Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

altmuslim

Home
Muslim
Muslims in the public square: Can a Muslim ever become president?

Muslims in the public square: Can a Muslim ever become president?

Last updated on: June 10, 2011 at 8:16 am by Guest Contributor

Muslims in the public square: Can a Muslim ever become president? 2011-06-10T08:16:26-04:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Off limits?

I was talking to my 4-year old the other day, and asked him a simple question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” His innocent, yet ambitious response was: “A baseball player, soccer player, doctor, hafiz (one who memorizes the entire Quran) and an elevator-man” – He is obsessed with pressing the buttons on elevators, so much that he has apparently made this his lifelong dream – so who am I to stop him? As a parent, I admire the youngster’s energetic, wide-ranging dreams – I told him if he becomes all those things, he could eventually have his own elevator in his house. My belief is that with hard work, sincerity and determination, any professional aspiration is achievable.

But when the time comes, what if either of my children tells me that they want to be the President of the United States? What do I tell them? Do I tell them, “Sorry boys – we’re Muslims, and that is not a reachable goal? “ The current state of race relations in the U.S. tells me that it would be a potential dream-deferred.

As children, we seemingly all used to have the same list of future potential jobs: athlete, astronaut, doctor, and President. Even as a child born and raised in the Deep South – I never felt a doubt that my professional aspirations would ever be limited. With a family that has roots in the U.S. since the 1950’s, I felt as much as part of the fabric of America as anyone else. But now, we are living in the post-9/11 reality – with Muslims constantly under the microscope. The term “Islam” has been co-opted, and turned into a political poker chip in order to spread fear and distrust of the American Muslim community.

When my father went to work each day in Opelika, Alabama in 1966, his co-workers didn’t ask the question on whether or not he was plotting against them. The handful of Muslims that gathered in a house to do Friday prayers in Auburn, Alabama weren’t being watched by the FBI – to see whether they were spreading a militant message. But this was the same Islam being practiced in the 1960’s, as is being practiced today – so why the change in perception? The answers simply boil down to the fact that it has become politically beneficial to embed fear among the public, along with a sense of “otherness” of the Muslim community.

Cain Enablers

In the last 40 years, bigotry and xenophobia have resided mainly beneath the surface. It was considered taboo and a career-killer to insinuate that you would not hire a person based off race or religion – that was until the most recent wave of Islamophobia has infected the American landscape. For an example of how this paradigm has shifted, just examine the case of Presidential candidate Herman Cain.

As the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO and talk-radio host hit out on the campaign trail, Cain was asked by an interviewer whether he would be comfortable appointing a Muslim cabinet member or Supreme Court Justice. His reply:

“No, I would not. And here’s why. There is this creeping attempt, there is this attempt to gradually ease Sharia law and the Muslim faith into our government. It does not belong in our government. This is what happened in Europe. And little by little, to try and be politically correct, they made this little change, they made this little change.”

Cain’s short statement was a litany of right-wing talking points, bigotry and factual inaccuracies – a statement that should have raised a firestorm of criticism from left and right.

More disheartening than the actual comments was the actual response from the public and news media. We have seen many recent instances of anti-Semitic, homophobic or misogynistic comments from talking heads or celebrities be punished heavily in the court of public opinion – and rightfully so. In those instances, jobs have been lost, fines have been levied and careers have been derailed. In the case of Cain, there was hardly any outcry – and in fact, we saw his early poll numbers rise. Media outlets such as Fox News, who find any reason to be outraged, threw their support behind Cain – declaring him the “winner” of a recent televised debate.

Even though Cain is still considered by many to be a fringe candidate – many other high-profile Republicans have shared similar vitriol toward Muslims – with Donald Trump referencing a “Muslim problem” in the world, and Newt Gingrich comparing Muslims to Nazis on multiple occasions. Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum and Michelle Bachmann have also made disparaging remarks about Muslims, in light of the faux-shariah threat that has engulfed the political world. In fact, a prominent fringe talk-show host Bryan Fisher recently stated that Muslims are not subject to 1st Amendment rights – an extreme position to say the least. Rather than distancing themselves from Fisher’s incendiary comments, many of the aforementioned candidates continue to appear on his radio show, pandering to his audience. Thankfully my children are not old enough to understand the level of hatred that is being kindled in mainstream politics – Will they grow up in amongst a public that hates them, based upon what faith they belong to?

Birther Control

We now have a black President with an exotic sounding name. Halfway through his inauguration speech, when Justice John Roberts flubbed a line – we had a birth (excuse the pun) of a new movement to delegitimize this President. Many from the far-right wing have spread the rumor that Barack Hussein Obama – is a secret Muslim. Political operatives have spent the past few years planting seeds of doubt in the public, so much so, that nearly a quarter of Americans believe that Obama is a Muslim. This is aside from the fact that he has continually professed to be an adherent of the Christian faith for years. From the left, we have seen many commentators come to his defense – but the question is: Why does this question even need to be defended?

Of course we know that Obama is a self-professed devout Christian – which is should end the discussion right there. But what if the President or a prominent politician happened to be a Muslim? Would that delegitimize him as a person, or make him unfit to lead? One of the few prominent figures in the political world who has properly addressed the nuance of this subject matter was former Secretary of State and General Collin Powell. When approached by an interviewer on the topic of Obama’s faith, he said:

“Well, he’s not a Muslim. He’s a Christian. He’s always been a Christian. But the right answer is, well, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in America? …Is there something wrong with some seven year old Muslim-American kid believing that he could be president?”

As General Powell so eloquently stated, the issue shouldn’t be whether Obama is a Christian or a Muslim. In the 21st century, the public discourse should have advanced far beyond the race or religion of an individual. The same opportunities that are afforded to all U.S. citizens should be afforded to Muslim-Americans. Sadly, it appears that Powell’s words reflect the exception in American politics, rather than the rule.

The Rise of the Opportunists

So in this era of anti-Muslim rhetoric, how will it be possible for Muslims to gain a voice in the American political spectrum? Are we just guests of the state, who should be happy that we are allowed to partaking in the American Dream? Unfortunately, many talking heads believe that this is the case – and some of these voices happen to be Muslim.

In recent months, there has been a dangerous term that has been coined, known as “Political Islam.” This term is being thrown around like verbal confetti by pseudo-scholars and social commentators as a perceived threat to western civilization. These talking heads are then invited to speak to government employees or appear on the aforementioned media outlets to scare…I mean educate their audience on the dangers of so-called militant Islam. In the past, I have written about other terms that have been coupled with the word “Islam” in order to build negative perceptions in the public’s minds. Terms such as “Islamo-fascism” and “Islamism” have previously been the go-to words in the right-wing lexicon.

To Muslims, this is very troubling and insulting – that the word Islam – something which we perceive as beautiful, and our source of meaning – has been co-opted for political gain, and being coupled with negative connotation. Anyone who has studied psychology and propaganda knows that coupling a target word – Islam in this case, with other words of negative connotation will in-turn foment a negative perception among the target audience. The same has been done with “sharia” fear-mongering in the US. Take one look at the imagery depicted at the protests. When politicians and mainstream news outlets enable and cater to the public’s fear, it is no wonder that the public discourse turns in such a negative direction.

The term “Political Islam” is thereby a loaded one. Those who have coined and continue to use the term have also enacted a campaign against the most visible and active Muslims groups in the U.S. We have seen groups like the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Political Action Committee targeted by these very critics – in an attempt to tie their political activities into something much more sordid and grey. These groups have unfairly been criticized for not speaking up after terror attacks, or a perceived lack of denouncing violence in the name of Islam. These allegations are obviously false – and it is clear to those who have interacted with and have received these groups’ communications throughout the years. But once again for the general public, perception becomes reality. In an attempt to paint the only politically active major American Muslim groups as some sort of fifth column, or “soft on terror,” it gives credence to the negative connotations created by the terms “Political Islam.” Various anti-Islam websites keep dossiers on these groups, along with prominent Muslims who are involved in politics, in order to create further panic. For many who are profiting off the Islamophobia business, Americans should be alarmed at the sheer existence of Muslim Congressional Staffers, lobby groups, Muslim political party activists.

After looking at the precedents that have been set for American Muslims, there is definitely an uphill battle that we face moving forward. And while the voices of hate and ignorance are seemingly getting a free pass when it comes to making anti-Muslim comments – we are seeing that their character flaws ultimately catch up with them. Just ask Newt and Trump, who used anti-Muslim rhetoric for short term gain, however ended up marginalizing themselves from the race due to continual lies and moral ambiguity. The same can be said of Cain – who is now distancing himself from his divisive comments regarding Muslims. Even the Pizza Man realizes that he has no hope in getting elected on an agenda of fomenting hatred and xenophobia.

But what do I tell my sons? After seeing the level of anti-Muslim sentiment, along with the depths that individuals are willing to sink to in order to discredit Muslims at any level within the political spectrum – do they have any hope for the future? My hope is that the answer is YES. In American history, we have seen fear and political marginalization of many groups – much worse than that which Muslim-Americans are experiencing. In the past, we have seen the black community being counted as 3/5th’s a human being – along with a struggle for political acceptance that persists even today – as in the case of the President Obama “birther” movement. We have seen the Irish and Catholic communities struggle for political acceptance – as recently as the 1960’s. When he was campaigning/elected for President, John F. Kennedy was being viewed by many as a stooge for the Vatican. The Muslim community is now being faced with the same bias – with many questioning the loyalty and enacting those fears into illogical hypothetical doomsday scenarios.

When the time comes, we must be able to tell our children that history is on our side. While it is true that we are seeing many who are benefiting from the denigration of Muslims today, their gain is only short term in nature. Although we may encounter more hurdles than other groups – we must teach our children that the same things that make Islam great: Strength, Loyalty, Integrity and the ability to overcome obstacles – are also attributes of great leadership. And even though we are living in a time of great fear and misinformation – the dreams and aspirations of American children should include the dreams and aspirations of American Muslim children.

Imraan Siddiqi is an entrepreneur, writer and MBA from Arizona State University. He writes the blog Stop Islamophobia Now!, and has been published in the Dallas Morning News, The Oregonian, Counterpunch, SuhaibWebb.com, along with other media outlets.

Commentary

Previous Post

June 8, 2011

Halal foods: An Islamic approach to ethical consumerism

Next Post

June 13, 2011 Afghanistan & Pakistan: Going beyond victim narratives

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2012 Elections 30 Dayd 30 Writers (2017) 30 Days 30 Writers 30 Days 30 Writers (2015) 30 Days 30 Writers (2016) 30 Days 30 Writers (2018) 30 Days 30 Writers 2017 Ali Asadullah Ali Eteraz Alper Bilgili Arthur Richards Asides Asma Uddin Black History Month Briefings Charles Turner Commentary Cyrus McGoldrick Eman H Aly Fatimah Popal Hajj Hajj and Dhul Hijjah Hesham Hassaballa Hisham Hellyer Ibrahim Abusharif Inas Younis Irfan Yusuf Jalal Baig Junaid Afeef Laila Alawa Laila Alwala Mas'ood Cajee Muqtedar Khan Nakia Jackson Newsmakers Parvez Ahmed Podcasts Rabia Chaudry Rafia Zakaria Ramadan Reviews Safiyyah Ally Saud Inam Shahed Amanullah Svend White The Opinionated Oncologist Visions Wajahat Ali Zahed Amanullah Zahir Janmohamed Zainab Khan

Select a Month November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What happened when the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The sun stood still The Jordan parted Fire rained from heaven Dagon's idol fell