Posted on 03/04/2008 4:55:38 PM PST by oblomov
Dozens of Muslims flocked into a small town house on Capitol Hill to take a big step, last week. Their goal, to raise funds needed to elect Andre Carson of Indianapolis, IN as the second Muslim to the halls of Congress.
The Carson for Congress fundraiser was held last Wednesday night, February 6th doors from the national headquarters of the Muslim civil rights organization, CAIR.
Less than two years ago, Assad Aktar, an aide for a New Jersey Congressman and organizer of the Carson event, helped to pull together a similar fundraiser for a then-little known State Representative from Minnesota named Keith Ellison.
“When he [Rep. Ellison] started his campaign many people said a Muslim could not get elected to Congress and many others used various means to try to stop him, but because our community stood up for Keith Ellison and refused to bow he is now in Congress standing up for us all on critical issues like civil liberties and ending the War in Iraq.
Congressman Ellison, perhaps not by coincidence, co-hosted the Carson fundraiser, along with Saqib Ali, the first Muslim elected to the Maryland House of Delegates.
A crowd of 50 of the top Muslim leaders in the area responded to brother Assad’s invitation including Imam Yusef Salim of Masjid Muhammad; Nihad Awad and Corey Saylor of CAIR; Omar Karim, a local land developer; Khalil Munier a senior congressional staffer, and Rizwan Jaka of ADAMS Center.
Imam Johari Abdul Malik of Dar Al Hijrah, one of the area’s top fundraisers rallied the crowd to support brother Andre. The call was answered with several individuals giving large contributions of $1000 and upwards.
Jameel Johnson, President of the Prince George’s Muslim Council and a lobbyist for a Wall Street firm also attended. Johnson, who co-hosted the fundraiser for Congressman Ellison, remarked “this is the second [congressional elections] cycle in a row that the Muslims have had a solid candidate of their own running for Congress that they could ray behind.
In previous years, individual Muslims have supported various Members of Congress and other elected officials. Yet, in these past cases, the Muslims have nether received or demanded a tangible return on their investment. Support for Muslims like Keith Ellison and Andre Carson is an investment in ourselves.” Johnson added, “It is a sign of weaning prejudice for Muslims to win elections in districts where we (Muslims) are neither politically active nor make up a clear majority. However, in these cases, we must realize that such Muslim elected officials will be compelled to respond to the concerns of all their constituents. Thus, these Muslim politicians may have difficulty championing all of the issues that mean the most to us as a community.”
Perhaps the youngest Muslim in attendance was Samir Karim, an 18-year old senior student at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda. Karim said he was generally impressed by brother Andre. “He was down-to-earth and smart, both politically and street-wise,” he said.
Street-sense may prove an invaluable asset for Carson to both get elected as the second Muslim Congressman and withstand the strong pressures in Washington that often compromise Muslim and non-Muslim politicians alike.
>>Khalil Munier a senior congressional staffer, and Rizwan Jaka of ADAMS Center.
Some notorious anti-Semites in that list.
Carson's GOP opponent is Jon Elrod. His campaign website is at
We're screwed!
Lets see, doubling CAIRists every election cycle, would be 512 reps in 2024.
Eric Dickerson should have run again. He would take it.
The ROP are a patient folk … they are trying to defeat us, one step at a time. They tried the fast approach (9/11) and discovered that that caused us to rally. Over the intervening years, their strategy has changed dramatically. Now the will try a slower approach through litigation and playing on our sense of fair play.
They will “send us “their” poor, huddled masses (to paraphrase)” and they will vote their comrades into office, one at a time.
They don’t have to “send” us anybody. I doubt that Andre Carson was “sent” from anywhere except his hood.
But those that will vote for him will are another question. ;-)
IIRC, he was only just recently appointed to a seat on the city council, ‘cause one of the elected Dems was actually ineligible to run for that seat and had to step down..
He’s not been really elected to anything
Most of his voters are probably dead, but that’s never really been a problem for a Dem...
I hope you all can make sure it stays that way!
;-)
"Carson fils is a onetime rapper, former state excise police officer and flunky in the state's homeland security agency. He snagged his only political office -- a seat on Indianapolis' city-county council -- after one of his grandmother's proteges resigned when it was revealed that he didn't live in the district. "
This Carson has the same experience as Obama. I see a trend here! Inexperienced community organizers, rappers and transients in control of the greatest country in the world. Looks like there’s no place to go but DOWN!
The best I can tell is about 50% of them. I'm not sure which 50% . . . . . . . .
I guess I’m just getting too old for this new age stuff. I want MY country back, and I’m going to whine til I get it (or die—whichever comes first—LOL!)
“officials will be compelled to respond”
I get very uncomfortable when Muslims use words like compel.
Any relation to Julia?
bttt
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