Eloquent Incoherence

Condoleeza Rice met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Sunday. Abdullah used his audience with Condi to call for more US interference in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (because US interference has so far obviously yielded great results for the Palestinians), and also begged Rice to consider thinking about possibly contemplating involving the Sunnis more in Iraq. According to Abdullah, “[a]ny political process that doesn’t ensure the participation of all segments of Iraqi society will fail and will lead to more violence.” Of course, that doesn’t apply to Abdullah’s own country, where critics of the King are are often subject to arbitrary detention and torture (they might get a trial if they’re lucky).

It boggles my mind how the Hashemites are still in power in Jordan. This man (along with his father and grandfather) is quite possibly the biggest joke of a ruler ever in the history of the Muslim World (and proof positive that being a descendant of the Prophet SAW doesn’t necessarily make someone a good person). Of the Arab regimes directly installed by Britain or France following the post-World War I breakup of the Ottoman Empire, Jordan’s is the only one that still remains. Perhaps it’s unsurprising then, that the Hashemite Kingdom’s legacy has been one of treason, betrayal, deceit, and treachery.

The Dennis Pragers and Virgil Goodes of the world would do well to note that the prospect of a Muslim attaining elected office was raised during the course of constitutional debates in the formative period of the United States. After the Constitutional Convention presented its draft Constitution to the states for ratification in 1787, the North Carolina state legislature debated the merits of a guarantee of religious freedom and a bar against religious tests as a condition to holding public office, provisions the Convention’s draft did not contain. Rep. Henry Abbot, a Baptist minister and a proponent of a religious freedom clause, observed:

The exclusion of religious tests is by many thought dangerous and impolitic. They suppose that if there be no religious test required, pagans, deists, and Mahometans [Muslims] might obtain offices among us, and that the senators and representatives might all be pagans. Every person employed by the general and state governments is to take an oath to support the former. Some are desirous to know how and by whom they are to swear, since no religious tests are required–whether they are to swear by Jupiter, Juno, Minerva, Proserpine [sic], or Pluto. . . I would be glad [if] some gentleman would endeavor to obviate these objections, in order to satisfy the religious part of the society.

State commissioner James Iredell (who would later serve on the United States Supreme Court) addressed the concerns mentioned by Abbot:

But it is objected that the people of America may, perhaps, choose representatives who have no religion at all, and that pagans and Mahometans may be admitted into offices. But how is it possible to exclude any set of men, without taking away that principle of religious freedom which we ourselves so warmly contend for? This is the foundation on which persecution has been raised in every part of the world.

Governor Samuel Johnston elaborated:

Those who are Mahometans, or any others who are not professors of the Christian religion, can never be elected to the office of President, or other high office, but in one of two cases. First, if the people of America lay aside the Christian religion altogether, it may happen. Should this unfortunately take place, the people will choose such men as think as they do themselves. Another case is, if any persons of such descriptions should, notwithstanding their religion, acquire the confidence and esteem of the people of America by their good conduct and practice of virtue, they may be chosen.

This debate in the North Carolina legislature would play a pivotal role in shaping the notion of separation of church and state that would come to be a founding principle of American democracy. The legislature ultimately decided that a guarantee of religious freedom was a necessity, and North Carolina withheld its ratification of the Constitution on the grounds that it contained no affirmative declaration of rights. The Bill of Rights–and with it, the provisions guaranteeing religious freedom that would come to be known as the establishment clause and the free exercise clause–was subsequently added in response to North Carolina’s objections, and North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify on November 21, 1789. The rest, as they say, is history, though it seems to have escaped Dennis Prager and Virgil Goode.

A new sitcom on CBC called Little Mosque on the Prairie depicts a Muslim community in a rural Canadian town. The sitcom blends satire and drama to address internal and external issues routinely faced by Muslim communities in North America. It’s the first Muslim comedy to air on North American mainstream television (and an indication that the Canadian Muslim community is a bit more advanced than its American counterpart).

I’ll reserve comment on the show itself until I see it, but bravo to the writers, producers, and CBC for helping bring about this major milestone.

Jake over at Motown Sports Revival offers some great in-depth analysis about who the next Michigan football coach should be.

Wow. I definitely didn’t see that coming. Florida’s complete domination of Ohio State was simply shocking. The Gator defense looked extremely well-prepared to face Troy Smith, and Jim Tressel had no answers for Urban Meyer’s innovative offense. Chris Leak finally lived up to his potential, and Troy Smith looked nothing like the QB who passed for 391 yards and 4 TDs against Michigan. I was rooting for Ohio State, but the choice was like choosing between a tetanus shot and a root canal. I guess Big Ten pride trumped my hatred of Ohio State, and I really wanted the SEC trolls to shut up (luckily, Penn State and Wisconsin did their part). It kills me to admit it, but our loss coupled with Florida’s dominating win pretty much renders the whole BCS controversy from a month ago moot. I still think the current system is dysfunctional and that a playoff is desperately needed, but this year is no longer exhibit A in that case.

Well, the 2007 college football season is over. It was a good season; there were a lot of great storylines. I’ll probably go through a period of withdrawal (especially since it ended on such a sour note for my Wolverines), and the number of college football-related posts will likely be kept to a minimum over the next few months (with the exception of national signing day).

Junior defensive tackle Alan Branch announced today that he is skipping his senior season and declaring himself eligible for the NFL Draft. So much for our defense next year…

Manal’s post on child discipline reminded me of my own childhood. If you were a kid who grew up in an Asian immigrant household, chances are your parents didn’t believe in the “spare the rod” philosophy. Acting up at home or at school would get you a whuppin’ (possibly followed by a humiliating session of standing alone facing the corner to think about what you’ve done). Nothing abusive or over-the-line; just enough to knock some sense into you. But we all had that one White friend growing up who we were shocked and fascinated by because he would mouth off to his parents without the slightest repercussion. Indian comedian Russell Peters has a hilarious bit about how his dad would discipline him growing up, and his ill-fated attempt to apply suggestions on dealing with his parents offered by his smart-mouthed friend (warning: contains profanity).

Unsurprisingly, LSU blew out Notre Dame 41-14 in the Sugar Bowl. It was a great win for LSU and coach Les Miles (even if it came over the most overrated program in college football). But how much credit does Miles deserve? He’s in his second season with LSU, and the bulk of his starters were recruited by his predecessor Nick Saban. Saban pulled in the #1 recruiting class in the nation in 2003 and the #2 recruiting class in 2004. He was also partly responsible for massive upgrades to LSU’s facilities, including the construction of a new academic center and a state-of-the-art football facility. When Saban bolted for the NFL, Miles inherited the program in pristine condition. As well as LSU has done this season, they would have underachieved had they done any worse. And a strong argument can be made that 11-2 without a conference championship is an underachievement, given the level of talent on this year’s team.

What makes this relevant to Michigan is that Miles is a Michigan man, and the top job at Michigan is likely to open up in the not-too-distant future. Miles played and coached at Michigan under Bo Schembechler, and with 62 year-old Lloyd Carr entering his 13th season as head coach, Miles’ name has been widely suggested as a candidate to replace Carr when he retires. But in my view, Miles hasn’t proven much at LSU, and his teams have exhibited the same flaws that have plagued Michigan recently. LSU lost to Auburn this year because they didn’t throw the ball enough and refused to abandon a clearly ineffective game plan (sound familiar?). Their 5-turnover, mistake-filled performance against Florida was nothing short of embarrassing. Last year, they blew a 21-point lead and lost at home to a Tennessee team that finished the season 5-6. They were blown out in the SEC Championship Game later that year by an underdog Georgia team with less talent and an inferior record. In Michigan-like fashion, Miles has tried to build LSU’s offense around its running game, despite having a talented quarterback and receiving corps but an unproven offensive line. LSU fans have often criticized Miles’ offense as too conservative and predictable, the same complaint Michigan fans have voiced about Carr.

Don’t get me wrong; a 22-4 record is nothing to scoff at, and LSU will likely never have a “bad” season under Miles. However, the similarity of his teams’ few yet significant shortcomings to those that have recently plagued Michigan is further proof that Michigan sorely needs a change in philosophy, not another coach from the same mold. The program went on auto-pilot when Bo Schembechler retired 16 years ago and has changed very little since then. Les Miles is another Schembechler disciple who would likely do little to infuse the new identity that Michigan football needs.

According to a study by researchers at Berkeley, 47 percent of venture-backed technology start-ups have immigrant founders. In Silicon Valley, a staggering 52 percent of technology start-ups have at least one immigrant as a key founder. Advocates of limiting immigration would do well to observe the role immigrants have played in building the world’s technological and entrepreneurial hub and the impact their contributions have had on the American economy.

From the San Jose Mercury-News.

The more I see and read of Keith Ellison, the more I like him. He’s handling himself beautifully in what can only be described as an extremely difficult situation.

Islam is perhaps the only religion in America that can be openly denounced and condemned in mainstream political circles, and yet Keith Ellison is a practicing Muslim who has been elected to Congress. Ellison’s decision to take his oath of office on the Quran has driven pundits, commentators, and at least one of his fellow congressmen crazy, generating a full-blown controversy. Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) wrote a letter to his constituents condemning Ellison’s decision to take his oath on the Quran and linked the issue to his views on restricting immigration. According to Goode, “if American citizens don’t wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran” (Ellison is an African-American convert to Islam whose family has been in the United States since the eighteenth century). In response to Goode’s statements, Ellison simply said that Goode had some incorrect ideas about Islam and that he looked forward to meeting him (which he was apparently serious about). When asked whether he thought Goode was a bigot, Ellison responded, “I don’t know the fellow and I’d rather just say he has a lot to learn about Islam.”

In a brilliant move, Ellison will take his oath on a copy of the Quran that was owned by Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. I can’t think of a better way to silence your critics without saying a word. This symbolic gesture by Ellison hammers home the idea that the founding fathers did not subscribe to the apocalyptic worldview that many of Ellison’s “patriotic” critics apparently adhere to. Jefferson once wrote (in a letter to the Sultan of Morocco, no less), “All religions are equally independent here, our laws knowing no distinction of country, of classes among individuals and with nations, our [creed] is justice and reciprocity.” Better yet, Jefferson was from Virginia, and his estate (Monticello) and the University he helped found (the University of Virginia) are located within Goode’s district.

But Thomas Jefferson must have obviously hated America, right?