it can be accessed?

[epow]

Unless you blindly accept Obama and never question him you will be called a racist.

They can call me a racist or anything they like until the cows come home and I will still say the same thing about Barrak Hussein Obama, he's no more a Christian than I am a Muslim. A real Christian wouldn't vote to allow babies to be legally murdered as they are being born, but a real Muslims would throw the first stone at a prepubescent girl who was impregnated by forcible rape. As far as I know Obama has never participated in a stoning, but he has voted to allow full term healthy babies to be murdered while in the process of being born. And I believe that in God's eyes that vote was just as devilishly evil as a vote to allow the stoning of innocent girls for crimes they didn't commit.

I'm not saying that Obama is still a Muslim in his heart, only he and God know the the truth about that. But I am saying that he's a masterful con artist and a crass political opportunist who will say, claim, or do anything that he thinks will help him achieve his political goal. If the American people choose Obama as their president they will live to regret it. But by that time it will be too late to correct the mistake, and America's fate in this critical time of war with militant Islam will be in the hands of President Obama backed up by a radically liberal Democrat Congressional majority.

God help us if that nightmare scenario becomes reality, but I'm not at all sure that He will after we have renounced our nation's Judeo-Christian heritage in virtually every aspect of public life for the past half century or more. Nations and individuals reap what they sow, and we as a nation have sown to the winds of Godless humanism and materialism ever since WWII. I am very afraid that we as a people are nearing the time to reap what we as a nation have sown.