Presidential Candidate Barack Obama still has the support of a majority of American Muslims, but a New York Times article from June 24, 2008 questions whether there is a "disconnect between Mr. Obama's message of unity and his campaign strategy." One reason for questioning his sincerity is Obama's failure to visit a single mosque during the campaign season. Muslim Americans interviewed for the NYT article said that the implication is that there is something wrong with being Muslim, particularly because on Obama's website, "he classifies the claim that he is Muslim as a smear." The article reflects on Representative Keith Ellison's concern that Obama's aides are not considering carefully enough that Muslim Americans are being alienated from the campaign process. The questions about Obama's evasiveness picked up intensity after reports that two Muslim women were recently prevented from sitting behind Obama at a rally in Detroit. The reason for the exclusion of the women may have been, according to a report on politico.com, that Obama's aides are almost paranoid about the need to deny rumors that Obama is Muslim, leading many members of the Muslim American community to "feel betrayed." Questions are being raised in two directions: Whether Obama is really driven to create a unified America and whether Muslim Americans are a sufficient political force that Obama cannot afford to ignore them.
