In Tennessee, A Rising Star Targeted By Anti-Muslim Smears
Samantha
2012/07/19 16:30:31
The level of anti-Muslim bigotry found among conservatives is appalling and very anti-American. Ms. Ali should be an inspiration to all of us. If Governor Haslam caves in to conservative religious bigotry, he'll prove he has no courage and, worse, will prove he's as bigoted as his critics.
On September 13, 2001, Vanderbilt University held a “Come Together” ceremony on campus, as the community was just starting to process the horror of the 9/11 attacks. At the ceremony, a junior political science major stood up in front of thousands of her fellow students to deliver a speech.
“When I saw my country’s buildings come tumbling down with thousands of my fellow citizens on Tuesday, I felt angry as an American at whoever did this,” Samar Ali said. She continued: “The other part of me felt upset as a Muslim… I want everyone to know that Arabs and Muslims around the world condemn this act… We cannot let these terrorists succeed and fill our hearts with hatred. We cannot allow them to split us apart as Americans.”
Fast forward a decade. Ali has graduated from Vanderbilt and Vanderbilt Law School. She has been an associate with the law firm Hogan Lovells, where she helped set up the firm’s Abu Dhabi office. In 2010, she was named a White House Fellow. (Somewhere along the way she also found time to be a three-time Southeastern Tae Kwon Do Black Belt Champion.) In May 2012, Ali, now 30, was appointed international director of Tennessee’s Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD).
A small but vocal number of conservatives and Tea Party activists in Tennessee and elsewhere have strongly opposed Ali’s appointment. Resolutions recently passed by several county Republican organizations have criticized Republican Gov. Bill Haslam for the appointment, and have ridiculously painted Ali as some kind of sleeper agent.
State officials, including Haslam, have stood by Ali. Clint Brewer, assistant commissioner for communications for ECD, told TPM earlier this week that Ali is “one of the brightest leaders of her generation from this state.” And some of the people who know Ali best told TPM they are shocked by the smears.
“I think she’s one of the real stars who has graduated from Vanderbilt during the now 21 years I’ve been here,” David Weintraub, an associate professor of astronomy at Vanderbilt who served on a university committee with Ali, told TPM. “She’s a real mover and shaker. Doing all the things all of us would love young people in the country now to be doing. Positive things for our communities. Working with people. Bringing them together.”
On September 13, 2001, Vanderbilt University held a “Come Together” ceremony on campus, as the community was just starting to process the horror of the 9/11 attacks. At the ceremony, a junior political science major stood up in front of thousands of her fellow students to deliver a speech.
“When I saw my country’s buildings come tumbling down with thousands of my fellow citizens on Tuesday, I felt angry as an American at whoever did this,” Samar Ali said. She continued: “The other part of me felt upset as a Muslim… I want everyone to know that Arabs and Muslims around the world condemn this act… We cannot let these terrorists succeed and fill our hearts with hatred. We cannot allow them to split us apart as Americans.”
Fast forward a decade. Ali has graduated from Vanderbilt and Vanderbilt Law School. She has been an associate with the law firm Hogan Lovells, where she helped set up the firm’s Abu Dhabi office. In 2010, she was named a White House Fellow. (Somewhere along the way she also found time to be a three-time Southeastern Tae Kwon Do Black Belt Champion.) In May 2012, Ali, now 30, was appointed international director of Tennessee’s Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD).
A small but vocal number of conservatives and Tea Party activists in Tennessee and elsewhere have strongly opposed Ali’s appointment. Resolutions recently passed by several county Republican organizations have criticized Republican Gov. Bill Haslam for the appointment, and have ridiculously painted Ali as some kind of sleeper agent.
State officials, including Haslam, have stood by Ali. Clint Brewer, assistant commissioner for communications for ECD, told TPM earlier this week that Ali is “one of the brightest leaders of her generation from this state.” And some of the people who know Ali best told TPM they are shocked by the smears.
“I think she’s one of the real stars who has graduated from Vanderbilt during the now 21 years I’ve been here,” David Weintraub, an associate professor of astronomy at Vanderbilt who served on a university committee with Ali, told TPM. “She’s a real mover and shaker. Doing all the things all of us would love young people in the country now to be doing. Positive things for our communities. Working with people. Bringing them together.”
Read More: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/...
Bigots are idiots.