Left doesn’t care about Muslims, only uses them as wedge

Activists on the Left often claim that they champion the rights of others including Muslims and sometimes Arabs, but the truth is they really don’t support us. They just don’t mind using us for their own political agendas. Activists on the Left have been no less critical of Muslims and Arabs than activists on the Right. A recent controversy created by the HuffingtonPost involving Congresswoman Debbie Dingell and gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed is a good example

By Ray Hanania

Talk about pre-fabricated, fake controversies and orchestrated racism.

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell decided to endorse Gretchen Whitmer, a former Michigan Senate minority leader who is now one of the leading Democratic candidates seeking to become governor of Michigan.

But some activists are angry that Dingell, who represents Dearborn a city with a large Muslim population, is anti-Muslim because she did not endorse Abdul El-Sayed, also a Democratic candidate for governor and rival of Whitmers who also happens to be Muslim.

For most people who believe in Democracy, choice is the most important aspect of voting. But for those seeking to create conflict and exploit issues of race, religion and foment bigotry, choice is irrelevant.

As it always does, the racist Huffington Post — which has a long history of censoring Arab writers who have been “too critical of Israel’s war crimes — showcased a ridiculous column which accused Dingell of being “anti-Muslim.”

The HuffingtonPost asserts that Dingell “implied” that El-Sayed would have a hard time winning because of his Muslim faith.

First of all, the word “implies” means the writer in this case has taken liberties with Dingell’s words, adding an interpretation that when you read Dingell’s comments are just not there.

Here is what Dingell actually said when she announced she was endorsing Whitmer but was asked by the HuffingtonPost if she believed a Muslim can win the governor’s race. (It’s the HuffingtonPost that inserts the issue of El-Sayed’s religion into the election and the question of whether or not El-Sayed can win, not Congresswoman Dingell.)

Dingell told a rally in Ann Arbor that the race for governor is crucial and that a Democrat needs to win. Dingell said clearly that she believes Whitmer is the “strongest candidate to win in the general” election which will be held on November 6, 2018. The Michigan primary election is on August 7, 2018.

That’s when the HuffingtonPost asked if Dingell doesn’t think Michigan is ready to elect a Muslim governor. Remember, Dingell didn’t make the claim, the biased and racist HuffingtonPost made the assertion in a “leading” question intended not to get an answer but to provoke and create controversy.

According to the Arab American News newspaper, Dingell replied, “I don’t want to say that because I think [El-Sayed’s] fabulous, and I represent one of the largest populations of Muslims in the country,” she said. “But there are people trying to divide us by fear and hatred, and [President Trump] is one of them.”

Dingell’s response is fair and responsible. Later, in response to a comment from El-Sayed, Dingell wished him well.

Yet, even though Dingell rejected the assertion made by the racist HuffingtonPost, the online blog insisted in its story and headline, “Michigan Lawmaker Suggests Muslim Candidate Faces Hurdles Due To His Faith … Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell is among those backing someone else in her party’s gubernatorial race.”

The Huffington Post then ridiculously goes on to slam Dingell even more, so subtlely but so obviously when it asserts in its post, “On a similar note, State Senator Patrick Colbeck (R-Canton), one of four Republicans in race, has falsely alleged that El-Sayed’s parents are connected to the Muslim Brotherhood is part of a mission to implement “Shari’a law” in the U.S., calling it “civilizational jihad.”

The key part here is the phrase “On a similar note.”

No, HuffingtonPost, Dingell’s response to a racist-leading question to provoke a fake controversy isn’t “similar” to the comments of State Senator Patrick Colbeck, a Republican candidate for Governor, who ridiculously accused El-Sayed’s parents of being connected to the “Muslim Brotherhood” and being on a mission to impose “Shari’a law.”

Dingell released a press release challenging the HuffingtonPosts’ racist and inaccurate assertions and they should be slammed.

The HuffingtonPost is acting like the only reason someone might endorse El-Sayed is that he is Muslim, not that he is a former and experienced Health Director for the city of Detroit. But that is exactly what the HuffingtonPost is IMPLYING on its own. Issues and facts don’t seem to matter in biased commentary that is presented as if it is “news reporting” by the HuffingtonPost. But race, religion and bigotry do. That’s pretty pathetic.

Dingell wasn’t alone in endorsing Whitmer. She joined three other Michigan Congressional Democrats who all lined up behind Whitmer in the governor’s race.

If someone wanted to be racist against Muslims, they might wonder why only one Arab American organization has endorsed Debbie Dingell for Congress, (the American Arab and Muslim PAC). Dingell succeeded her husband, former Congressman John Dingell, who was a champion of Arab American and Muslim American issues. More Arab and Muslim groups should be showing her some support, even if they believe that El-Sayed’s only qualification is being Muslim.

Read the list yourself of Dingell’s endorsement. Where are the rest of the Arab and Muslim organizations? Of course, that’s a question only the HuffingtonPost would ask.

I used to write for the Huffington Post until they repeatedly started to censor my criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The HuffingtonPost insisted I was being “too critical” and said they wouldn’t run my columns if I continued to be too critical.

That’s the problem with the HuffingtonPost. The truth is they are more racist than anyone. And their actions IMPLY that only Arabs who criticize Israel should have their columns censored and edited.

In addition to El-Sayed and Whitmer, businessman Shri Thanedar of Ann Arbor and retired business executive Bill Cobbs of Farmington Hills are also running as Democrats for governor.

The HuffingtonPost didn’t ask the same question about Thanedar, who happens to be an Indian-born American author and businessman.

In addition to Colbeck, the Republican candidates for Governor are Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette of Midland, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley of Portland, Dr. Jim Hines of Saginaw Township, Evan Space of Lansing, Earl Lackie of Royal Oak, Mark McFarlin of Pinconning and Joseph DeRose of Williamston.

In reality, what happened here is what happens often, Leftwing extremists trying to exploit racism against Muslims to create controversies to “sell newspapers” and to hurt level-headed centrists like Debbie Dingell who strongly represents all of her constituents.

(Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall reporter, columnist and President/CEO of Urban Strategies Group Public Affairs. Visit his personal website at www.Hanania.com or email him at rghanania@gmail.com.)

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rayhanania

Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster at The Arab Daily News

RAY HANANIA — Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster

Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.

Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).

Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.

Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.

His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.

Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.

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