> > In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > > MUSLIM-BASHING FAILS AS TACTIC FOR CANDIDATES > Those who used Islamophobic stereotypes lose elections in NY and GA > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > (WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/8/2000) All the political candidates who engaged > in Muslim-bashing during their campaigns were defeated in yesterday's > elections. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said races > in New York and Georgia went to opponents of Muslim bashers. The > Washington-based Islamic advocacy group says the results are a defeat > for those who seek to exclude Muslims from political participation. > > In New York, supporters of Republican Senate candidate Rick Lazio waged > a campaign that included allegations that his opponent and American > Muslim organizations were somehow linked to the bombing of the USS Cole > in Yemen. A Washington Post writer called that campaign tactic > "political pornography." Other media outlets reported that Lazio > actually solicited donations from the same group that he condemned as > "supporters of terrorism." > > Lazio's anti-Muslim tactics were prompted by old allegations from > Steven Emerson, a pro-Israel activist who Muslims say has a long > history of defamatory attacks on their community. Emerson was one of > the first commentators to falsely link Muslims with the 1995 bombing of > the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City and the downing of TWA > Flight 800 in 1996. (see http://www.fair.org/extra/9901/emerson.html) > > Lazio lost to Hillary Rodham Clinton by a margin of 12 percent. > > In Georgia, Republican congressional candidate Sunny Warren attacked > Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) using the same Muslim-baiting tactic as > Lazio. Along with allegations that McKinney was tied to those who > attacked the USS Cole, a Warren fundraising letter stated: "Cynthia > McKinney is dead wrong on Middle East policy and best friend of Saddam > Hussein...Cynthia McKinney's team is Iraq, Hamas, Yasser Arafat, and > the Arab Muslim Council." > > In reply, McKinney said: "My opponent, Sunny Warren, recently launched > a rather unsophisticated attack against me that attempted to paint me > and the Arab-American and Muslim communities with the broad brush of > 'terrorism'...Sunny Warren's attacks on my record reflect the worst > kind of hate-mongering...racist innuendo and hate-mongering have no > place in an election campaign or any respectable public discourse." > McKinney also noted that the Arab Muslim Council does not exist. > > McKinney defeated Warren by a 20 percent margin. > > "Political candidates should take note that the American people reject > the use of religious and ethnic stereotyping as a campaign tactic," > said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. > > On October 23, the American Muslim Political Coordinating Council > Political Action Committee (AMPCC-PAC) announced its endorsement of > George W. Bush for president, citing his outreach to the Muslim > community and his pledge to end the use of secret evidence in INS > deportation hearings. (AMPCC-PAC is an affiliated PAC of the American > Muslim Political Coordinating Council. CAIR is an AMPCC member.) Other > Muslim groups announced endorsements of national and local candidates. > > In August, thousands of Muslim activists and leaders nationwide > received a step-by-step guide to increasing political participation in > local communities. The American Muslim Voter Registration Guide was > distributed by CAIR as part of the largest campaign of its type > targeting Muslim voters. September 15 was designated Muslim Voter > Registration Day. There are some six million Muslims in America. > > - END - > >
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MUSLIM-BASHING FAILS AS TACTIC FOR CANDIDATES Those who used Islamophobic stereotypes lose elections in NY and GA (WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/8/2000) All the political candidates who engaged in Muslim-bashing during their campaigns were defeated in yesterday's elections. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said races in New York and Georgia went to opponents of Muslim bashers. The Washington-based Islamic advocacy group says the results are a defeat for those who seek to exclude Muslims from political participation. In New York, supporters of Republican Senate candidate Rick Lazio waged a campaign that included allegations that his opponent and American Muslim organizations were somehow linked to the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen. A Washington Post writer called that campaign tactic "political pornography." Other media outlets reported that Lazio actually solicited donations from the same group that he condemned as "supporters of terrorism." Lazio's anti-Muslim tactics were prompted by old allegations from Steven Emerson, a pro-Israel activist who Muslims say has a long history of defamatory attacks on their community. Emerson was one of the first commentators to falsely link Muslims with the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City and the downing of TWA Flight 800 in 1996. (see http://www.fair.org/extra/9901/emerson.html) Lazio lost to Hillary Rodham Clinton by a margin of 12 percent. In Georgia, Republican congressional candidate Sunny Warren attacked Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) using the same Muslim-baiting tactic as Lazio. Along with allegations that McKinney was tied to those who attacked the USS Cole, a Warren fundraising letter stated: "Cynthia McKinney is dead wrong on Middle East policy and best friend of Saddam Hussein...Cynthia McKinney's team is Iraq, Hamas, Yasser Arafat, and the Arab Muslim Council." In reply, McKinney said: "My opponent, Sunny Warren, recently launched a rather unsophisticated attack against me that attempted to paint me and the Arab-American and Muslim communities with the broad brush of 'terrorism'...Sunny Warren's attacks on my record reflect the worst kind of hate-mongering...racist innuendo and hate-mongering have no place in an election campaign or any respectable public discourse." McKinney also noted that the Arab Muslim Council does not exist. McKinney defeated Warren by a 20 percent margin. "Political candidates should take note that the American people reject the use of religious and ethnic stereotyping as a campaign tactic," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. On October 23, the American Muslim Political Coordinating Council Political Action Committee (AMPCC-PAC) announced its endorsement of George W. Bush for president, citing his outreach to the Muslim community and his pledge to end the use of secret evidence in INS deportation hearings. (AMPCC-PAC is an affiliated PAC of the American Muslim Political Coordinating Council. CAIR is an AMPCC member.) Other Muslim groups announced endorsements of national and local candidates. In August, thousands of Muslim activists and leaders nationwide received a step-by-step guide to increasing political participation in local communities. The American Muslim Voter Registration Guide was distributed by CAIR as part of the largest campaign of its type targeting Muslim voters. September 15 was designated Muslim Voter Registration Day. There are some six million Muslims in America. - END - CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) 453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. Washington, D.C., 20003 Tel: 202-488-8787 Fax: 202-488-0833 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] URL: http://www.cair-net.org ----- TO SUBSCRIBE: Join CAIR-NET by sending the message "subscribe cair-net" (without the quotation marks) to [EMAIL PROTECTED] TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Leave CAIR-NET by sending the message "unsubscribe cair-net" (without the quotation marks) to [EMAIL PROTECTED] NOTE: If you have difficulty unsubscribing, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject line "Manual CAIR-NET Unsubscribe." -----
