Bronx residents react to recent Obama controversy

Following Sen. Barack Obama?s recent rally in Detroit, some Bronx residents accuse the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate of snubbing Muslim voters. The incident that stirred the controversy

News 12 Staff

Jun 25, 2008, 12:00 AM

Updated 6,011 days ago

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Following Sen. Barack Obama?s recent rally in Detroit, some Bronx residents accuse the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate of snubbing Muslim voters.
The incident that stirred the controversy involved two Muslim women who came to the rally wearing traditional religious head garbs. The women were forbidden to sit behind Sen. Obama where they could be photographed.
?I was absolutely appalled,? says Linda Sarsour, of the Arab American Association. ?It was so disturbing to me that I got to the point where I was, like, you know what? I?m not even going to vote for this presidential candidate.?
But most voters in the Bronx Islamic community still support Sen. Obama, moving past the recent incident and focusing on his apology.
?We are all sinners,? says Imam Nurudeen Suleyman, of the Nurudeen Islamic Charity. ?So when one apologizes to you for whatever he has done wrong, you have to take it and let go.?
While some Muslim leaders nationwide have recently expressed disappointment with Sen. Obama, the Muslim leaders in the Bronx think he will be a unifying force for the country come November.