Can a Muslim Ever Become President?

After looking at the precedents that have been set for American Muslims, there is definitely an uphill battle that we face moving forward. And while the voices of hate and ignorance are seemingly getting a free pass when it comes to making anti-Muslim comments, we are seeing that their character flaws ultimately catch up with them. Just ask Newt and Trump, who used anti-Muslim rhetoric for short-term gain, but ended up marginalizing themselves from the race due to continual lies and moral ambiguity. The same can be said of Cain, who is now distancing himself from his divisive comments regarding Muslims. Even the Pizza Man realizes that he has no hope in getting elected on an agenda of fomenting hatred and xenophobia.

But what do I tell my sons? After seeing the level of anti-Muslim sentiment, along with the depths that individuals are willing to sink to in order to discredit Muslims at any level within the political spectrum, do they have any hope for the future? My hope is that the answer is yes. In American history, we have seen fear and political marginalization of many groups much worse than that which Muslim-Americans are experiencing. In the past, we have seen the black community being counted as less than a human being, along with a struggle for political acceptance that persists even today, as in the case of the President Obama "birther" movement. We have seen the Irish and Catholic communities struggle for political acceptance as recently as the 1960s. When he was campaigning/elected for president, John F. Kennedy many viewed him as a stooge for the Vatican. The Muslim community is now being faced with the same bias, with many questioning the loyalty and enacting those fears into illogical hypothetical doomsday scenarios.

When the time comes, we must be able to tell our children that history is on our side. While it is true that we are seeing many who are benefiting from the denigration of Muslims today, their gain is only short term in nature. Although we may encounter more hurdles than other groups, we must teach our children that the same things that make Islam great—strength, loyalty, integrity, and the ability to overcome obstacles—are also attributes of great leadership. And even though we are living in a time of great fear and misinformation, the dreams and aspirations of American children should include the dreams and aspirations of American Muslim children.