Another Muslim Seeks Congressional Seat
INDIANAPOLIS — A convert to Islam stands an election victory away from becoming the second Muslim elected to Congress and a role model for a faith community seeking to make its mark in national politics.
Political newcomer Andre Carson is the Democratic nominee in a March 11 special election to succeed his late grandmother, Julia Carson, representing Indiana’s 7th District. She died in December of lung cancer, and her grandson is seeking to fill out the rest of her sixth term, which expires at year’s end.
If Andre Carson wins the Democratic-leaning Indianapolis district over a freshman Republican lawmaker and a longshot Libertarian candidate, he would join Rep. Keith Ellison, Minnesota Democrat, as the only Muslims elected to Congress.
Mr. Carson, 33, said he doesn’t believe his religious identity hurts him politically even while American Muslims struggle to gain acceptance. Polling last summer by the Pew Research Center and Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found 29 percent of Americans held unfavorable views of Muslim Americans, a higher percentage than shortly after September 11, 2001.
“I think it’s more of an advantage,” Mr. Carson said. “It’s a platform to address ignorance. It’s a platform to really show that this campaign is about inclusion of all races and religions.”
However, Mr. Carson said his faith doesn’t drive his stands on issues, other than instilling the values that have shaped his life and led him to public service. He said his decision-making is based on his constituents’ needs.
“For me, the religion piece, it informs me. You need to respect people” regardless of their race, religion or gender, said Mr. Carson, who is black. “That is the foundation I go by.”
Mr. Carson’s grandmother raised him in a Baptist church and enrolled him at an inner-city Catholic school, where he entertained the idea of becoming a priest. As he grew older, he became interested in Islam, reading the poetry of the Sufi mystic Rumi and “The Autobiography of Malcolm X.”
He converted to Islam more than a decade ago and began attending prayers at Nur-Allah Islamic Center, a predominantly African-American Sunni mosque.
“For me, what appealed to me about Islam was the universal aspect of Islam,” he said. “All faiths teach universality. But with Islam, I saw it regularly in the [mosques], the praying, the different races.”
After Julia Carson died Dec. 15, Louis Farrakhan delivered a eulogy at her funeral, leading some local political bloggers to question Andre Carson’s ties to the controversial Nation of Islam leader.
He said the ties barely exist: His mosque is not affiliated with the Nation of Islam. He said he approves of some of the group’s work, including fighting drug use in Indianapolis.
Unlike many U.S. Muslims, Mr. Carson said his faith rarely has become an issue for others in his civic life or law enforcement career that included a stint with an anti-terrorism unit of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
Mr. Carson and Mr. Ellison spoke by telephone recently, and the Minnesota congressman who took office 13 months ago said he advised Mr. Carson to emphasize broad concerns such as the economy, the war in Iraq and global warming.
“These things don’t have any particular religion or color or race,” Mr. Ellison said.
Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council, said both men built their political base by gaining the confidence of Democratic leaders, not by running on their religion.
However, he said they need to demonstrate their faith to Muslim youth and show that civic engagement among Muslims is healthy.
“It counters any sense of isolation or alienation,” Mr. Al-Marayati said.
Corey Saylor, legislative director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Mr. Ellison’s 2006 election marked a breakthrough for U.S. Muslims seeking national office.
“Post-9/11, there was a sense in the community that it would be hard for a Muslim to get elected,” Mr. Saylor said.
He predicted immigrant Muslims will join black Americans like Mr. Ellison and Mr. Carson on the national political scene. Sons and daughters of Muslims who arrived in the United States from Asia and Africa are energized politically and working on campaigns, he said.
“We see people starting to build up the civic resume that will get them elected to public office,” Mr. Saylor said. “Give them five or 10 years.”
Even if Mr. Carson wins the special election next month and serves the remainder of his grandmother’s term, he almost immediately will face a challenge to hold the seat. The May 6 Democratic primary for the seat’s next full term has attracted several candidates.
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“For me, the religion piece, it informs me. You need to respect people” regardless of their race, religion or gender, said Mr. Carson, who is black. “That is the foundation I go by.”
Hey, I go by that too, except when the religion in question is a violent one bent on killing me and my family. In that case, respect is replaced by a certain desire to throw the person in question through a wall.
February 15th, 2008 at 11:08 pmI hope the good people of Indiana are smart enough to not elect this moon god worshipper. it always starts with one, then it opens the door for more. Pretty soon they will be working together to pass muslim related bills and thats where i draw the line
February 15th, 2008 at 11:42 pmI live in Indianapolis, and Andre seems like a nice enough guy. He’s not really in your face about his religion. Anyways religion has never been a deciding factor in who i vote for. But whatever, think what you want to think. If you want to think of him as a crazy extremist bent on forcing Muslim issues and values onto American society go right ahead, its a free country.
February 15th, 2008 at 11:55 pmI live in Indianapolis, and Andre seems like a nice enough guy. He’s not really in your face about his religion. Anyways religion has never been a deciding factor in who i vote for. But whatever, think what you want to think. If you want to think of him as a crazy extremist bent on forcing Muslim issues and values onto American society go right ahead, its a free country.
It’s just a bad idea.He may be a great guy, but to me that is besides the point.We have watched the slow decline in Europe. There are laws that forbid the use of Muslim and terrorist in the same sentence, there is also talk of implementing sharia law in certain areas.I would prefer not to put Muslims in a position to lobby congress. We already have a problem with CAIR, why invite more controversy.We already have one Muslim in congress who was swore in on the very book that calls for our destruction.
February 16th, 2008 at 5:18 amnot really in your face about his religion.??
thay never are!..thay move with stelth,and deception.
Mohammed is the great Deceiver. they are masters at the game of Chess.
were in deep shit.
February 16th, 2008 at 5:59 am“It’s a platform to address ignorance. For me, what appealed to me about Islam was the universal aspect of Islam,” he (Carter) said. “All faiths teach universality. But with Islam, I saw it regularly in the [mosques], the praying, the different races.” — Carter
Yes, please address our ignorance Carter. Explain how the “universal aspect of Islam” relegates women to second class citizens. Explain the blatant dichotomy between universal and men/women required to pray, eat, fraternize in seperated areas. Perhaps you could recite one of your inspiring Sufi poems to enlighten us plebes on the Muslim aspect of universal segregation.
February 16th, 2008 at 7:31 amI love it when an American converts to Islam without ever having seen what Islam is really like. He should have to travel to some countries in the middle east and see how the religion has completely fucked these people.
February 16th, 2008 at 7:55 am——————————————————-
Yup … uh huh … he’ll be just great for the country.
February 16th, 2008 at 8:50 am@ Cowbell: “If you want to think of him as a crazy extremist bent on forcing Muslim issues and values onto American society go right ahead, its a free country.”
There will be no “forcing” in America until it is too late. Once they have slowly populated positions of power and run on a “fighting ignorance” platform and whatever other sugar-coated lump of crap that American’s like to swallow so they can feel warm and fuzzy about themselves without having to work too hard, it will be too late.
The ignorance that needs to be fought is is absolutely like the young man says it is… Americans REALLY need to understand Islam. However the forces working against us (and promoting their agenda) want people to believe the version that will keep America’s spoiled, overweight, lazy, undereducated, could-care-less masses happily playing game-boy and watching “reality” TV instead of taking political action or being aware of what is actually going on in our country. (Go back to sleep… nothing to see here… We’re not here to hurt you… Go back to sleep… Shhhh… There, there, you really don’t understand us… it’s OK… isn’t the biggest loser on tonight?… There ya go… Good American, you can feel proud of yourself).
It is a part of their war plan. Even if this kid is starry eyed into believing that he is doing the right thing… he gets elected and the bad guys start slipping him contributions, etc. and then they start to manipulate him a little at a time. Just like the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers remake “Invasion” only with islam instead of the body snatchers…
Follow what is going on over at jihadwatch.com and dhimmi watch and you’ll start to see a pattern. Look at the poor bastards in Europe who are starting to wake up and realize that they’ll be wearing the headscarf soon since even the HEAD of the Church of England says they should adopt Sharia law.
Call me paranoid, but I’ve been to Iraq and Afghanistan and have seen with my own eyes what living that way does to the people of a society. We don’t want that here.
February 16th, 2008 at 8:53 amIf you seriously think this guy is horrible just because he is muslim you might want to re-evaluate yourself. Why does it matter if he’s muslim? Guess what, there are christians and jews in congress as well. There are muslims who have no desire to kill everyone and who do not believe that killing innocents is anything to look up upon. Study the man first and see if he will be good or bad.
February 16th, 2008 at 9:27 am@Joe:
A Muslim is a Muslim he’s not a Christian or a Jew. Anyone who follows Muhammed is an enemy of freedom. Now how did I come to that conclusion? It’s beacuse I read what the Koran says about non-Muslims. And the Sira and the Sunni Hadith.
These people are waging a soft-jihad against the US. Their aim is Muslim supremacy and conquest. Nothing more, nothing less same as their false prophet did in the 7th century.
I don’t need to study the man. I’ve already studied his Muslim philosophy. He’s the enemy of the state.
Before you start supporting a Muslim, you might try educating yourself as to their philosophy. Don’t buy into what they say in public as gospel. It’s what they say in private in their own language that is the truth.
I don’t care what you say. To Muslims all non Muslims are scum. The Jews are pigs and Christians are apes. The US is the far enemy and Isarel the near enemy.
Let’s let a typical Moose-head speak for himself:
“In his address, Al-Ghazzawi (whose name means “from Gaza”) urges the Palestinians to participate in the war against “the unbelievers, headed by the U.S., Europe and Iran” who are attacking Islam. He stresses that they must begin by fighting the Jews, who are their nearest enemies.”…
Is it clearer now?
Fuck him and all like him.
Save the Muslim apologetics for the naive crowd. There’s no Dhimis in here. Sell that shit that your selling elsewhere cause we ain’t buying it.
February 16th, 2008 at 10:03 amIf people don’t wake up, our grandkids (or kids) are going to be hitting a prayer rug five time a day.
Sweeden is almost there.
February 16th, 2008 at 10:27 amhttp://www.thelocal.se
i have seen too many beheadings, heard way too much rhetoric to let any of this naive or dhimmi attitude penetrate my ears. Its too late and its clear to me what their intentions are. I have done enough studying of the man and or many like him. the word ‘moderate’ is nothing more than a tool, a trojan horse.
They will “re-evaluate” themselves way before i do.
February 16th, 2008 at 10:35 amYeah, guys, Come on now … let’s NOT forget all those fascists and Nazis that were voted into office during WWII …
February 16th, 2008 at 10:54 am