Mr Obama, You Blew It In Selma

I’m an Obama supporter. I’ve always been an Obama supporter. I voted for him twice. And I would vote for him again if he was allowed to run for office a third term.

That is, until last Saturday afternoon. All that changed whenI heard his remarks at the commemoration of the 50^th anniversary of the March from Selma to Montgomery.

In his eloquent style, the president spoke of destiny, courage, freedom and civic responsibility. He talked about vindication and justice. He made faith-based references, lauded civic achievements and called on Americans to not squander the privilege of the right to vote. He urged civil disobedience and a willingness to shake up the status quo and spoke of love of country, a not-so-thinly veiled reference to challenges to his own character and patriotism.

And he reviewed the history of our country.

Three quarters of the way through his speech, Obama presented a survey of America—a roster, if you will—of all the immigrants, outsiders, ne’er-do-wells, heroes, and others who made this country the United States we celebrate today.

“Look at our history,” he said. “…who we are.”

“We are Lewis and Clark and Sacajawea, pioneers who braved the unfamiliar, followed by a stampede of farmers and miners, and entrepreneurs and hucksters.” He mentioned Sojourner Truth, Fannie Lou Hamer and Susan B. Anthony.

Cadence flowing, he cited immigrants, Holocaust survivors, Soviet defectors, the Lost Boys of Sudan, strivers who cross the Rio Grande, slaves who built the White House and the economy of the South, ranch hands, cowboys, laborers, GIs who fought to liberate a continent, the Tuskegee Airmen, the Navajo code-talkers, and Japanese Americans who fought for this country even as their own liberty had been denied. He mentioned firefighters who “rushed into those buildings on 9/11,” volunteers who fight in Afghanistan and Iraq, and gay Americans.

The list was extensive. It was hard to imagine the president left out any group.

But he did.

Where, Mr. President, was your acknowledgement of Muslims?

In 2009 you said, “I also know that Islam has always been a part of America’s story. The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco. In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second President, John Adams, wrote, ‘The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims.’ And since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States. They have fought in our wars, they have served in our government, they have stood for civil rights, they have started businesses, they have taught at our universities, they’ve excelled in our sports arenas, they’ve won Nobel Prizes, built our tallest building, and lit the Olympic Torch. And when the first Muslim American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same Holy Koran that one of our Founding Fathers — Thomas Jefferson — kept in his personal library.”

But you didn’t mention Muslims when you spoke in Selma.

In July 2014 you issued a statement that said, “In the United States, Eid also reminds us of the many achievements and contributions of Muslim Americans to building the very fabric of our nation and strengthening the core of our democracy.”

But you didn’t mention Muslims when you spoke in Selma.

You blew it, Mr. President.

You had a chance to include our Muslim neighbors along with the other groups that make up the fabric of our nation. And you didn’t.

It was a teachable moment, Mr. President, for those in our country who think American Muslims are not Americans. I recognize it wasn’t possible to mention every group that contributed to this country; you also didn’t mention the Irish, the teachers, the Italians and many others. But members of those groups are not currently the object of narrow-mindedness, intolerance and death threats.

In the same way you pointed out other Americans who’ve been the target of hate crimes, prejudice, and discrimination—Japanese Americans, gay Americans, Mexican laborers—you should have mentioned Muslims.

Publically identifying Muslims as Americans and as a part of our history would have made it easier for the woman on the bus who wears a hijab, the physician in private practice who comes from Pakistan, and the child on the soccer field whose jersey reads Muhammad. And it would have made it easier for America as a whole to move beyond seeing Muslims as the Other.

I’m disappointed in you, Mr. President, for ignoring this opportunity. It is estimated that upwards of 30% of the slaves brought to this country were Muslims. And 200 firefighters at the Twin Towers on 9/11 were Muslims. One word strategically inserted into your speech would have educated the entire country.

On the solemn occasion of Bloody Sunday, when you praised the strength of “we” by reminding us of We the People, We Shall Overcome, and Yes We Can, you were Missing in Action for one group of Americans. And when you’re MIA for one minority community in the United States, you’re MIA for the entire country.