Andre Carson
Posted on March 12, 2008 by Tariq Nelson
…last night became the 2nd Muslim US Congressman
Democrat Andre Carson appeared to have won his bid tonight to replace his grandmother in representing the 7th Congressional District.
With 73 percent of precincts counted, Carson was leading by a margin of slightly more than 52 percent compared to Republican Jon Elrod’s 44 percent.
Hopefully he will be much like Keith Ellison. Another victory for grassroots work and staying connected to the community over isolation
Filed under: Black American Muslims
[...] Its Two Muslims In Congress Posted in Uncategorized by eteraz on March 11th, 2008 Andre Carson, Indiana, wins. « !Liveblog! Islam and the Secular State [...]
salaams tariq
kudos on noticing this. I’ve linked to it from diaries at dkos and mydd, so you may have an influx of new readers today. I also added it to the Carnival of Brass.
I think that is wonderful. It shouldn’t matter what background a congressman/woman is from, it’s all about the love of the people and serving them.
SA,
It”s good that Muslims are represented in the Congress, but to be honest these representatives forget completely they are Muslims once they get there.What, for example, has Keith Ellison done for Muslims since he was elected? Nothing.
He recently voted for a resolution condemning the Palestinians for their defense against Israeli occupation.
this is what he had to say to justify his vote:”
Mr. Speaker, today I voted in favor of House Resolution 951 to condemn rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel and the death and fear those attacks have caused. These rocket attacks must be condemned, and they must be stopped. I’ve been to Sderot, and I have seen how these rocket attacks cause fear and suffering among the people there, where it is extremely difficult to carry on anything approaching a normal life. The residents of Sderot and now Ashkelon face a daily barrage of rockets, and that is intolerable. Terrorists are bombing citizens, not soldiers. There is nothing in Islam to justify hurting innocent civilians. Bombers cannot use religion to justify what they’re doing, and I condemn it.
But this resolution is not enough. If we want to be morally consistent, we must condemn rocket attacks on Israel and also condemn the humanitarian crisis in Gaza too. The 1.4 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip exist in a state of dreadful isolation, quite literally cut off from the world.. Basic supplies and necessities are at a minimum. Ninety percent of the industry has closed down. Unemployment is rampant, and poverty and disease are endemic. Only a few weeks ago, the people of Gaza broke through walls to buy groceries in Egypt. I regret the resolution we voted on today did not devote adequate attention, in my view, to the plight of the people of Gaza.
To suggest that this is the Gazans’ just desserts for voting the wrong way in the Palestinian legislative elections in January 2006 does nothing to improve the quality or alleviate the human suffering on either side of the border. We in Congress need to show compassion for the people of Gaza, Sderot, and Ashkelon and the tremendous human suffering they are undergoing.. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he does not want the humanitarian crisis in Gaza to continue, and the Bush administration should do all it can to help him meet that commitment.
This resolution criticizes one of the leading advocates for stability and peace in the region: Egypt. The Egyptian Government has made it clear that it is doing all it can to close off smuggling. What’s needed is a greater degree of cooperation with Egypt. This resolution does nothing to advance that cooperation. We need to engage Egypt, not pass resolutions that publicly offend or diminish our relations with them. Absent strong evidence that Egypt is complicit in allowing weapons smuggling to occur, I am not in favor of Egypt bashing.
I understand Egypt is doing what it can to control the border despite restrictions on its security forces imposed by Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel. If Egypt had direct contact or diplomatic channels with all parties involved in the conflict, the United
[Page: H1317] GPO’s PDF
States should prevail upon Egypt to help effect a prisoner exchange, stop the rocket attacks on Israeli citizens, and improve the humanitarian conditions for citizens of Gaza.
It’s a fortunate coincidence that the Secretary of State is in the region right now, and I am supportive of her taking an active role in resolving this conflict. Beyond resolutions and expressions of sympathy, we need real actions from the Bush administration to solidify and advance the commitments of leaders in the Middle East to a lasting peace through the two-state solution envisioned well before Annapolis. I ask my colleagues here in the House to join me in urging the Secretary of State to highlight the humanitarian needs of ordinary citizens of Gaza alongside the fear and death among ordinary Israelis as she seeks to mediate the situation so tragic for all involved.
Finally, as a Member of Congress, I am concerned about the resolution’s references to Iran. Now, I agree that Iran is playing a negative role in the region, but we have seen what the Bush administration has done with past congressional resolutions. I want to repeat that there is nothing in the resolution that should be construed as a justification for military action. I remain opposed to military action against Iran. We need to start a bilateral dialogue. That has been and will continue to be my position. The most effective way to stop Iran’s harmful activities is to engage them directly.
Mr. Speaker, though I wholeheartedly condemn the rocket attacks on Israel, I urge my colleagues to consider the suffering of all of the people, including the people of Sderot, Ashkelon, and Gaza.”
The resolution was passed 404 to 1 (Ron Paul).
ASA,
We may have 3rd Muslim congressman soon, insha’ALLAH.
Sam Rasoul is making a run for Congress in Virginia.
http://samrasoul.blogspot.com/
MuslimMan, As Salaamu Alaykum. I have read your entry and failed to understand how you came to the resolution that Honorable Keith Ellison has forgotten that he is Muslim. I have read Rep. Ellison statement and I have no problem with it. I relate it to my work as a police officer. If I see a Muslim committing a crime should I overlook it because he is Muslim. I think not. We as Muslim should stand for justice whether it be for or against us. The killing of innocent civilians, children, the elderly is haram. Throwing up missles for them to land anywhere with no specific target is haram.