Do you think we'll ever see a Muslim President of the United States of America?
Inshallah [God willing]
If a Muslim becomes President, do you think he or she can ever truly make peace with their Islamic values and the burden of the duties required by the position?
Let me say this: there's not one single Muslim on the planet today that has walked perfectly. All of us need to do better. So, if there is a Muslim president I'm sure that individual will be forced to make compromises but, hopefully God-willing, they will continue to return to their faith and do what the faith requires and do what is expected by Allah. Do I believe that somebody will face fundamental challenges? I mean, we're talking about human beings here! Remember, Muslims aren't perfect. There's a big difference between Islam and Muslims.
Will you ever run for President?
I have no desire to be President. When people say, "Hey, Keith, you're gonna' be President!" I'm like, "Hey man! I thought you liked me? I thought we were friends?" (Laughs). I do not aspire for the Presidency. You know what I want to be? I want to be the best Congressman I can possibly be. I want to be effective. I want to encourage people to run for office. I want to get people to come together around a common humanity, and I want them to stop focusing on false divisions. That's what I want to do.
Wajahat Ali is a Pakistani Muslim American who is neither a terrorist nor a saint. He is a playwright, essayist, humorist, and recent J.D. whose work, The Domestic Crusaders, is the first major play about Muslim Pakistani Americans living in a post 9-11 America. His blog is at goatmilk.wordpress.com. He can be reached [email protected]. This article was first published at altmuslim.com and is reprinted with permission.
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