Can a Muslim ever become president?

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.

http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/can_a_muslim_ever_become_president/

bit of consolation. At one time, in our country a
Catholic could not be elected President (Al Smith).

Then John F Kennedy went for it and made it. Time
has a way of "fixing" things.

>.<

can look to Cheney and the Neos. Once we lost the Russians as a villain we needed another to keep the MIC alive and kickin'.

hey! maybe they are actually weirdly progressive!:crazy: :P

I'm taking a break from the heat - about to go take a siesta. My two boys went to some wedding last night - seems people were traipsing in and out of here all night and I get up at 4:30...:mad:

See you in the Lounge.

:hi:

1. Israel keeping the land it coveted during the Six Day War,
2. Advocate for Christian prayers at almost any public event,
3. Advocate for gun control for Muslims and no gun control for everyone else,
4. Call for indefinite imprisonment for all terrorists at private prison camps, and

She or He still wouldn't be electable at this point in time.

Ask again in another 100 years.

Perhaps in a few decades, but no time soon.

..."Can a black man ever become president?"

And until not too long ago my best guess was "No".

Things change.

Not in the foreseeable future at any rate.

They would never allow it. Ever.

the Rapture.

but 40 years ago, no one (including Maggie Thatcher herself) expected that there'd be a woman Prime Minister of the UK within 10 years. 10 years ago, few people expected that there'd be a black President of the USA within the near future. So I suppose almost anything is possible.

Slightly related, I thought of this thread while reading Salon.com. It's a short article and worth the read


http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/06/13/weiner_huma_abedin_islam

Neocon flack: Weiner may have converted to Islam


A neoconservative public relations operative argues the Jewish congressman may have converted to Islam

By Justin Elliott



edited for grammer