July 14, 2008

The Muslim Public Affairs Council today sent a letter to "The New Yorker" magazine saying its satirical cover art depicting Sen. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as militants and terrorist sympathizers "feeds into the terrible rise in anti-Muslim sentiment" during this election season.

The letter states:

One would think that a magazine as highly regarded as this one would not feed into the terrible rise of anti-Muslim sentiment in this country with its iconic cover. The problem with this kind of so-called "spoof" -- which taps into deep and far-reaching racist imagery -- is that a lot of people just won't get the joke. Or won't want to, and will use it deliberately for their own Islamophobic purposes. No clarification can be found in the issue's article on Obama, which does nothing to address the Internet rumor campaign from which the cover draws its inspiration. As it stands, the cover crosses the line in its depiction of all the worst accusations hurled against Sen. Obama during the election season. A Gallup World Poll found that U.S. views of Muslims have gotten worse between 2006 and 2008, dropping 13 points. It's no coincidence that in the current election cycle, negative perceptions of Islam and Muslims have plummeted to new lows. Playing into the worst fear of voters with the image is not thought-provoking, it's just hate-provoking or fear-provoking. We can't afford either right now.

The image, drawn by Barry Blitt and featured on the front cover of this week's New Yorker, shows Sen. Obama wearing so-called traditional Muslim dress, while his wife, Michelle, is dressed in camouflage clothing and carrying a machine-gun. The couple are shown standing in the Oval Office, bumping fists while an American flag burns in the fireplace and a portrait of Osama Bin Laden hangs on the wall.

ACTION REQUESTED:

Please send a letter to the editor of no more than 150 words to:
Email: themail@newyorker.com
Online submission: http://www.newyorker.com/contact/letterToEditor