Did You Know Indiana Has Elected A Muslim To Their Congress?

[Backstop]

After his grandmother U.S. Rep. Julia Carson passed away, Democrat Andre Carson was elected in a Special Election to take her seat.

He will sit for the final 10 months of her term, then must win in the May Primaries and the November General Election to keep the seat.

And of course, CAIR was happy.

As Cal Thomas said, “Let’s see how they vote when it comes to US interests…”

To first give credit, I learned of this from Cal Thomas:

http://www.calthomas.com/index.php?news=2214]

March 18th Commentary
on March 31, 2008 12:14:35 | 12 times read

CAL THOMAS COMMENTARY MARCH 18, 2008

I OFFER THE FOLLOWING WITH ONLY A MINIMAL OF COMMENT. YOU WILL HAVE TO DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS.

THERE WAS A SPECIAL ELECTION IN INDIANA LAST WEEK TO REPLACE A CONGRESSWOMAN WHO DIED. IT WAS WON BY THE CONGRESSWOMAN’S GRANDSON, DEMOCRAT ANDRE CARSON.

THE COUNCIL ON AMERICAN ISLAMIC RELATIONS – A TERRORIST APOLOGY AND MUSLIM LOBYING GROUP – PUT OUT A PRESS RELEASE ON THE SPECIAL ELECTION. WHY? IT’S BECAUSE CARSON IS A CONVERT TO ISLAM AND CAIR WANTED THE WORLD TO KNOW THAT HE IS THE SECOND MUSLIM MEMBER OF CONGRESS. THE FIRST IS ANOTHER DEMOCRAT, KEITH ELLISON OF MINNESOTA.

NOW WHY WOULD A MUSLIM GROUP WITH SUCH A CHECKERED BACKGROUND PROMOTE A SECOND MUSLIM IN CONGRESS? OH, THEY SAY IT WILL HELP INCREASE UNDERSTANDING AND TOLERANCE. WILL IT? LET’S SEE HOW THEY VOTE WHEN IT COMES TO U.S. INTERESTS, ESPECIALLY IN THE MIDDLE EAST. I HAVE MY OWN THEORIES ABOUT THIS AND WHY CAIR AND OTHER MUSLIM GROUPS WANT MORE MUSLIMS IN PUBLIC OFFICE IN AMERICA. I’LL BET YOU HAVE YOUR THEORIES, TOO. I’M CAL THOMAS IN WASHINGTON.

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_frien...336975,00.html

Indiana Dem Wins Grandmother's Former Seat in U.S. House Race
Tuesday , March 11, 2008

The grandson of the late U.S. Rep. Julia Carson was chosen in a special election Tuesday to succeed her in Indiana's 7th District in the House of Representatives.

Democrat Andre Carson defeated Republican Jon Elrod. His victory is the second special election win in less than a week by House Democrats.

Over the weekend, Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) upset his Republican opponent to claim the seat once held by former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.).

Foster was sworn-in Tuesday.

Democrats expected Carson to win his seat.

Carson becomes one of only two Muslims in Congress. His grandmother, who died in December of lung cancer, was the first black to represent Indianapolis in Congress.

Carson will represent a district that covers most of Indianapolis for the remainder of the year.

But he could face a tougher challenge in the fall in Republican-trending Indianapolis. Little-known GOP politician Greg Ballard came out of nowhere last November to knock off Democratic Mayor Bart Peterson.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released a statement congratulating Carson.

"He is a tireless leader for the children and working families of Indianapolis," he said.

"I am grateful to the Congressional Black Caucus, Senator Evan Bayh and Indiana’s Democratic Congressional Delegation for encouraging the people of this district to vote for change by supporting Andre Carson. Andre Carson will be a tremendous asset to our Democratic Caucus as we fight to strengthen our economy, end the war in Iraq, and restore the American dream to America’s middle class families.

"We look forward to working with Andre Carson and local and state Democrats to ensure a Democratic victory in November."

FOX News' Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.reuters.com/article/press...08+PRN20080312

CAIR Congratulates Second Muslim in Congress
Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:37pm EDT

Muslims visit more than 70 congressional offices WASHINGTON, March 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today congratulated Indiana Democrat Andre Carson, who will replace his late grandmother in representing that state's 7th district in Congress. Carson, a convert to Islam and only the second Muslim in Congress, won yesterday's special election with 54 percent of the vote. He must now win both a May primary election and the November general election to serve a full term in Congress. SEE: Second Muslim Elected to Congress (Reuters) here "We offer congratulations to Representative Carson, whose election demonstrates the strength of our political system and the growing positive role of American Muslims in our society," said CAIR Legislative Director Corey Saylor. He said the other Muslim in Congress is Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN). Saylor also noted that the political participation of American Muslims is increasing. Just this week, Muslims from around the nation held more than 70 Capitol Hill meetings with representatives and congressional staffers.

Those meetings focused on issues such as racial profiling, citizenship delays and anti-hunger initiatives. The Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group recently led a four-week effort that produced more than 17,000 constituent letters on the issue of Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR Legislative Director Corey Saylor, 202-384-8857;
CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com;
CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com;
CAIR Strategic Communications Director Ahmed Rehab, 202-870-0166, E-Mail: arehab@cair.com
SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations Corey Saylor, Legislative Director, +1-202-384-8857, or Ibrahim Hooper, all of CAIR