Detroit, USA - Sen. Barack Obama on Thursday called and apologized to the two Muslim women who say they were told they could not stand behind the candidate at a rally in Detroit on Monday because they were wearing traditional head scarves.
Shimaa Abdelfadeel of Ann Arbor and Hebba Aref of Bloomfield Hills attended a rally in downtown Detroit Monday but were barred from prime seats directly behind the candidate because staffers were concerned that they were wearing head scarves, or hijabs.
"I reached out to Ms. Aref and Ms. Abdelfadeel this afternoon. I spoke with Ms. Abdelfadeel, and expressed my deepest apologies for the incident that occurred with volunteers at the event in Detroit. The actions of these volunteers were unacceptable and in no way reflect any policy of my campaign," Obama said in a statement released Thursday.
"I take deepest offense to and will continue to fight against discrimination against people of any religious group or background. Our campaign is about bringing people together, and I'm grateful that Ms. Abdelfadeel accepted our apology and I hope Ms. Aref and any who were offended accept my apology as well."
The women say they accepted Obama's apology and that they support his candidacy.
"Senator Obama has called us each to personally convey his deepest apologies and acknowledge that this was inexcusable," said Aref and Abdelfadeel said in a written statement released Thursday.
"We both immensely appreciate the senator's phone call and his commitment to remedy this issue," they said. "We commend him for displaying qualities befitting an effective president."
The women earlier had received phone calls from aides to Obama, who talked to them for nearly 40 minutes. But both women said they had hoped to hear from Obama himself.
They also called on Obama to more forthrightly address prejudice against Muslims.
"We acknowledge that this injustice has been taken seriously and that Senator Obama does not tolerate discrimination against Arabs, Muslims or any community," the women said in the statement. "We are assured that he and his staff are committed to upholding the principles of justice for all peoples and bringing about change we can believe in.
"The infringement on our rights occurred and has been addressed; now we are ready to move forward. We will continue to support Senator Obama in his campaign and wish him the best as the race continues."