Muslim delegate says Clinton campaign misrepresented her image at DNC 2016
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Version 0 of 1. A Muslim delegate has called out Hillary Clinton and her campaign for misrepresenting her as a Clinton supporter. On Tuesday, the Clinton campaign tweeted an image of 22-year-old Nida Allam, who wept as Bernie Sanders conceded his candidacy for president at the Democratic National Convention. The problem? The Clinton campaign seemed to use the image for their benefit by tweeting the caption: “We made history.” Allam is a North Carolina delegate and field director for the Bernie Sanders campaign. She recently told Mic that she felt her emotions were being used when Clinton had never earned her vote. She told the outlet that she felt her visibly Muslim identity was also used to portray a false narrative. “I believe Clinton needs to realize she can't take the Muslim vote for granted,” Allam told Mic. “Most of us are children of immigrants or immigrants ourselves. There is a large Palestinian population in America, so her stances on the Palestine-Israel conflict affect the lives of American Palestinians. They have family members who are being murdered and displaced every day because of the support the U.S. has given Israel in their illegal settlements.” The Clinton campaign later apologized for the “mix up” on Twitter but has not taken down the tweet. The Democratic nominee also came under fire by Muslim attendees at the DNC who disapproved of Michael Bloomberg speaking at the event. Under Bloomberg’s tenure as the mayor of New York City, the NYPD systematically spied on every mosque within 100 miles of the city, with the department admitting in court that the program had not produced a single investigative lead. According to a 2007 NYPD Intelligence Division report, folks were deemed suspicious if they were engaging in First Amendment protected actions including: “wearing traditional Islamic clothing,” growing a beard, abstaining from alcohol, and “becoming involved in social activism.” “Michael Bloomberg allowed and justified wholesale surveillance of Muslims under his watch,” Linda Sarsour, a New York delegate for Senator Sanders, told The Intercept this week. She added that a similar policy had been “touted by then-GOP candidate Ted Cruz” and condemned by Democrats. “How can we be mad at Cruz, but then give a platform to a former mayor of a city that targeted Muslims for their faith?” Afaf Nasher, executive director of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations told The Independent that he is proud of Allam as a young civically engaged American. “[She] is obviously intelligent and confident enough to speak on her own behalf,” he said. Nasher added that the Clinton campaign appeared to include Bloomberg to counter Trump’s business profile. “The financial strength of this nation is a concern to all Americans, including, of course, Muslim Americans,” Nasher said. “As far as possible support of policies similar to the spying program that the NYPD ran under Bloomberg, CAIR-NY will always firmly oppose policies that undermine the civil liberties of any American.” He added that young voters who may feel cornered into voting for Hillary Clinton, as an alternative to Trump, that “civic engagement does not end at the polls this November.” “Determined activism is needed beyond this election to promote policies of justice, peace, and prosperity on both the local and national level.” |