Rep. Joe Crowley, a New York Democrat, is asking his fellow lawmakers to help defend a member of the House who has endured online attacks because he is Muslim.
Rep. André Carson of Indiana, who took office in 2008, was recently appointed to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The appointment has fueled online commenters to levy personal attacks at the 40-year-old Democrat,
reports Politico.
Crowley wrote to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle Thursday about the issue.
"It has … come to my attention that there have been a shocking amount of comments made in conservative publications and on social media to the effect that Rep. Carson's integrity is somehow in question as a result of his religion," Crowley wrote, according to Politico. "These comments deeply offend me, as I'm sure they offend all of you, which is why I hope all of us will take every opportunity to renounce these kinds of comments and discourage this kind of harmful talk."
Some of the commenters, according to Politico, called Carson a "radical Muslim mole" and a "fox guarding the Hen house."
"One of the great strengths of our nation, and indeed the Congress as well, is the diversity of experiences and beliefs that we are able to draw from to inform our policy goals," Crowley wrote. "It is a true tragedy if members are targeted for their religious beliefs as somehow weakening their ability to serve, as opposed to strengthening it."
Carson was appointed to the committee on Tuesday; he is the first Muslim to serve on the committee. He's also the second Muslim to be elected to Congress.
Carson's office told Politico the congressman is aware of the comments but none of them warrant the Capitol Police getting involved.
Carson was a member of the Indianapolis City-County Council for less than six months before being elected into Congress. He currently serves on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Armed Services.
Carson was criticized in 2011 for comments he directed at members of the tea party.
During a speech, he said conservative members of Congress would "love to see us [blacks] as second-class citizens," and "some of them in Congress right now of this Tea Party movement would love to see you and me ... hanging on a tree."
The comments spurred calls for Carson to resign, which he did not do.
In 2012, h
e again came under fire for saying American schools should operate more like Muslim schools.
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