More Muslim Bashing

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/13652644.htmST. LOUIS - What in the world do dietary supplements have to do with turbans and terrorism?That political head-scratcher confronted at least some vitamin buyers around the nation who found a flier with their mail-order nutrients carrying the bold headline, "Get a Turban for Durbin!"An image shows Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., wearing the headwrap, common in parts of the Middle East and south Asia and sacred religious garb in some faiths, including the entire Sikh religion.The flier's kicker: "Keep Congressional Terrorists At Bay." The flier was distributed last month by a pro-vitamin and supplement group.Critics say the flier is yet another example of Muslim bashing. The designer of the flier, who has since pulled it, admits that it was over the line but said he put it out to draw attention to what he thinks is improper action by Durbin.Dietary supplement makers attack Durbin because he wants regulation requiring them to report serious side effects of their products. The proposals are driven in part by deaths related to ephedra, the popular stimulant and diet pill pulled from the market in 2004.Vitamin and supplement makers oppose the idea, saying that mere coincidence - someone having a heart attack while taking Vitamin C - would scare off consumers and cripple sales. Attacks on Durbin have been led by the Melville, N.Y.-based Nutritional Health Alliance, which published the "Turban" handout.Durbin decries the flier as offensive and a political cheap shot. The 61-year-old senator says he doesn't want to harm the industry and admits to taking a daily regimen of pills himself - fish oil, a multivitamin, a B complex, an antioxidant and half an aspirin."They're throwing around this kind of reckless rhetoric," Durbin said. "The rhyme makes the story here.""There is this feeling that it's somewhat of an open season on Muslims," said Rabiah Ahmed, spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Washington. "If you replace Islam and drop in any other religion and said, `Blank is a terrorist religion,' it would never be tolerated."