A Muslim Nurse for President?

I always assumed I could not be president of this country because I have 3 strikes against me. I am a naturalized citizen, a women, and I am “just a nurse.” But recently, I discovered I have a fourth strike against me – I am also a Muslim, though a nonpracticing one. I never thought that my religion had anything to do with politics, and I never considered the religion of candidates a variable when hiring, voting, reviewing or evaluating students, faculty, administrators or politicians. Why would I, when the reason I immigrated to this country was to practice freedom, to celebrate diversity, to honor equity and to deepen my learning!

The recent dialogue regarding religion, specifically about Muslims, the generalizations uttered about who Muslims are, and what they can and cannot do, is most disturbing! What if a negative view of religion became a factor for how to care for patients, how to teach students, how to hire staff, or, how to relate to people in general? Knowing a person’s religion should be a positive force to honor different beliefs, food preferences and celebrations - but it should never, never be used as negative rhetoric for voting against an individual. Or, so I always thought, studied and acted, until these recent dialogues by those who are vying for the highest public office in this country. A true embarrassment!

Just like gender inequities drove my passion to be a voice for women, and, to work wherever I went on strategies for equity and justice, and just like seeing how women’s work was devalued, degraded, undercompensated and marginalized ignited my passion to find ways to insure that women’s work is justly valued, compensated and celebrated; perhaps all this negative press that discriminately includes all Muslims, the good, the bad and the indifferent, will drive a new passion for me to be a voice for Muslims and for Islam. Generalizations are suspect, and speaking of all Muslims and of Islam in the same breath as terrorism is dead wrong! To have this constitutionally unfounded dialogue about how we cannot have a Muslim as a president just adds to our long established prejudices that we cannot have a woman as president, a Catholic as president or a black as president.

It is time to confront and shed all of these unfounded, disrespectful and hurtful stereotypical generalizations that do nothing but derail more productive conversations about how to make all Americans work and produce up to their full capacity, based on their education and our country’s work ethics.

I know I still will not become president of this country, first and foremost based on our constitution (I am a naturalized citizen), and I also know I am not qualified because of my life experiences, preparation and talents, but not because I am a women or a Muslim. Islam has never been a strong part of my identity as an Egyptian American nurse, but, just as gender became a strong driver in my work, voice and advocacy, perhaps now Islam will as well. Becoming a voice for marginalized populations has always been one of my deep-seated passions and a major component of my identity, and recent rhetoric targeted at millions of Americans who are Muslims has positioned them as a vulnerable and marginalized population.

And by the way, the Muslim world is celebrating Eid-al-Adha. Let’s wish them/us happy and peaceful years ahead. And may the spirit and the teachings of this incredible, global Pope, who advocates for justice, equity, inclusiveness and sustainability, provide the antidote for the divisive rhetoric promulgated by some in our country.