AP Photos/Al GoldisSaturday November 8, 2008
Michigan’s first Muslim rep
DETROIT: Michigan is getting its first female Muslim legislator, thanks in large part to her Jewish boss, the incumbent.
Rashida Tlaib, a lawyer, community activist and daughter of Palestinian immigrants, easily won a House seat in Tuesday’s general election after emerging from an eight-way Democratic primary with 44% of the vote in August.
Tlaib, 32, said she wouldn’t have run but for the repeated urging of Democratic state Representative Steve Tobocman, who is stepping down because of term limits.
Once she decided to run, she threw herself into it, knocking on 8,000 doors and hitting each household twice.
Southeastern Michigan has about 300,000 people with roots in the Arab world, but few of them live in Tlaib’s largely black and Hispanic district in southwest Detroit.
“We view her victory as a sign that Michigan Muslims are welcomed as a part of our state’s multi-faith and multiethnic society,” said Dawud Walid, Michigan director of the Coun- cil on American-Islamic Relations.
According to the American Muslim Alliance, only nine Muslims were serving in state legislatures nationwide before Tuesday’s elections, and only one of them is a woman. There are two Muslim members of Congress – Democrats Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Andre Carson of Indiana.
The Michigan Legislature’s first known Muslim member, James Karoub, served three terms in the state House in the 1960s.
Tobocman said he first met Tlaib about five years ago when she was working for the Arab Community Centre for Economic and Social Services, where she did advocacy work for immigrants.
“I was just really, really impressed,” he said. When he later became majority floor leader and got another staff slot, he recruited Tlaib for the job. He said she brings a passion for social justice and the ability to work with people across the political aisle with very different outlooks.
“She’s someone who just intuitively understood the process right off the bat,” Tobocman said.
The election was only one of many firsts for Tlaib. The eldest of 14 children of a retired Ford Motor Co worker and his wife, she was the first in her family to earn a high school diploma. — AP
And she wasn't the only one who stood for elections either. Read about the other Muslim-American women candidates here.
40 comments:
Here we see people of different faiths working together and coming up with terrific results. Cant say the same about Malaysia though. Most Malaysians havent seen a jew in their life, but seem to hate them to the core and no doubt will whack the crap out of one if they had the chance.
Time we move on from all this religious bullshit. We all believe in god. The name for my god might be different from your but its god non the less as we are all humans. We need to learn how to work together for the betterment not of one's religion but of humanity as a whole.
After all we might not be alone in this universe :D
Dear Harvin, muslims are taught to hate Jews since young age. The hatred can't be eliminated in their lifetime.
Joseph, seriously, what IS your problem?! you're as antagonistic, bigoted and ignorant as the very group of Muslims you hate so much. and you expect THEM to change?! ayo …
God is Love and all religions espouse love for humanity. I am surprised Muslims are taught to hate Jews from young. Islam doesn't differentiate color, creed, and religion. It's a religion of peace and justice. May be the religion has been hijacked by people with vested interest and these people give a bad name for the religion.
This may seem a little off-topic, but in actuality, it's not - remember the Yoga Fatwa?
Coming so soon after the Tomboy Fatwa, I have this feeling that the Yoga one is also primarily targeted at Malay/Muslim women.
In any case, if anyone's interested in taking a poll on what you think the decision will be, you may do so here (at the side bar).
I think that the reason why a Muslim Woman has a better chance at succeeding at whatever she has set her mind on in the US (or Canada, for that matter), is because over there, gender, race and religion are not valid factors of discrimination anymore (or getting less so). Instead, the benchmarks are capability and forthrightness, as they should be, more than anything else.
I'm going to mention the hated "S" word again soon... but in truth, that word just about says it all.
And the "S" word I have in mind is... secular - until and unless we can decouple our public sphere from religious (and racial) pre-conceived conditions and concerns, you'll never see such a thing happen, where a person is judged not by their race/religion/affiliation, but by their creed and race.
The separation of state and mosque/church/synagogue is one success factor, IMHO, and that separation does not a God-less society make, as much as certain quarters would have you believe.
Actually, Juana, Joseph does have a point, basing on my own personal experience - although, I would go further to say that the fear/hate is targeted not just at the Jews, but anyone that fits into the category of the ubiquitous "other"...
joseph do not know zion treat people apart from jews as a GOYIM (animal).
Tak payah bising-bising nak argue la.. pergi buat kerja.. cari duit.. at the end u mati jugak.. tak boleh bawak duit masuk kubur..
tak habis-habis mahu bikin kacau sama macam zion juga..
Apa punya outdated HARVIN DHILLON.. pandai manipulated (one of protocol of zion plan)
Yang banyak menteri kabinet dari bukan Islam dan bukan Melayu bersatu dengan muslim untuk mentadbir negara bukan working together ke? u all suka bikin kacau, rakyat dah pilih BN untuk memerintah, bagi la BN memerintah. John McCain pun ucap tahniah kepada Obama dan mintak rakyat US sokong sepenuhnya pentadbiran Obama.
Most Jew pun havent seen a Malaysian in their life. Tapi kenapa nak kecoh-kecoh bagi bantuan IMF. Nak support anwar become PM. Kata demokrasi, demokrasi pun zion yang buat, coalation yang menang PRU12 lah yang mentadbir negara. Apa punya double-standard statement da..
Kalau u tak suka dengan BN u campaign bagus-bagus kasi Pakatan Rakyat menang PRU 13. I pun akan ikut keputusan rakyat. Buat apa nak bikin kacau, nak cari rezeki pun susah. Jangan suka bikin kacau la.
P/S : Dunia hampir ke akhir zaman, kafir keep attacking Islam.
I am not anti-muslim. I am pro-Jews. That's it. For me, they are the one kena bully, not muslims.
Ni lagi satu PROFESOR PALANI,
Muslim tak benci kepada Yahudi. Muslim diajar untuk mempertahankan maruah Islam dan negara apabila diserang. Israel keep attacking Palestin. US attack Iraq dan Afghanistan. Serbia attack Bosnia. King Ferdinand dan Queen Isabella destroy Muslim in Andalusia during Islam Empire. Other than that Zion use Psychology War towards other muslim country such as Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Cuba ko fikir ada ke US nak attack Rusia atau Korea Utara. Negara Cuba yang US dok benci pun US tak attack ko tau.. the truth is not the skin.. it's religious dissimilarity.
Dasar US yang menghancurkan Islam ko nak suruh org Islam surrender ke..
Kalau hindu kena attack ko nak duduk diam ke.. Tak kena attack pun buat kacau kat Ibu Negara dan memberi gambaran buruk negara luar terhadap malaysia. Politik tak stabil investor pun takut nak invest kat malaysia. Ekonomi pun jadi lembab. memang air dah masuk kepala dlm kepala prof palani.
Orang Islam pun tak bunuh tawanan kafir. Mereka dijaga baik, diberi makan minum dan mana yang berilmu disuruh mengajar ilmu kepada orang Islam. Ko tanya Yvonne Ridley macamana Taliban jaga dia.
I dah agak dah some of chinese in Malaysia ada yang Pro Jews.
Patutla Malaysia jadi huru-hara.
Come-on la Joseph. Financial Market and Banking monopolize by Jews since Rotshcild Brothers open their bank in Europe.
Economy Systems, Current Money System, Interest for money lending are created by Jews for them to easily attack Goyim economy.
US adalah proksi kepada zionis yang banyak attack negara Islam. Siapa yang attack siapa sekarang ni..
GOYIM : Gelaran kepada umat manusia selain Jew yang bermaksud binatang.
Gee, I wish you all would stick to the topic of the post which in this case is about a Muslim woman who has become a Congresswoman in the US. Doesn't anyone want to congratulate her?
All this anti-Muslim/anti-Jew/anti-Christian stuff is really best fought elsewhere. This woman Rashida Tlaib just shows how irrelevant it all is.
And Joseph, nobody has a problem with Jews. But lots of people, including Jews, have problems with Zionists.Please see http://www.onevoicemovement.org/
the conspiracy theory of zionist was made up from muslims, I don't believe it at all. tharieq, bkn suma pandangan muslim adalah betol. Harap maklum. Dear MM, I sure congrate her for her achievement. It only shows how great US has been until now, so diversified and accomodative.
To be frank I just dislike self-righteous attitude of muslims. Before judgment day, you can't say for sure which religion is 100% right in the eyes of the GOd, agree? so please don't impose your views and force others to agree with you.
May the God open our eyes >.<
Joseph, I'm sorry but you are just as self-righteous as those you don't like.
You might like to read what a Jew, Noam Chomsky, has to say about Israel and Palestine.
http://www.chomsky.info/articles/20080403.htm
Give me the proof and tell the bloggers conspiracy theory of zionist was made up from muslims.
The Zionists—the Jesuits are the Great Zionists. They control all of the historical High Zionists—Theodor Herzl, David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir. Zionism is a Masonic term, coined by the Jesuits. They are the rulers; they are the Protocols; they are the Elders of Zion. So the Zionists are, indeed, evil and wicked; but they are controlled by Rome. The Jews are not all Zionists.
The translator from original Book "protocol of elder zion" is Briton journalist name Victor Marsden.
The research fund by Henry Ford to find the truth of this protocol. And the find out is align with past and present situation.
Proof me Victor Marsden and Henry Ford are Muslims.
just stop all this attacks between religions.
when your religions teach u to love as all came from the same source, u only know how to hate.
why can't u see beyond skin color and belief?
all human has red blood.
To me, Rashida Tlaib is a successful person and i congratulate her. period.
Dear Marina,
does she have to be a muslim woman for u to congratulate her?
Non-conformis, I think when the climate during the US elections was so nasty about Muslims vis-a-vis the attempts by the Republicans to make Obama's Muslim heritage seem like the worst thing, it is an achievement for Rashida to win this seat. She's breaking new ground and proving that anyone can do it, just like Obama did. She will set a fine example to other minority women. At the same time, she gives a positive image of Muslims in general.
So yeah, it's worth remarking on. The Associated Press thought so too obviously.
Dear MarinaM,
Right before everybody here posted his/her comments, I had read the article and, I had expected clashes in arguments would be arising sooner or later.
Clashes could be healthy when you don't attach too much of your self-ego, self-esteem to your opinion, and however vehemently you disagree with the others'.
What is needed is respect for the other people's point of view, even when you think yours is the truest one.( But please remember: We are no God; We are human beings--always the fallible one! )
I am a Buddhist. Our monk master sometimes tells us: "Respect the other religions, the way you would like others to respect us. And if you would like to convert to another religion, you are free to do it, for, any legitimate religion in this world is a good religion."
Though I know that that kind of preaching would be unacceptable to the uni-theist religions...
Anyway, thank God, and thanks to the internet, we are able to let all the clashes be done electronically, only!
Marina, you are one of many Malaysians of Malay origin I know who celebrate the election of a racial minority as president of the USA. And now you are supporting another racial minority in her quest to be a senator. I applaud your stand. However, I am disappointed of the racists stand that your father and your brother especially has taken lately in the champion for their Ketuanan Melayu. While I have seen you highlighted and mocked other politicians who spewed racist nonsense, I have never seen you criticize your brother's racist stand.
Dear Marina,
Would it not be nice if Mdm Low could be appointed to head PKNS without any Muslims/Malays batting an eyelid?
And where does all this "Ketuanan Melayu" came from?
I blame your dad for the deep chasm that exist between the races in our beloved country.
Your dad not only condoned it but flamed it (witness his remarks in recent months in Johor - appalling and digusting to say the least) and let such poison fester for years and years.
It would be nice if you tell your dad to keep quiet and not bother us any more. Many of us have had enough of him.
Yes, he should be accorded the freedom of speech. But with his stature in this country, he should be held to the highest standards. That means divisive speech and comments is absolutely unbecoming of him.
hi Aunty,
i’m sorry but i’m going to reply to a comment directed to me regarding somethings you’d rather we move on.
hey there walski69,
my response to Joseph’s comment had quite a bit to do with sweeping statements he’s made elsewhere on this blog as well. maybe i should learn to scroll pass those quickly next time.
one wouldn’t be so annoyed by his statement up here if it weren’t so unsubstantiated. the relationship between Muslims and Jews today is an extremely complex one, largely to do with politics, and made even more complex by both sides (and 3rd parties like Joseph) preferring to see each other as some kind of homogeneous unit.
as for the “ubiquitous ‘other’” you referred to … that exists in all traditions, let’s be honest about that. any group of people with any kind of identity will recognise those outside their group as “the other”. what’s important is not that we’re different (we’re always going to be different: gender, religion, ethnicity, ideology, etc) but whether we want to see the dignity in difference.
to the statement “muslims are taught to hate Jews since young age. The hatred can't be eliminated in their lifetime.” … if this kind of statement is acceptable, then unfortunately, so is the kind that says Christians are taught to hate Jews since a young age via Sunday Schools that tell them Jesus (PBUH) was crucified by Jews and that Jews were tax collectors whom Jesus dealt with as he did sinners … and that the hatred can’t be eliminated in their lifetime.
do you see how this kind of thinking, especially when verbalised, can lead to animosity, and maybe even violence?
by the way, that the people of Michigan, in post-9/11 America, can look beyond the fact that Rashida is a (brown, female) Muslim says a lot about them as a community. likewise her Jewish boss, who prefers to judge her based on her abilities. well done to them!
the very fact that this article highlights the positive relationship between Rashida, a Muslim, and Tobocman, a Jew, dispels the notion that “muslims are taught to hate Jews since young age. The hatred can't be eliminated in their lifetime.”
if that sweeping statement were true, Rashida wouldn’t have ended up working for Tobocman. her eternal hate for all Jews due to her parents’ brainwashing probably wouldn’t have paved the way for their union.
let’s not forget that she had willingly put herself up for election to be part of the United States’ Congress which, collectively, has pledged to protect the security of the state of Israel and its interests. a self-professed Muslim who is an instinctive “Jew-hater” (as Joseph suggests, they all are) would probably not want to be part of this system.
greedy, still not enough..
I'll just bet the usual suspects who are decrying the appointment of Mdm Low as (Temporary Acting) head of PKNS would be the first to highlight with glee Rashida's achievement. With no sense of irony either!
Sorry Tharieq, is that you meant by 'greedy, still not enough..'?
Smoking gun
Marina,
Some people go for public office because they have a calling and a convinction to serve their nation, their people and their race.
People in UMNO past and present will go at length for public office even to slander, murder and destroy others reputation so that they can plunder the wealth of the nation through corruption, cronism and nepotism to enrich and feed their family members.
Some of these people are so evil like you know who, are so murderous:- after they screwed the girl they killed her and blow up her body with C4.
The leaders in UMNO past and present are nothing close to the world leaders we have since. Just compare in the leaders in Singapore and that in BN-UMNO. We have leaders who screwed florist etc.
Leaders in Malaysia past and present are nothing to be proud off. They are the Malay-Muslim creatures.
You're a woman racist.
Yea, I know, its called feminist.
Damn, god made us male and female not for one fighting for their kind.
As not all blacks are criminals, not all men are bad, and not all woman are discriminated against.
Grow up.
Send my regards to your dad and bro(the botak one).
If there is a point of note here it should be "Michigan is getting its first female Muslim legislator, thanks in large part to her Jewish boss, the incumbent."
What is it with people, eh? The very first 2 line sentence sets the tone for the rest of the article. It is supposed to be a feel good article.
And what we have here are people ululating after having read the word jew, the word muslim...what the hell?
Honestly, beyond that, the rest of the article to me was a non-event nor any kind of a marker. After all Muslims are Senators or Congressmen as well and if I am not mistaken in discharging their duties I don't think there is any need for their religious believes or practices to be paraded or put on display or used to justify their deeds.
For CAIR or any other American Muslim organisation to say that this is some kind of marker, then it really underestimates the people who voted her in.
Somehow when it comes to the US, being Muslim, is supposed to be news.
What about the Malaysian Parliament? Somehow, all the Malays whether UMNO or PAS, at the very least claim that they are also there for the Muslims.
As for the non-Muslims who are there, we, for good or bad, see them as Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans.
Fact is, the Malaysian Parliament actually has a sizable non-Muslim representation. The second largest after Muslims, I believe, would be Christians. But they don't hold themselves out as such or even attempt to represent themselves as representing their faith. Well, I hope not.
And we can work together!!! We have not been hostile to one another where the difference in the religion has brought about a chasm. Indeed I can't think of any. Either this is sorted out behind close doors or an admirable restraint has prevailed. At least we have not allowed our religious differences come into any kind of disparaging fued in parliament.
juanarjafaar
You said "… if this kind of statement is acceptable, then unfortunately, so is the kind that says Christians are taught to hate Jews since a young age via Sunday Schools that tell them Jesus (PBUH) was crucified by Jews and that Jews were tax collectors whom Jesus dealt with as he did sinners … and that the hatred can’t be eliminated in their lifetime."
Actually I used to go to three Sunday Schools, all on a Sunday of course, but never once can I recall any kind of hostility being inculcated in us against jews over these stories. And I cannot also recall the jews being regarded in any kind of hostile fashion amongst my various Christian friends, including Catholics.
This jew hating teaching amongst Christians would have been quite common, maybe, in earlier centuries and maybe even in America until recently. But I don't think you'll see that attitude of hate of jews because they are supposed to have killed Jesus. Maybe you might have seen that attitude with the Nazis as well as the KKK. And of ocurse you might have also seen that in movies too.
hi Old Fart, i’m not sure you got the point i was making.
i was precisely trying to show how problematic assumptions, oversimplifications and misconceptions are by using Josephs school of thought and applying it to Christian-Jew relations. it didn’t sound so nice and true, did it?
that you have written, as first witness to Sunday Schooling, to disagree with my statement where i used Joseph’s method of thought, is proof that this method is erroneous.
and you were compelled to respond. i am very fortunate that you’re civilised. in a different environment, and if you were a different person, we could end up in fists. that’s my concern with --- Josephism; it could lead to grave misunderstanding and hostility between people.
like you, i too can say i am first witness to Muslim upbringing and therefore cannot testify/reaffirm Joseph’s statement regarding Muslim parents brainwashing their children about Jews, and these children being condemned to hating all things Jewry for the rest of their lives. i’d say the same for my close Muslim friends as well.
see how the argument boomerangs?
maybe old-fart don't know how to play boomerang.
people call other people racist is the real racist...
OK people, enough name-calling. This is supposed to be a civilised discussion. As Old Fart said, this was meant to be a feel-good piece of news, something to be celebrated by everyone. Instead it's descended into a brawl. So unless you have something of substance to add, I'm not going to publish your comment. Sheeesh!
Datuk, with ur permission,
Protocol No.1 Sub no 6.
Political freedom is an idea but not a fact. This idea one must know how to apply whenever it appears necessary with this bait of an idea to attract the masses of the people to one's party for the purpose of crushing another who is in authority. This task is rendered easier of the opponent has himself been infected with the idea of freedom, SO-CALLED LIBERALISM, and, for the sake of an idea, is willing to yield some of his power. It is precisely here that the triumph of our theory appears; the slackened reins of government are immediately, by the law of life, caught up and gathered together by a new hand, because the blind might of the nation cannot for one single day exist without guidance, and the new authority merely fits into the place of the old already weakened by liberalism.
Tharieq, where did you get that from? And what has that got to do with anything being discussed here? And keep it short and clear please.
well, it's always nice to see deserving people getting voted in to make a difference regardless of race, religion or gender.
perhaps someday, we'll see that happening in m'sia as well.
I would like to congratulate her for the post and may her policy can improve US political arena.
I'm happily agreed with tharieq as the most racist bigot who calling others racist who try to protect theirs rights.
When are we going to learn, it's not about the colour, race or creed? If you're capable of leading, the public will vote for you. Wasnt it proof enough in our own elections where race didnt seem to matter at all? The opposition won like never before. i dont think the public voted for a particular religion - They voted for CHANGE. WE voted for CHANGE. Let's live up to our choices and not get all religious on each other. To all those who have doubts, Malaysia is still by far a very integrated and lovely place to live. Yes, we have our flaws, who doesnt.... One speaker i know said it nice, it's not about TOLERANCE, it's about ACCEPTANCE.
Congratulations to her.. hopefully Americans are ready to put all the differences aside and work towards a better future for all the people regardless of backgrounds. And I do hope Malaysia will be following these positive changes as well.
And as for the others who keep arguing about your respective religions and degrading other religions, know that each one of you is just another disgrace to your own religion.
Salam. Shalom. Cheers.
Haiz.... I was just highlighting how enemies at one end of the world can work together in another part and it has turned out to be a who is better argument. The fact is no one is better, we are all the same.
The fact of the matter is, we all criticise the United States for their bigotry, cruelty but it is in the United States that you get a descendent of a slave as a President, a Jew recommending a Muslim for a legislator position, an Austrian immigrant as governor. Yet here in Malaysia we cant even think of giving equal rights to fellow citizens after 51 years of independence. We cant even get past race and religion. Until race base and religion base political parties are a thing of the past we wont move on. This article is good news and we must take it as hope that similar thinking will result is a more equal and just Malaysia!
juanajaafar
I understood perfectly the point you were making.
I was not trying to correct nor be critical of what you had said. I just wanted to highlight that as true as that reference you made may have been, within the Malaysian Christian community you would find that perspective absent.
I have often come across that perspective of the Jew hating Christian and yet never seen it within the chrisitan community here. Yet, you see this often referred to in early American and some European Chritisan communities. It may have even been popular for all I know.
As for Joseph's remark I did not think it deserved being dignified by any response from me.
So mine was more of a clarification or an expansion of this irony, if you see it as such, between the Malaysian christian community and that of early American or European attitude towards the Jews. Maybe it was because we did not have Jews to contend with. So no one to demonise.
Marina,
I feel Malaysia from its inception had all the races as representative in Senate, Parliment & Cabinet, so we are a UNIQUE country when we compare with any other country in the world. THE CATALIST not ny our own architecture but Brits conditions.
Most Malaysians dislike the Umnos way of managing the country, its simple as that, the abuse has been endured for far too long and Malaysians reject Umnos type of politics.
Kak, kita sebagai negara yang usianya muda tapi telah matang, yang serong tu, si bengap bengap UMNO lol, jangan marah nanti cepat TUA! ke ke ke
shalom
A small correction to Harvin Dhillon's latest post.
While it is a nice romantic notion that Barack Obama will be the first African-American to be President of the US, he is NOT a descendant of slaves. That can easily be verified in places like wikipedia.
It is probably because of his mixed ancestry, reasoned approach and eloquent speaking that he is more readily acceptable than say Rev Jesse Jackson or Rev Al Sharpton as a person who could be the President of the US. Colin Powell might be another person of African-American descent that can fit the bill but certainly not Jackson or Sharpton who prioritise race.
We must congratulate Rashida for her achievement. I believe that the people in the US, be they Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Atheists, etc see themselves as Americans first as the US tries very hard to be as secular as possible.
Unlike some in Malaysia who champion agama, bangsa & negara. Priorities are all wrong !!! We just need to think Malaysia first.
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