Traitor Muslim Immigration Official
Immigration panel better without Omeish
The Roanoke Times
October 2, 2007
The Muslim member of the panel had a history of bashing Israel and supporting "jihad," videos showed.
Esam Omeish does not like
Israel. He was quite clear about that when he talked about "the barbaric and
disproportionate Israeli war machine." He also thinks American Muslims should
support "the jihad way" as the means to liberate Middle Eastern lands.
He's entitled to his view, and he may state it publicly on the National Mall if he wants. This is America, after all.
He must realize, however, that if he's going to spout that sort of invective, there will be consequences. For example, someone who has those views hardly seems to have the temperament to serve on the Virginia Commission on Immigration, as Omeish did -- briefly, as it turns out.
Videos surfaced on the Internet video site YouTube showing Omeish, a surgeon and Muslim activist, bashing Israel and supporting jihad. Gov. Tim Kaine therefore asked Omeish to resign from the panel investigating the impact, both good and bad, that immigrants have on Virginia.
Israel is certainly not beyond reproach and criticism, but one can present arguments without inflated rhetoric.
Likewise, Omeish is right that the word "jihad" can have a much broader meaning than most Americans understand. He told The Associated Press it means "constant struggle -- struggling spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, physically -- in all respects."
Except when someone uses the word on these shores, that's not what people hear. They hear an inflammatory word that evokes violence and even terrorism.
If that interpretation is wrong, it's unfortunate, but that doesn't change the impact. Speakers must be sensitive to what the audience will understand a word to mean, especially those in a public position.
To his credit, Omeish resigned from the panel willingly so controversy about him would not derail its work.
Meanwhile, the governor's office will have to find someone else to serve on the commission. Fortunately, its staff has learned a valuable lesson: The sources of information online are constantly evolving. Kevin Hall, the governor's spokesman, told The Washington Post that YouTube searches will be part of the vetting process for candidates from now on.
Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907
“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in
good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be
treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to
discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin.
But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American,
and nothing but an American... There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man
who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all.
We have room for but one flag, the American flag.... We have room for but one
language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one
sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”