A Muslim Judge In Mississippi Does Create Questions Which Should Be Answered
There is a new municipal judge in Benoit, Mississippi. She is Muslim. And people are asking questions.
Good.
They should.
Being Muslim does not disqualify anyone from public office under our laws. The U.S. Constitution does not allow folks to impose religious tests in America.
But there is something else Americans are not required to do.
We are not required to be fools.
For decades, the same polished voices have told us not to worry. Don’t worry about the border. Don’t worry about assimilation. Don’t worry about radicalism. Don’t worry about what happened in parts of Europe. Don’t worry about communities in America where old customs and foreign loyalties sometimes seem to compete with the culture that received them.
Just hush, they told us. Trust the experts.
And after a while, people noticed that the experts had been wrong about an awful lot.
That is why suspicion now falls on tired ears.
The people of Mississippi have every right to ask what any judge believes. Does she believe the Constitution is supreme? Does she believe Mississippi law governs her courtroom without exception? Does she believe religious law has no authority over the civil law of this state?
Those are fair questions.
And they would be fair questions for me, too.
Assma Ali should be judged by her own words, her record, her conduct, and ultimately by the way she administers justice.
But ordinary Mississippians be scolded into silence because they are uneasy.
There was a time in this country when questioning the establishment was considered an American virtue. Somewhere along the way, the establishment decided questions themselves were dangerous.
I don’t accept that.
Scrutiny is not hatred. Skepticism is not bigotry. And asking whether the people entrusted with judicial power are faithful to our Constitution, our laws, and our traditions is not something Americans should ever apologize for.
The Constitution prohibits a religious test.
It does not require blind trust.
