by Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah and Mike Dorning
In a bid to get more Muslim Americans working in the Obama administration, a book with resumes of 45 of the nation's most qualified -- Ivy League grads, Fortune 500 executives and public servants, all carefully vetted -- has been submitted to the White House.
The effort, driven by community leaders and others, including Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn) was bumped up two weeks ahead of schedule because White House officials heard about the venture, said J. Saleh Williams, program coordinator for the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association who sifted through more than 300 names.
"It was mostly under the radar," said Williams. "We thought it would put (the president) in a precarious position. We didn't know how closely he wanted to appear to be working with the Muslim American community."
The effort aims to get the administration focused on Muslim Americans, a group that has at times felt like a pariah. During the campaign, Obama's staff prevented Muslim women wearing head scarves from being photographed behind him in one of many incidents that left Muslim Americans feeling slighted by the candidate.
Now, Muslim Americans -- who according to a recent study overwhelmingly backed Obama in the November election -- have been carefully watching the administration's every step.
Most expressed disappointment with Obama's initial silence during Israel's offensive in Gaza. They've been encouraged by the video message the president issued recently to the Iranian people on the eve of the Persian holiday of Nowruz and want more diplomacy with nations such as Syria and Iran. They've been troubled by FBI admissions of sending what activists call "agent provocateurs" into mosques and the bureau's break in ties with Muslim-American organizations such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR.
Community leaders hope the White House will consider Muslim Americans for posts in the administration. They say this is not just a chance for Muslim Americans to show their patriotism but also a chance for the country to engage the community and recognize its importance. There are an estimated 7 million to 8 million Muslims in America, but there have not been any Muslims appointed to key positions, as yet.
A White House aide confirmed the Obama administration had received the resumes, noting that it is "not unusual" for the administration to consider lists of job candidates suggested by constituent groups.
"We're still very much in the middle of the (hiring) process, even when it comes to very senior government employees. These things take time and they're all based on finding the right fit," said the aide, who declined to be identified because he is not authorized to speak publicly for the administration.
"Muslims are not looking for handouts," said Abdul Malik Mujahid, the Downers Grove, Ill., founder of the Muslim Democrats, who points to Zalmay Khalilzad, tapped by former President George W. Bush for many key roles. "We're just looking for equal opportunity and inclusiveness. That will give a far better message to the Muslim world than speeches."
Eboo Patel, founder and executive director of the Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core, said Muslims need to ask themselves what they can do for their country.
"While that question would have made many feel squeamish in the Bush administration, asking that question in the Obama administration should elevate us," said Patel, who was recently appointed to the president's advisory council on faith-based and neighborhood partnerships. "During the era of Obama, it feels right to ask and answer that question."
Many Muslims, such as Rami Nashashibi, executive director of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network in Chicago's Marquette Park area, are ready to serve.
He said he wants the administration to listen to activists like him on domestic issues such as housing or helping ex-offenders re-enter communities. Muslim Americans have a lot more to offer than just feedback on foreign policy or national security issues, Nashashibi said. Obama is off to a good start, said Ellison, the first Muslim member of Congress -- the second is Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind.
"He's done a lot, and I believe he will do more," Ellison said, adding that "I identify with the impatience. I want to see things happen faster."
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Some hope Attorney General Eric Holder will reverse Bush administration actions such as FBI's decision to break formal ties with CAIR because it was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case involving the Texas-based Holy Land Foundation.
"We're hoping that once Eric Holder puts the department in order and places people in different positions, we can re-establish what were very positive relations (with the FBI) in our 15-year history," said CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper.
Many Muslim American leaders are telling members of their community to remain realistic.
Obama is "not going to be a magicmaker," said Imad Hamad, Midwest director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in Michigan. "The chilling effects that this community has endured over the last eight years with the erosion of civil liberties will not end within the first six months of this administration. People are not going to witness a major switch in certain policies."
Comments
It is great to see America striving to achieve her promise. Now, if we can just shake the materialism and militarism, we can become that beacon of hope, for the world !! To all you wingnuts, out there, you know I don't mean that we must stop our economic engine, nor stop protecting ourselves !! We don't have to be the Merchant of Death, to the world. Arms, like people's illnesses, shouldn't be growth industries, in a civilized nation. In the not too distant past, a career in medicine, meant, a community was more beholding to that doctor, or that nurse, for their dedication, for their loyalty to their community. Now, the doctors and some of the nurses, don't even live in the communities they serve. Their job is about a paycheck, now, nothing more. The good life, at the expense of someone else's health and well-being !! Bankers, former pillars in our community, are now the subjects of ridicule and abuse !! Lucre has dirtied the waters and will continue to do so, until we, honestly, address the problem. President Obama was forced to raise $750 million dollars for his campaign for the Presidency !! Do we know what that money could have accomplished, if it were directed towards the needs of the people, the real needs of the people !! Particularly, since the previous administrations, the Bush-Cheney administrations, for the greater part, Republicans, had left President Obama to deal with and try to corral !! Now, President Obama is forced to spend money, to make money, not like the Bush administrations, that included a war agenda, that was kept off the books. An insane notion, spurred by a Reaganesque mindset, that incorporated a script for the ex-President, but horrific deaths for thousands of our bravest, in our Armed Forces, in the War and Occupation of Iraq !! This is the mess that President Obama is confronted with every day and until it goes away, it is our duty, to remind the nation, that it was the Republican Party, with a vicious and outdated ideology, that has sunk the American economy, to new lows, just as it has sunk our spirits, to new lows !! We are America, and no, two, third-rate politicians, will ever got the best of this nation !! We will overcome, the Bush-Cheney malfeasance, because we are a good nation and a strong nation and a fair nation !! Now, the Republican Party can join President Obama in this challenge, getting America, back on solid footing, both economically and morally or they can follow "Rush" Limbaugh's and Newt Gingrich's lead and try to undermine President Obama's efforts. If they take the latter course, they will be the Party of the " Also-Rans ", for many years to come !! I hope more sensible minds come to the fore, to help, that once great Party and win back the hearts and minds of the Republicans. America needs them !! Everyone knows that, but not as they are presently constituted !! They must remake themselves and find new leaders, honest and true !! They must find a new agenda, that addresses the real needs of the people, not new people, to support the old agenda !! I wish them luck, they have their work cut out for them !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, America | March 29, 2009 9:44 AM
Yeah, what could possibly go wrong?
Posted by: Jen06 | March 29, 2009 5:35 PM
So now the White House can discriminate based upon religion? That makes me wonder which minorities are preferred over other minorities when we play the "preference game".
For example, how many of these Muslims were white/European converts to Islam? Certainly if they are Muslim in faith they should be included.
Islam has roots in southeast Asia. How many of these applicants were Filipino or Indonesian or Chinese Muslims?
Do the applicants in this book consist of mainly Middle-Eastern or African ancestry? Are we prefering one or two sets of ethnic Muslims over other ethnic groups of Muslims?
The White House has not answered these questions. This failure stinks of racial discrimination against Caucasian and Asian Muslims. As long as those discriminated against are Caucasian or Asian, is that acceptable to our government?
Once again, government efforts to artificially address race issues and cultural misunderstandings has instead shown how typical liberal mindsets still prefer one group of people over others who are equally qualified, and of the same proclaimed religious background as the "preferred" group of people.
That's why preferences need to go away. Our government cannot help but discriminate against people as long as preferences are in place. The government is not smart enough institutionally to do so, and individual people don't want to give up power in any form. Racial and religious politics tend to be powerful.
Posted by: Rob_S | March 30, 2009 5:24 PM