According to a report in Politico, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced in a closed-door meeting Tuesday she would name the first Muslim lawmaker to the House’s Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
A senior Democratic aide said Rep. André Carson of Indiana would be named in the “coming days” to the key national security-focused panel. Pelosi (D-Calif.) told lawmakers of the appointment during the members’ weekly caucus meeting.
Carson would be the first Muslim to serve on the committee and was the second Muslim to be elected to Congress. He already serves on the Armed Services Committee and worked for the Department of Homeland Security’s Fusion Center — the clearinghouse established by the federal government to streamline data sharing between the CIA, FBI, Department of Justice and the military.
Pelosi’s decision is sure to cause conservative heads to pop.
Islam has many permutations and divisions just like all the other major religions. Painting all with the same brush as Maher and Dawkins do is pointless as it prevents us from zeroing in on the jihadists and it also provides convenient cover to European neo-liberals who would ignore the class and economic consequences of their policies. Pelosi is wise to set an example of inclusion.