André Carson – A Leader Deserving Support
By C. Naseer Ahmad
Washington, DC
Political opportunism and demagoguery caused a belligerently ignorant candidate to call for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims.” It defies logic and as many wise leaders have said, it is un-American.
A simple internet search will tell you, according to a National Public Radio (NPR) report on January 13, 2015 , almost a year earlier that Honorable André Carson, a Muslim Congressman from Indiana was appointed to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. This report quotes an informative article in the Huffington Post , which narrates his conversion from his Baptist family origins to Islam through a deeply personal experience of observing the Muslims in his community who were helping bring peace to the neighborhood and pushing back crime.
Research of his election campaigns results are a testament to his political skills because he has beaten his opponents handily in every contest in Indiana’s 7 th Congressional District, which was previously held by his late grandmother. Right wing extremists have unsuccessfully tried mudslinging but he has come.
Getting to know Representative Carson is easy because he is approachable and affable. During a chance encounter at a dinner with his close friends and supporters, he talked about his journey towards Islam which included reading the Qur’an translated into English by Maulana Mohammad Ali. It is a text familiar to this writer because my father recited many verses for me before going to bed every night.
Experts opine that tackling complex problems require both sensitivity and intelligence. Just because one possesses a hammer does not mean that every nagging societal problem is a nail worthy of brute militaristic approach. Representative Carson’s life experience includes being briefly homeless and having a mother suffering from mental illness. But, his professional life includes working in law enforcement and homeland security.
Representative Carson’s interview with the Huffington Post informs the readers about the people who influenced him to go into public service. He cited late Congressman Andy Jacobs, whom he considered like his dad and his father-in-law Judge David Shaheed, who was the first elected Muslim judge in the United States.
As a practicing Muslim, Representative Carson takes pride in his beliefs: “It was the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, who stated explicitly in the Hadith that a man who educates his daughters is granted paradise. I think that has figurative implications and political implications. In the prophet’s last sermon, he said there is no superiority - white over black, Arab over non-Arab - words that were quite visionary and also applicable to our times today.”
Demands on the time of today’s leaders require that they be agile and dexterous. As example of this was Representative Carson’s taking leave from his friends to go back to the Capitol Building to cast the vote that would keep the US Government funded until early December 2016. When he returned a few minutes later, the conversation continued seamlessly.
Leader Nancy Pelosi also joined the conversation showing not only support for Representative Carson but also her admiration. During her term as House Speaker, Leader Pelosi was vilified mercilessly by her opponents. But the dinner table conversation shows Leader Pelosi being gifted with charm, sincerity and wisdom. In supporting leaders like Representative Carson, Leader Pelosi is communicating her desire to nurture future leaders of this great nation who will carry the torch forward.
A particularly delightful experience from the dinner conversation was to hear Leader Pelosi speak with pride and joy on the visit to Italy and governmental counterparts along with her young protégé. Her eyes sparkled and her face radiated with joy while talking about attending the 800 th Anniversary of the Pardon of Assisi with a member of the House Intelligence Committee who also happened to be a Muslim.
As the gracious leader described the beautiful 800 th Anniversary of the Pardon of Assisi, she was envisioning the harmony between Christians and Muslim for which devoted public servants like Representative Carson are the right kind of messengers who deserve support.
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