Zero Tolerance for Muslim Participation in Politics?

If you want to understand just how difficult it can be for Muslims to participate in public service, look no further than my friend Mazen Asbahi. An accomplished attorney and long-time Democratic volunteer, he took on the position of Sen. Obama's national coordinator for Muslim and Arab affairs last week. Unfortunately, he resigned yesterday out of fear that his appointment would be a distraction to the campaign.

The source of his worry? The fact that he had served on a board of directors, for a few weeks, with an imam considered by some to be an extremist, as well as his being an officer of the Muslim Students Association while he was in college. Mazen himself was not accused of being an extremist, or even of supporting extremist groups and/or causes. Yet this was enough to ensure his quick departure from the campaign, after only a week of work.

Think about this for a moment. No reasonable person would link the reputation or activities of one board member to another, especially (as was the case with Mazen) when you had no say in the nomination or election of that other board member. And being an officer in a Muslim student group -- nearly all of which operate independently of the national MSA -- is only a liability if that particular student group is accused of wrongdoing, which Mazen's MSA wasn't.

Mazen is a loyal Democrat who has worked tirelessly to help mobilize millions of Muslim and Arab votes this coming November, and he has by all accounts a stellar professional reputation. But two very tenuous "links" -- if you want to call them that -- were enough to erase an entire adult lifetime of achievement and cast an unfair suspicion over him that will follow him through the rest of his life (thank you, Google).

When I spoke to him last week, he was excited about the possibility of bringing more Muslims and Arabs into the political system, to prove that our communities can be a net positive contributor to the societies in which we live. I cannot imagine another qualified Muslim daring to follow in his footsteps, only to be subjected to second/third/fourth-degree of separation accusations and (as we like to say in political circles) "be thrown under the bus".

The very people who fight to push Muslims out of the public square are also the ones clamoring for our communities to get out in the streets and prove our loyalty to the US. If only they could see the contradiction for themselves.

Comments

[PumaAnn]

I agree. But people are unfair often. Hill served on a Wall Mart board years and years ago and was, by all accounts, a thorn in the side of Sam Walton. Yet how often did I see that one scrap of her resume brought up by so-called progressives?

Same thing here. It's the worst of guilt by association thinking, and I think, personally, it shows a petty mind.

[seatea1967]

This has nothing to do with being Muslim. This has to do with the scandal-obsessed American media and public. Any whiff of a scandal brings the press out of the woodwork, and the "news" stations go to work 24/7 until the person is brought down. After painting him as the "golden-child", Americans can't wait to rip Obama down. It's all we live for as a society.

Unfortunately McCain seems to be scandal-proof, but Obama is definitely not (think Rev. Wright). People can talk about "his core values" and "his soul" all they want, but the fact remains that if he wants to win this thing he has to make certain compromises and avoid falling into the multitude of traps being laid for him.

When he's sitting in that oval office and he starts compromising his integity, I'll worry about it. Right now, he's got to get there. I'm willing to forgive a lot during the campaign as long as he makes it right when he takes office.

[houdini0815]

THE WAY THE EXTREMIST RIGHT WINGERS HAVE DEMONIZED ANYTHING REMOTELY ISLAMIC, AND EVEN WORSE PEOPLE CAVING IN TO THEM AND NOT SPEAKING OUT ABOUT THESE TYPES OF INJUSTICES IS SOMETHING I FIND VERY FRIGHTENING TO BE HAPPENING IN A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY, WHERE THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF MUSLIMS ARE PEACEFUL LAW ABIDING CITIZENS

[MeanGreenMachine]

Same thing we did to:

The Original American Tribes,

The African Slaves,

The Germans,

The Slavic,

The Irish,

The Scotch/Irish,

The Italians,

The Chinese,

The Mormons,

The Japanese,

The Mexicans,

And NOW the Muslim.

It's WHO WE ARE.

Where did the fantasy that America was a fair, unbiased society come from?

Just a myth to make the White Protestant English Settlers feel better about their cult of superiority.

[JonSmiley]

It's a shame really, what's even worse is that we don't even hear about this stuff.

[Crowhaul]

As an atheist I really don't get the whole anti-Muslim thing. Nor do I want to. A Muslim is just as good as a Christian, and vice versa.

Lacking any semblance of scruples, however, the GOP would definitely use Mr. Asbahi.

[arglebargle]

I've read a couple of pieces about this, and I'd like to know whose decision this actually was. Did the Obama campaign compel him to resign, or did he resign of his own accord once these "associations" were revealed?

[jpaultel]

What has this to do with being a Muslim or not being one? Several people each of whom can brag about being an "accomplished attorney and long-time Democratic volunteer" have had to resign from the Obama campaign. You might have been able to make a case had you chosen a different example. It is indisputable that Muslims are not engaged fully in public life and they should and I will love them to.

[trevor01]

Obama should not have allowed this to happen. Becoming the president is more important to him than his own soul. And what will he win if he should win?