Shouldn\\\'t a Muslim qualify to be American President?

The 1993 bombing of World Trade Centre and the ghastly attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda on September 11, 2001 have so vastly shaped the American perception of the Muslims that politicians find issues with Muslims as easy tools to exploit political opportunities. With the campaign gaining momentum for winning party nomination for presidential election due in 2016, it is not altogether unusual for an American presidential hopeful to gain political mileage by spraying vitriol on Muslims or by offering cockeyed opinions about Islam. But the damage these are sure to cause are far reaching.
A few days back on a Sunday morning, secular TV viewers were stunned when in an interview on "Meet the Press" Dr. Ben Carson, a prominent presidential candidate from the Republican Party, boldly stated his belief that Islam is incompatible with the U.S. Constitution and that a Muslim should never be elected as President of the United States.
Since then Dr. Carson has been drawing criticism over his bigoted comments that touch on the bedrock American values, constitutional principles and American history. His statement reflects a pernicious habit to play with fire by pandering to vested quarters and demonising the Muslims.
Once again, Ben Carson insisted last Sunday that for a Muslim to become President of the United States he has to reject the tenets of Islam. He, however, insisted that "of course Muslims can be patriots," though his previous comments appeared to presume that Muslims are more devoted to their faith than the U.S. Constitution.
The presidential candidate asking for Republican nomination seems unaware that the United States he dreams to lead is, at its very core, a nation founded on the principle of religious tolerance.
There have been Muslims in the United States since the Colonial era, and their right to practise their faith has been enshrined since 1786, with the passage of the Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom. Thomas Jefferson, the law's principal author, wrote that it was "meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew, the Gentile, the Christian, the Mahometan (Muslim), the Hindoo (Hindu) and the Infidel of every denomination."
How then could Dr. Carson say that? It is hard to conceive how a genius neurosurgeon like Dr. Carson, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, who was the first surgeon in the world to successfully separate twins conjoined at the head, could make such an egregious remark. He could well speak against the radicals or extremists. But he spoke of millions of American Muslims in general who are American citizens by birth, any of whom is constitutionally eligible to run for presidency.
A baby born in America is fondly told that he or she could one day be the President of the United States. Does Dr. Carson like to mean that the parents of a baby born to a Muslim family in America should now tell him or a different story?
Dr. Carson cannot afford to stoop so low as to hate Muslims in order to appease Muslim-bashers and win their votes as a political ploy. He is a humanist and an avowed creationist. Thousands of patients with neurological ailments got their life back at the hands of Dr. Carson. He had worked with many Muslims. He had trained Muslims. He had operated on Muslims. Dr. Carson never asked any of his patients on the operating table to disclose his/her caste, race, or religion before he proceeded to perform neurosurgery with his scalpel.
Dr. Carson who claims to be suitable to lead America must not have forgotten Article VI, Paragraph 3 of the U.S. Constitution, which clearly states: "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." He should not forget that America's founding fathers sought to escape religious discriminations and guaranteed freedom of religion in the First Amendment of the American Constitution.
Politics, however, is a different ball game. And a politician has sometimes to behave like a chameleon. Dr. Carson, some observers believe, didn't mean what he said about a Muslim's capability to be American President. It was a sheer political strategy. He perhaps feared that a Muslim American President, if ever elected, would introduce Sharia law in the United States.
Politicians, even for the sake of doing politics only, who foster mistrust and fear of an entire body of U.S. citizens due only to their faith in Islam should reconsider whether they are at all capable of leading a great nation like the United States.
Not only American politicians. The American media also play a role in moulding the opinion of the public with regard to Muslims, reinforcing negative stereotypes about Islam.
Those Americans apparently allergic to Islam and afraid of Muslims should not be blamed for their attitude because negative views about Muslims have been piped into their homes via newspapers and televisions. These Americans have not yet received the correct message of Islam that calls upon mankind to love peace and loathe terrorism.
The distinction between Islam and Islamists has been made blurred to the eyes of Americans, as Muslims have unfortunately been lumped into the same category the terrorists belong to.
There are an estimated 3 million Muslims in the United States that makes up for about one per cent of the U.S. population; the largest group of them is African-Americans -- the fastest-growing religious group. Overwhelmingly, Muslims in the United States live here legally and are prosperous, peaceful and well educated.
In his recent address at the United Nations President Barack Obama said: "We have reaffirmed again and again that the United States is not and never will be at war with Islam. Islam teaches peace. Muslims the world over aspire to live with dignity and a sense of justice.  And when it comes to America and Islam, there is no "us and them", there is only "us"-- because millions of Muslim Americans are part of the fabric of our country."
But, alas, many Americans, especially the Republicans, ludicrously believe that Barack Obama is Muslim. Sixty-six per cent supporters of Donald Trump, a Republican Presidential hopeful, believe Obama is a Muslim, as do 54 per cent of all Republican voters, according to Public Policy Polling.
And those politicians find it an easy way to gain political traction if President Obama, a democrat, can someway be identified as a Muslim on genealogical ground, though he is a perfect practising Christian by his unwavering faith in Christianity. But what difference, one may ask, does it make if Obama is Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu or a non-believer?
So, whenever Obama tries to say Islam is a religion of peace they jump on both feet painting him as one who harbours terrorism. Ironically, Obama is the only President of the United States who has inflicted the deadliest blows on those known to have unleashed terrorism. The most conservative estimate of drone strike fatalities of extremists under Obama administration comes to more than 3,000, and includes much of the leadership of the al-Qaeda. This is not the record of a president with any secret proclivities for Muslims.
 Those Americans who are afraid of Muslims, those who question Muslim-Americans devotion to the United States, those who question their integrity and those who like to disqualify every Muslim-American from becoming President of the United States should visit the Arlington National Cemetery, where there is a white headstone, which marks the final resting place of a courageous service-member who gave his life in combat. This grave belongs to Kareem Khan of New Jersey, who was just 20 years old. Kareem was Muslim. Kareem's rank was that of a specialist in the Stryker Brigade of the U.S. Army's 2nd Infantry division. He received a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and a medal for good conduct. Like thousands of other soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, Kareem Khan sacrificed everything for his country. Kareem gave, as President Abraham Lincoln said, "the last full measure of devotion" for the United States.
Americans should learn that the word Islam means peaceful surrender to the will of God. In the holy Bible it is written: "Though shalt not kill". In the holy Quran you find: "Whoever kills another, surely he is killing all of humanity and whoever saves the life of another, surely he saves the lives of all humanity." Also like in the Bible the predominant message of the Quran is about peace, care, loving God, justice, care for the neighbour, care for the stranger.
When an American thinks of Muslims he should rather think of the Muslim individuals, think of the Muslim professors at different universities, think of the Muslim engineers at different institutions, think of the Muslim teachers at the elementary schools down the street.
When we think of Muslims in America we should also remember those Muslims who died on 9/11.There were 28 Muslims who died in the twin towers of the World Trade Centre, in addition to three Muslims who were among the passengers on two hijacked planes. Among the Muslims victims who died in the 9/11 attacks, six were from Bangladesh, six from Pakistan, four from Guiana, two from Sri Lanka, two from Gambia, two from Ivory Coast, one from Yemen, one from Iran, one from Ethiopia, one from Turkey, one from Trinidad and Tobago, one from Burma, one from Albania, one from Greece and one from India, representing 1.07 per cent of the total number of victims, which is coincidentally the same percentage of Muslims in the United States.??
We should remember Mohammad Salahuddin Chowdhury a 38-year old Muslim man, most probably a Bangladeshi, who was a waiter at 'Windows of the World', which was at the top of the trade centre. He died on that day. His wife had their baby two days later.
We must remember Muhammad Salman Hamdani who was born in Pakistan. He came to the United States as a small child with his parents. He played in High School football. He went to college. He became a part-time ambulance driver. This young Muslim man died on 9/11, trying to rescue people and save lives.  Hamdani was mentioned in the 2001 USA PATRIOT Act of the U.S. Congress as an example of Muslim Americans who acted heroically on 9/11.
We must also remember Rahma Salie. She was a woman twenty-eight years old, a Muslim of Sri Lankan descent. Her neighbours described her as outgoing and generous. She died on 9/11 in the American Airlines Flight 11, seven months pregnant with her first child.
Shouldn't a Muslim American citizen who was born in America be allowed at least to dream to become one day the President of the United States?
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