So Colin Powell's question caused me to do a double-take. Colin Powell asked, 'Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? ... Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be president?' during his endorsement of Barack Obama.
If a 20-year old Muslim American soldier, Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, can die for our country ... it
seems we should have no issue with the idea of a Muslim American being our nation's president. Khan died in Iraq and his mother is shown grieving over his headstone in Arlington Cemetery.If there are aspiring Muslim Americans dreaming about being president ... they should note that it requires hard work. Barack Obama earned his opportunity for the presidency by doing well in school ... doing well in his marriage and as a father ... doing well in his chosen vocation.
Robert Kennedy thought it would take 40 years for a Black man to be president. I think it won't take a long for a woman to be president. Nor would I be surprised if Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) or some other Muslim American were to be a credible national candidate in my lifetime.
63 years in a row, from 1921 thru 1984, we had white women winning the crown as 'Miss America'. That changed in 1984 when we had t
wo Black women holding that title -- Vanessa Williams and Suzette Charles.The 'Vanessa Williams Effect' got busy at that point. We have had five more women of color crowned as Miss America -- Debbye Turner (1990), Marjorie Vincent (1991), Kimberly Aiken (1994), Angela Baraquio (2001) and Erika Harold (2003).
Perhaps the 'Vanessa Williams Effect' will trump the 'Bradley Effect' as other non-white males strive to become President of the United States.
If so, a small amount of the credit goes to Colin Powell and Kareem Khan.
8 comments:
It can happen. If I'm not mistaken, there was a president who was sworn in on the Koran before, and he was white.
C'mon Villager! Let us get passed Tuesday first... You just giving me way too much to comtemplate with that question.
The more we see Muslims like Kareem Khan in the spotlight, the more likely we are to see it happen at some point in the future.
Part of what makes this country great is that all have the opportunity to do it
RiPPa - I didn't know about the president being sworn in with his hand on the Koran. Let me know if you remember or find out which president that was...
Sojourner's - We bring it strong here in da Village (smile)...
Tariq - I think you're right. It will happen at some point in our nation's future...
My bad Villager. The Koran that was used by Ellison (the congressman from Minnesota) was owned by Thomas Jefferson. Thats where I was wrong. He owned it but was never sworn in on it himself.
You know this is something that makes me nervous. Don't all Muslims follow Islam and the Qur'an? I have read reports that Muslims have these goals:to take over America, hang an Islamic flag on the White House and establish Sharia Law. In fact, I just read a report stating their attempts to change our history books, giving Muslims the credit for discovering America.
Righteous Choices - Care to share more details on the reports that you've read? I don't consider Drudge to be a legit source of information...
Post a Comment