Bigoted Virginia Republicans Protest Muslim Imam At State Capitol

The Washington Post reports that several members of the Virginia House of Delegates were urged by their constituents to boycott this afternoon's floor session because a local Muslim leader was set to deliver the opening prayers.  Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, director of community outreach at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church and an important figure in the area's interfaith community, is the latest victim of an increasingly frightening climate in America toward the growing Muslim community.  According to The Virginian-Pilot, "about 10 of the 100 delegates, all Republicans, were not in their seats."

Two of the Sept. 11 hijackers briefly worshiped at his mosque, the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center, and one of its former imams, Anwar al-Aulaqi, has been linked to accused terrorists and subsequently denounced by the mosque, one of the largest in the United States.

But Abdul-Malik was not affiliated with the mosque in 2001, when the Sept. 11 attacks occurred. In recent years, he has made statements following the arrest of Muslims on terrorism charges, arguing for due process, civil rights and fair sentencing.

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Soon after Sept. 11, Abdul-Malik was featured in paid ads produced by a group of national Muslim organizations, which denounced terrorism and the attacks. He has condemned terrorism and Osama bin Laden on "The O'Reilly Factor" and other television programs.

Still, letters and calls have poured into legislative offices since Friday, when a handful of concerned delegates let community activists know that Abdul-Malik was coming to Richmond.

The Post calls Abdul-Malik "one of the most active and outspoken imams in the D.C. area, especially in the interfaith community."  What's threatening about that?  For one, it goes against the narrative that Muslims are violent people. 

Those against Abdul-Malik, including the Traditional Values Coalition and Act for America have long been hostile to all things associated with Islam and, to them, a Muslim who has respect in his community and promotes interfaith dialogue is a threat to their fundamental mission of sowing discord among communities.  Act for America's Brigitte Gabriel has said that the difference between "Israel and the Arab world is the difference between civilization and barbarism" and has been called a "radical Islamaphobe" by the New York Times.

According to the Virginian-Pilot, "a group of four protesters gathered outside the Capitol before the session, urging lawmakers to boycott the imam's prayer."  One of them said that "he was unaware of any statements the imam has made condemning violence. A 'call to non-violence and anti-terrorism' is prominently featured on Abdul-Malik's Web site."

The attack against Abdul-Malik's character has absolutely nothing to do with the man himself and the valuable work he's does in building bridges across communities of faith, but rather with what others at the mosque, long before he was there, have done.  Would a priest, minister or rabbi be held responsible for sexual abuse before he arrived at his post?

This problem is not new to Virginia.  Several years ago, former Rep. Virgil Goode, a conservative Republican, warned a constituent that "we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary."  At the time, Goode was upset over the election of Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) who became the first Muslim elected to Congress.