JOHN L. SMITH: Muslim American disputes Romney's explanation of remarks in Henderson - News

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Nov. 28, 2007
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JOHN L. SMITH: Muslim American disputes Romney's explanation of remarks in Henderson

JOHN L. SMITH
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Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney says a New York financier wrongly portrayed his comments about the potential role of American Muslims in Cabinet-level positions should he be elected president.

In an essay in The Christian Science Monitor, Mansoor Ijaz writes that during a recent private political fundraiser in Henderson he asked Republican candidate Romney "whether he would consider including qualified Americans of the Islamic faith in his cabinet of advisers on national security matters, given his position that 'jihadism' is the principal foreign policy threat facing America today. He answered '... based on the numbers of American Muslims (as a percentage) in our population, I cannot see that a cabinet position would be justified. But of course, I would imagine that Muslims could serve at lower levels of my administration.'"

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In other words, probably not. Thanks but no thanks.

Ijaz, an American businessman of Pakistani heritage, has written often on Muslim politics. Readers of this column may recall that Ijaz has considered moving to Nevada to run for the U.S. Senate seat occupied by powerhouse Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Ijaz appears well-informed on foreign policy issues and stresses his belief it is in America's best interest to have a Muslim citizen in a position of political authority. Although Ijaz's language during an interview was at times earthy, his intellect was impressive and his memory sharp.

Confronted with the apparent snub of Americans of one of the world's largest religions, Romney said Ijaz got the story wrong.

Romney told a reporter during a campaign stop in St. Petersburg, Fla., "No. His question was did I need to have a Muslim in my Cabinet to be able to confront radical jihad and would it be important to have a Muslim in my Cabinet and I said, 'No, I don't think that you have to have a Muslim in the Cabinet to be able to take on radical Jihad anymore than during the Second World War we needed to have a Japanese-American to understand the threat that was coming from Japan or something of that nature.'"

In a Tuesday interview, Ijaz called Romney's memory more than faulty. He called it something I can't print. There was never any mention of Japanese-Americans during Romney's answer, Ijaz said, uttering a juicy expletive.

"It's a matter of being disingenuous in a private setting of faithful supporters, where he said what was really on his mind," Ijaz said. "He made the assumption that I was one of the faithful."

In case anyone doubted Romney's position, he told reporters this week, "I'm open to having people of any faith and ethnic group, but they would be selected based upon their capacity and their capabilities and the values and skills that they could bring to the administration. But I don't choose people based on checking off a box."

Will the press take Romney at his word?

Probably not. And here's why.

A few weeks ago in a luncheon at Lawry's Restaurant on Howard Hughes Parkway, Romney was asked a similar question by GOP activist and Ijaz friend George Harris.

Would Romney consider placing a qualified Muslim in his cabinet?

"Probably not," came the reply.

"I was angry because it was such a dumb answer," Harris said Tuesday.

Harris, the state Republican Party finance chairman, said he came away from the luncheon believing a Romney administration would mean, "Muslims need not apply."

For a candidate who has been dodging a lot of questions about his Mormon faith, such remarks appear particularly insensitive. The irony isn't lost on Ijaz.

He wrote, "If Romney wins the White House, he will probably rely on those who know Mormonism best to help him explain it to those who distrust it most. It is time for him to reconsider his views on who should help America craft the right policies that attack the scourge on civilization that Islamic extremism has become."

Following the publication of the essay, Ijaz said that in a matter of hours he had been accused of everything from lying to being a Democratic Party operative. (He did raise a substantial sum for Democrats before a parting of the ways.)

He said Romney representatives initially asserted no gathering had taken place, which probably comes as a shock to Henderson resident Robert Porter, who hosted the event in his home.

Meanwhile, Ijaz said he's searching for a home in Las Vegas and calls a run for office "highly probable."

"That is, unless I'm asked to become a national security adviser by Mitt Romney," he said, laughing.

How can I put this politely?

Probably not.

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. dick fazio wrote on January 28, 2008 07:54 AM: john: Just wanted you to know that friday at Pogo's is growing bigger every week, especially with newcomers, both musicians and audiences. The people from Las Vegas city life came in and did a photo shoot and long article. Should be out this week. Take care and God bless you and the family. Nick wrote on November 28, 2007 08:02 PM: Norman - You're joking, right? They come to this country BECAUSE our rules allow for religious tolerance. And if they want to get here and change the rules, again, that is their prerogative. If you don't like it, change the rules so they can't come. Enact a constitutional amendment banning Islam. But if you can't do that, then you just have to accept that this is the way our system works, for better or worse. Larry Kirkpatrick wrote on November 28, 2007 06:24 PM: When in America have we decided we have to worry about what some damn rag head says about our election system. It is time we brought America back to the Americans and political correctness can take a long hike off a short cliff dsm wrote on November 28, 2007 04:32 PM: The naturalized American Citizen, Tina what are you trying to say. Muhammad Ali, Kareem abdul, changed there names to Arabic names to get out of going to Vietnam as did many blacks have done do your research. After 2001 this Islamic faith came to the headlines but yet no muslim has offered no reprisals for what is happening to there religion. Islam will be defeated thanks to Osama bin hiding under a rock and preching not practicing what he says laden. You see there is ONE GOD, In english we say GOD, Islam they say Allah, and so on for each religion they have a name for there GOD. So lets get off this Religion and keep it to yourself and in your homes not in the paper or the streets. God Bless and MERYY CHRISTMAS to all. tina wrote on November 28, 2007 01:56 PM: Norman..... What planet are you from? If it is Earth, then where have you been living?? Do you even research your obscene rhetoric before you speak? Do you know anything about this country, the Arab world, or anything for that matter? "They expect to come to this country and impose their religious and political beliefs on us" um who is they?? The naturalized American Citizens that have adopted the Muslim faith? Do you understand what being a Muslim is? It is a religion much like Christianity, people of their own free will become Muslim because of their religious faith. Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar---TWO NATURALIZED AMERICANS that are also Muslim!! Please know before you speak. Um secondly, people of other faiths are allowed to practice their religion without reprisals about as much as we in the country allow religious freedom, well I guess so long as it is the "right" religion, huh Norman. More importantly, no American could run for office in another country for they are not a citizen of that country. You do understand that it is the same in this country? You have to be an AMERICAN CITIZEN before you can run for office. You do get that, right? And have you ever heard of Tariq Aziz? Yeah again do some research before you spew rhetoric that is so undeniably false it is almost comical? But the hatred for others and your intolerant views are very apparent based on your post and lack of credible evidence. You are spewing hatred just to spew hatred. Not everyone is the same, we are all different, and do not put people in a box and stereotype them based on your own ill-conceived notions of truth. Jack wrote on November 28, 2007 01:54 PM: If Romney was going to not have a Muslem in his cabinent, for religious sake (as the bigoted charges here claim), then he wouldn't have mentioned anything regarding numbers. It wouldn't have mattered how many muslems were in America, he simply would be intolerant and refuse them. We still do not have a direct quote from either person with regards to this exchange so I don't know if this worth even discussing. Anyone can say anything about another. Ijaz says that Romney didn't mention anything about the Japanese Americans and that might be right. Romney was simply answering the reporter's question by saying that he originally anwered Ijaz's question with the same reasoning. Until there is a recording or transcript, this is a non-story. Dti wrote on November 28, 2007 12:52 PM: "Regardless, no American Christian, Jew or non-moslem would ever be allowed as a politician in any Arab country." Why would an American be running for office in another country? I assume the most countries require citizenship to be required for political office. There are non-Muslims (not to mention nominal Muslims who do not practice Islam) in high positions in the Arab world. In case nothing comes to mind, consider Lebanon, and the (in)famous Tariq Aziz as two examples. Sigh wrote on November 28, 2007 12:37 PM: Amen, Norman. Unfortunatley, however, lame stories such as this are going to destroy Romney's chances because the general public of America is mostly made up of chickens with their heads cut off. My company just had a huge Diwali celebration a couple of weeks ago, but once again we're forbidden to have a Christmas tree in the office. That's the direction this country is headed in... Norman wrote on November 28, 2007 11:12 AM: Re: Moslems in the cabinet Regardless, no American Christian, Jew or non-moslem would ever be allowed as a politician in any Arab country. In fact it is more than likely impossible for Any American Christian, Jew or non-moslem to even practice their faith in an Arab country without determined harrassment. Oh, and try not to be raped when visiting an Arab country. Two hundred lashes at the stake os such a primitive entertainment. Yet they expect to come to this country and impose their religious and political beliefs on us. Until such time as it might be possible for an American Christian, Jew or non-moslem to become a politician in an Arab country, after hell freezes over of course, I also say, 'thanks-but-no-thanks. Patte wrote on November 28, 2007 11:09 AM: I'm an fog (friend of george) but I am opposed to appointing anyone because of quotas. Read All Comments