Even though I abhorred his role in building the case for war in Iraq, I have admired and respected Mr. Powell and his unquestioned dedication and service to this country. I found his endorsement of Barack Obama persuasive, thoughtful and touching.

But I wanted to focus on a point that he made that resonated greatly with me. It starts at about the 4 minute mark in the video (below):

I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, "He's a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists." This is not the way we should be doing it in America. I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards--Purple Heart, Bronze Star--showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross, it didn't have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life. Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourselves in this way.

Friends of mine who know me as a liberal and a Democrat are often astounded by how much more active I've been in this election cycle than others (where I'd just watch debates, have a few conversations and vote). Now the biggest reason for my level of passion and activity is that I think the times demand it and I've seen two elections go by where my relative level of inactivity (aside from voting) yielded no results, so I thought I'd change and renew my own commitment. But another reason is something most of my friends don't really understand and wouldn't unless they walked in my shoes for a few days or took the time to digest the import of what Mr. Powell said above.

I'm a proud American, and one who happens to have come from the Middle East with Muslim parents. I love this country for all its ideals and greatness. I love this country for all that it espouses, protects and makes possible. I love this country for its constitutional principles of equality, opportunity, tolerance and secularism. I am not a religious man, and (leaving aside scientific inquiries) it's mostly because while I understand and appreciate the beauty of faith and religion as it plays out in everyday individual lives, I have come to understand religion in the greater organized context as a potential powerful tool of division and oppression.

But the reality is that my name is Farzin Firooznia. I grew up in the United States in the immediate aftermath of the Iran-Hostage Crisis. After 9/11, as I was rushing home to NY to attend a funeral for the father of a dear friend, I was attacked by someone who thought my complexion meant that I must be one of the "terrorists". And now I'm witnessing a presidential campaign in which the Republican Nominee is openly campaigning on politics of hate and condoning purposeful attempts to spread lies about Obama's heritage (calling him an Arab) and faith (calling him a Muslim) as a smear. I witnessed Mr. McCain correct someone calling Mr. Obama an Arab by saying, literally, "No, he's a decent family man" as if those two concepts are incongruent. Now, I'm not an Arab - but I find that offensive.

I have seen my fair share of prejudice, but I'm not one to whine about these kinds of things. I think I've done a fairly good job of overcoming them and in the end, the country that I love allowed me to overcome them. But here's the point:

I come from a family that values and celebrates religion and cultural identity. Some members of my family are practicing Muslim, others are Jewish and still others are Catholic. I have a son and a niece (hopefully more to come), whose last names will also end in Firooznia and who will know their loving grandparents and family members who happen to be Muslim - and who, when presented with the opportunity to determine their own faith - may want to identify as such.

My family, and many others like it have all worked too hard and love this country too much to be smeared liked this. How can we live with ourselves if our sons and daughters, nephews and nieces, or friends are allowed to think in such limiting or narrow ways? How can we permit them - as they grow ever more curious - to observe these events and then start questioning if it's wrong to be Muslim, or it's bad that their grandma and grandpa are from the Middle East, or if their name or faith may disqualify them (or hinder them) from achieving their highest aspirations? I care so much because we need to restore America and its ideals. We need to go back to the inclusive, secular idea of America that values everyone's contribution to this society, and promotes tolerance and equal opportunity. We need to live up to the best of our ideals and not pander to the worst of our fears.

More simply put, I care so much because I cannot stand by and let my family's legacy, my parents' hard work and sacrifices, be tarnished and smeared in this way. There's way too much dignity at stake here.

View the Powell interview here - it's worth the watch

http://www.jedreport.com/2008/10/colin-powells-endorsement-of-b.html

transcript here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27266223/