Obama Muslim Outreach Adviser Resigns Over Fund Ties

WSJ:

The Muslim-outreach coordinator to the presidential campaign of Barack Obama has resigned amid questions about his involvement in an Islamic investment fund and various Islamic groups.

Chicago lawyer Mazen Asbahi, who was appointed volunteer national coordinator for Muslim American affairs by the Obama campaign on July 26, stepped down Monday after an Internet newsletter wrote about his brief stint on the fund's board, which also included a fundamentalist imam.

"Mr. Asbahi has informed the campaign that he no longer wishes to serve in his volunteer position, and we are in the process of searching for a new national Arab American and Muslim American outreach coordinator," spokesman Ben LaBolt said in a statement.

Read the whole story: WSJ

Comments

[NotPC]

Does the BO camp ever check out these folks..........how many people are they going to have to throw under the bus before they realize that they should do background checks? Then again, there is the possibility that the BO camp already knew about this mans background, and they hoped it wouldn't be found out. If that is the case, we all should be concerned and ask .......who are the people that BO associates with?

[sq1972]

Um...so you are saying that Obama's camp should screen for people who are guilty of potential association with someone who is possibly suspicious. Yeah, they really dropped the ball here.

McCain WAS ONE OF THE KEATING FIVE!!! No question of association there. No question that he was part of one of the greatest banking scandals in the history of the U.S. But let's not talk about that--let's focus on this Muslim guy who volunteered and the fact that he brushed shoulders with some imam who someone characterizes as "fundamentalist" and moreover escaped indictment although he is reeeeaaaalllly suspicious.

Way to keep the eye on the ball of what's really important...

[Sumocat]

Well, I appreciate his reason for stepping aside, but I think it's sad that people would be bothered that a Muslim outreach adviser would have ties to Islamic groups. One would think that would be a pre-qualifier for his job. You wouldn't hire someone to reach out to Buddhists if they didn't have experience with Buddhism.

[Pquilson]

Non-issue. I thought Democrats did not want religion in politics. What am I missing here?

[Steve Clemons - Huffpost Blogger]

I don't think Obama should have accepted his resignation. This is terrible. Obama didn't deserve the hammering over his board relationship with William Ayers -- or even the overdone criticism about Ayers. . .but Team Obama should not be accepting the resignation of a guy who was on a board for a few weeks with a fundamentalist imam -- eight years ago.

I write about this here on Huffpost:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-clemons/wrong-wrong-wrong-obama-l_b_117270.html

[allonfla]

It is because of the undeserved hammering that they are afraid to keep this guy in their campaign. Sure it was only a few weeks, but Obama's opponents will bring up his judgement and ask why didn't he know this before he hired this guy. And you know the MSM will pick it up and run with it - come on now, you know this. Yes it was 8 years ago but didn't the HuffPo point out a rape joke McCain made many more years ago AND believed that this was something the MSM should pick up and report?

[marymansour]

Wake up folks! There are Muslim-Americans who are citizens. They need to be considered. Unfortunately honcho George Booboo has demonized them all.

[MadOzbo]

What is so frightening about this article, which many people are missing, is that it shows just how deep into EVERYONE's past the media will dig, in order to try and find dirt.

The guy served on a board for a few weeks with a fellow member who was a radical imam, 8 YEARS AGO!...SO, he MUST be a radical, which of course justifies all that mud being slung at Obama...

People, this is scary. Not who you are. Not what you believe. Not what you do.
WHO you worked with. What THEY believe. What THEY do.
YOU MUST be bad, if ANYONE you know is bad, or has done bad, or believes bad...

THAT is scary.

[NABNYC]

This is a great example of how everything in this country is skewed to keep elite white men in control of everything, and prevent anyone else from ever gaining equal participation. A muslim who is involved in the financial community: he must be a terrorist, right?

Elite white men can say and do anything they want without consequences. There is an irrebutable presumption that everything they think, say, do, believe is correct. Anyone who criticizes them will be destroyed. Even Abramoff, master criminal and thief, will be pardoned by Bush.

Other people, like women, minorities, Muslims, have the opposite role: everything they say, do, think, or believe is irrebutably presumed to be wrong, bad, and stupid. The white male power elite has people so cowed that while McCain claims to be a hero, we see no mention or discussion of the fact that the U.S. committed genocide in Vietnam in another war of aggression.

We can't mention the fact that McCain is old, and Keating-5 corrupt. No mention of the wife (or wives) problems. And what about his lady friend the lobbyist? Nor any mention that he knows nothing about foreign affairs and can't deliver a speech without just reading it from the paper.

We hold ourselves to the ridiculous standard that we must never mention anything unpleasant about the other side. We've having a polite dialogue while they're using assault rifles and missiles to wipe us out. Knife at the gunfight.

[TroubleNYC]

Well, the guy lasted 10 days. Had this been an issue for the McCain campaign he'd be there for another 40 days and then assigned to a different position. And the MSM would not even mention it.

[AguynamedWayne]

This will go over well in America's heartland.

[allonfla]

America's heartland won't find out.

[AguynamedWayne]

Oh you think FOX News isn't going to broadcast this to anyone who will listen. Don't fool yourself.

[BigLib]

The wheels of the bus go round and round...

[ohiomark]

It's getting very crowded under that bus.

[S1m0n]

That's petty. The guy is asked to join the board of a not for profit, accepts, and then resigns after the first meeting, because at it he met a fellow board member he didn't want to associate with, and we're supposed to think that he's now tainted for life by that brief meeting?

[poco767b]

Are you surprised? They have tried to infect everyone around Obama with anything they can. The faintest association with any one less than reputable is an immediate red letter story. McCain could have Bin Laden over for a BBQ and it would be touted as foreign policy experience.

[sawdustinhershoes]

You got that right.

[barackobama4prez]

Everyone calm down. This is politics and it gets sticky from time to time. This is nothing compared to the people Jmac have working for him.

[MNmommy]

Good luck with this one. O's treatment of Rep. Ellison kind of hurt him - this can't help.

[CaptainZero1969]

Official religious outreach of any kind only has downside because somewhere in the chain you're gonna find someone who has written a check to a shady "charity" or a preacher that advocates the murder of abortion providers. It's inevitable and politicians need to keep these people away from them. Our deist founders were very wise in separating our government from religion. We've backslid a bit lately.

[4real]

He was a VOLUNTEER.....Obama should have a Muslim outreach person.

[marymansour]

I agree. I suspect this will call for the GOP to start the Obama is a devout Muslim cry all over again.