More slander

       The persons below are currently in some sort of relationship with the Obama administration, which has led to the circulation of several scurrilous e-mails. Apparently their sin is that they are Muslim. This was apparently not an issue when George W. Bush was President, since he appointed some of them,  but is an issue now, because of the undying rumor that the president is a Muslim (Baptist sect).  

     Arif Alikhan – assistant Secretary for Policy development for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Son of Pakistani immigrants, appointed by Clinton, served Bush as a career prosecutor in the DOJ (Bush kept him for 5 years after 9/11!) Guest lecturer at Yale Law school (Bush’s alma mater) Member of Ford Foundation foreign policy task force. LA Deputy mayor for homeland security, 2006-2009. His great flaw – a “Muslim sounding” name

      Mohammed Elibiary - Homeland Security Advisor Republican, Founded security firm, supports Muslim Brotherhood.  Having cultivated a reputation as a moderate Muslim -- "the country's leading Muslim deradicalization expert," according to one media report -- Elibiary has advised numerous federal, state and local law-enforcement organizations on homeland security-related matters. Many of these were states run by Republican administrations, which was not a problem until the current Administration brought him onboard.

      Rashad Hussain – U.S. Special Envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Born in Wyoming, raised in Texas, Indian descent. Dad is mining engineer, mom and big sis are MDs. Apparently his crime is being brilliant, as he completed a BA in poly/sci and philosophy in two years at UNC chapel Hill (Phi Beta Kappa) masters from Harvard and a JD from Yale, where he edited the law review. Rashad’s position (Special Envoy) was created by President G’ W’ Bush and the Bush appointee was a Republican Muslim, Sada Cumber, born in Pakistan. He became a citizen 8 years after Rashad Hussain was born in Wyoming! One of the brightest men in America, but there’s that Muslim sounding name again!

Salam al-Marayati  - Not a great choice, but the biggest criticism of him stems from his anti-Israel stance, in which he is not alone either as a Muslim or as an American. In fact, some of his strongest critics are, themselves, anti-Semites. The target of severe scrutiny by American Jewish media persons. His former organization was praised by both the Times and The Philadelphia for efforts to decry Muslim terrorism, but he is still sort of an Islamic version of Patrick Buchanan.

Imam Mohamed Magid - Strives to create and foster dialogue and increase understanding about Islam. Part of his work with the Buxton Interfaith Initiative included forging a partnership with Rabbi Robert Nosanchuk, then leader of the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation in Reston. Both men were recognized by the Washingtonian as "2009's Washingtonians of the Year" for building bridges between their faith communities. Imam Magid continues to provide good counsel for the Muslim community through his regular contributions to ISNA's magazine, Islamic Horizons, as well as a speaker and leader of discussions on imminent issues facing the Muslim American community. He is also well known for his family counseling expertise. Imam Magid lives in Virginia with his wife and five young daughters. Rather like Billy Graham, without the racist and anti-semitic sentiments  (yes, really, no shit.  The White House tapes of the Nixon era are rife with them)

Eboo Patel - American Ismaili Muslim of Gujarati Indian heritage and founder and president of the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based international nonprofit that aims to promote interfaith cooperation. Born in Mumbai, raised in Illinois, educated at U. of Illinois and Oxford (PhD [Rhodes Scholar]). He developed the idea for an Interfaith Youth Corps, formulated through his relationship with Brother Wayne Teasdale and blessed by the Dalai Lama, that would bring young people of different faiths together around service and dialogue. While a student at Oxford, Patel ran numerous interfaith youth projects in India, Sri Lanka, and South Africa.  He officially founded IFYC in 2002 with a Jewish friend and a $35,000 grant from the Ford Foundation. Today the organization employs approximately 30 people and has a $4 million operating budget. This guy is one of our brightest and best. Apparently his great crime is being a Muslim, since in every other way he is a candidate for sainthood.

 I know, I know, why did I spend so much time looking up the bios on these guys? Well a dear friend who frequently forwards before reading sent me an e-mail criticizing the Obama administration for having these guys in advisory capacity.  Apparently any government position would be inappropriate in the eyes of the original drafter of this e-mail, which like so many these days is short on substance and long on hate speech. The only analogy I can think of would be to  criticize the White house for having  any  Catholic advisors because the terrorists in Northern Ireland are Catholic (yeah, I know half of them are Protestant).  If I wished to be able to carry on dialogue with the Amish community, to this person’s deranged hate filled mindset, I guess I’d ask a Buddhist for advice and insight.

The obvious issue here is classifying and stereotyping an entire religion, with sects as far apart (or further apart) as Mormons and Episcopalians.  As my dear friend Malik once said, “Haters are gonna hate.”  I fear more for those who read these scurrilous e-mails and refuse to exercise their minds enough to evaluate the truth or falsehoods therein.