Earlier this month, we reported on the appointment of the Executive Director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Salam al-Marayati to the represent the United States at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). There are a plethora of reasons which illustrate why al-Marayati is worse than a bad choice. Anti-Semitism is right up there.
Thankfully, a U.S. Congressman has decided to take issue with this appointment.
Via Adam Kredo at the Washington Free Beacon (h/t Reid):
Republican members of Congress are demanding to know why the State Department selected a prominent anti-Israel Muslim leader to represent the U.S. at a recent human rights conference in Warsaw, Poland.
Salam al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), was recently selected by President Barack Obama’s administration to deliver remarks at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) annual human rights conference, a 10-day gathering focused on the “promotion of tolerance,” according to the group’s website.
The selection of al-Marayati quickly drew condemnation from Jewish leaders and others who objected to the presence of a Muslim leader who has defended terrorists and once speculated that Israel could be responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The State Department defended al-Marayati, labeling him “valued and highly credible.”
The administration’s defense led Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio), chairman of the Republican Study Committee, to demand answers in a letter sent late Thursday to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“The Administration’s recent selection of Salam al-Marayati to represent the United States at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting is highly concerning,” Jordan wrote to Clinton, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
“Your assertion that al-Marayati is ‘valued and highly credible’ is not only outlandish, but raises serious questions regarding the Administration’s judgment, as well as its underlying foreign policy goals,” the letter said.
Here is a copy of the letter sent by Rep. Jordan to Hillary Clinton.
Look for Jordan to receive the Michele Bachmann treatment soon. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that, like Bachmann, Jordan is on the right side of this issue. We pray that he has the courage to stay there.
Incidentally, Jordan is a member of the House Oversight Committee, which is chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa, a man who has exhibited true leadership in the trying times of the Obama administration.