Obama's rejection of Islamophobia in farewell speech receives loudest applause

Published January 11th, 2017 - 08:34 GMT
Obama gives his farewell address (Darren Hauck/Getty Images North America/AFP)
Obama gives his farewell address (Darren Hauck/Getty Images North America/AFP)

Outgoing US President Barack Obama has taken the opportunity to condemn Islamophobia in his farewell speech last night.

Speaking on the values of democracy, Obama said the following about America’s estimated 3.3 million Muslims:

“Democracy can buckle when we give in to fear.  So just as we, as citizens, must remain vigilant against external aggression, we must guard against a weakening of the values that make us who we are.

“That's why I reject discrimination against Muslim Americans.”

Many have suggested that it was this comment that received the most enthusiastic audience response in Chicago on Tuesday evening.

Nihad Awad, the National Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), responded on Twitter by saying:

Warmest applause in the farewell speech by President Obama was when he condemned discrimination against American Muslims. A clear message to # Trump

Some on social media, however, seemed to have missed the point:

Obama’s words last night mark a stark contrast to those of his successor, Donald Trump, who will be sworn in as president in nine days' time.

Trump has previously said that “I think that Islam hates us,” as well as calling for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”

The president-elect has also suggested that he will resurrect the “Muslim registry” which existed under former President George Bush. This is looking less likely, however, after Obama called for the remaining records of the Nseers “anti-terrorism” registry to be destroyed.

The outgoing president's rejection of anti-Muslim discrimination is a timely one, as Islamophobic attacks have seen a dramatic increase in America following Trump’s election in November. One New York police officer was recently threatened and told to “go back to your country”, while another hijab-wearing woman was pushed down stairs in the city. Elsewhere, mosques in California have received threatening notes from Trump supporters.

It is not all doom and gloom, however, as residents in Nashville recently chalked messages of support outside an Islamic center in their city telling their Muslim neighbors "We see you and we want you here!"

RA

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