According to the police, Professor Gates greeted the cops with a “belligerent” attitude, refusing to show them identification when asked, and refusing to step outside when asked. He was angry, rude and offensive. He eventually showed them his Harvard ID and eventually stepped outside where he was arrested for disorderly conduct and taken to the Cambridge police station. Professor Gates contends that while he was testy, he did show them two pieces of ID when asked: his Harvard ID and his driver’s license. He claims that the cops had it in for him, that he was a victim of racial profiling.

I would have loved to hear McCain say: “No, ma’am, he is not an Arab or is he Muslim – and let’s not use ethnic or religious identity to determine who is American - that’s un-American.” This would have exhibited the courageous moral leadership and remind all Americans that bigotry and identity politics have no place in our democracy.

The American Muslim community mourns the passing of a historic figure who was crucial in the development of Muslim life in America. The Honorable Imam Warith Deen Mohammed was an African-American Muslim spiritual leader, reformer, educator, civil rights advocate, interfaith activist, and an international goodwill ambassador. He died Tuesday. Many will honor “America’s Imam” with services and tributes as the American Muslim community bids farewell to W.D.

CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab debates Glenn Beck and Zhudi Jasser on allowing the accommodation of Ramadan for Muslim students along with Christmas for Christian students in an Oak Lawn, Illinois public school. [Video]