Question to US Muslim politician prompts Islamophobia accusations
Sam Rasoul, a Muslim American, was asked if he would represent his constituents ‘regardless of faith and beliefs’.
Sam Rasoul is a Muslim American politician and the leading Democratic candidate in the race for the state’s lieutenant governorship.
During the campaign’s only televised political debate on Tuesday night, WJLA TV anchor Dave Lucas, one of the moderators, asked Rasoul a question that prompted widespread accusations of Islamophobia, and a slew of condemnations on social media.
“The Washington Post reported your fundraising effort is ‘category-leading,’ because of some out-of-state donors connected to Muslim advocacy groups – there’s nothing wrong with that – but that was the case,” Lucas said during the debate which was held at George Mason University in Fairfax.
“Talk a little bit about your fundraising efforts and can you assure Virginians, if you’re elected, you’ll represent all of them regardless of faith and beliefs?”
Rasoul, 39, the son of Palestinian immigrants and one of six candidates running, responded that he was “proud to have a campaign that’s 100 percent funded by individuals, with the majority of contributors coming from Virginia”.
Public records show that Rasoul has raised more than $1.2m in funds since last year. His top donor is Manal Fakhoury, a pharmacist who lives in Florida, and a board member of the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. She is listed as having contributed more than $74,000 to Rasoul’s campaign.
After the debate, Rasoul tweeted a picture of the Virginia statute of religious freedom, which the state adopted in 1786, a document that separated the church from the state and ensures the freedom of religion, without discrimination.
“We serve all people. Of all faiths. We welcome you & love you as you are,” Rasoul tweeted.
Joshua Cole who is running for re-election in the Virginia House of Delegates said he was never asked about how much money he received from “Christian donors”.
“I just want a Virginia where Sam Rasoul can be measured on the merit of his work and not the stereotype of his faith,” he said in a tweet.
SOURCE: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/27/question-to-muslim-politician-prompts-islamophobia-accusations