My Middle Name is "Hussein," Too!

There is a growing movement on Facebook and other social networking sites in honor of Barack Obama's upcoming birthday on August 4th. It is anticipated that 10,000 people or more will "change" their middle name to "Hussein" at १२:०० a.m. on that day. I am an enthusiastic and committed Obama supporter but I have concerns about this particular event.

This is a fabulous effort. However, we must be aware of the potential for backlash. Because Barak has been so circumspect in his relationship building with the Muslin community and because he has declared his unconditional support for the state of Israel (in what I believe to be necessary political expediency), there is a real and growing movement afoot in the Muslim community to sit out the election and in some quarters, actively campaign against Barak. Hundreds of thousands of votes are at stake. We know that in the U.S. elections have been won, lost or stolen by far fewer votes than that.

I believe that Barak is genuine. I know it is an extremely difficult situation however, he must find a way to embrace us all. That's what he stands for. He's already renounced his pastor. Is he now going to ignore the hundreds of thousands of Muslims in America? My middle name is "Hussein" but we must call on Barak to embrace those whose real middle name is Hussein as well lest we find ourselves and him the victim of unintended consequences.

Are you listening David Plouffe?

Here are the event details:
Event: My Middle Name is "Hussein" Too
"Celebrating Barack Obama's Birthday (August 4, 1961)"
What: Rally
Host: Mark Elrod
When: Monday, August 4 at 12:00am
Where: Coast to Coast

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=52566360200

Click on the link below to see an insightful observation by Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts on this subject.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-pitts_0702edi.ART.State.Edition1.4d975a4.html