Since she is a Muslim woman, traditionally she cannot interact with men in places of worship, or shake the hands of other men outside of their home. Laouni, however, goes past these barriers to interact with her potential voters, going beyond her religion for the public good. Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but for her, it is. Also, when she campaigns, she does not preach her religion, or say that her faith with be in direct correlation with her politics. In my opinion, she is running a campaign the way it should be run. In fact, she probably has a harder time with her faith than others might.
Now, reading this article, I felt very empathic towards her. I thought, “Good for her to run for office even if her beliefs are controversial. More people should disregard someone’s religious ideologies and vote on the issues instead” However, right after thinking this, I remember my own biases against Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin. I have often been very vocal about my dislike of her and her politics. To tell you the truth, she scares the hell out of me.
For me, however, it’s simple. Palin says, frequently, that her religion has a major role in her politics. When running for Governor of Alaska, she brought religion into the campaign and says it will be a catalyst for her decision-making in office. I don’t want that! I don’t want someone who, while attending a Pentecostal church, participated in summer camps that taught individuals how to “cure” homosexuals. Her beliefs go against the major tenants of my faith and political beliefs. Laouni, the woman from the article, is a devout Muslim, but does she bring her conservative beliefs of religion in the election? No. I understand the influence religion has on a person. My faith teaches me empathy, altruism and acceptance, and because of that I’m a liberal. That being said, though, there are other aspects of my faith that I would never bring to politics. And even so, if I were to ever run for office, I would never say that faith is my guiding force for public policy. That is the major distinction between Palin’s politics and the correct politics.
Posts
6 comments:
This is a good article to demonstrate how one can put their religious views aside for political purposes. She is openly violating her own religious beliefs for her political campaign which shows me that she cares more about her political career than her religion. She disregarded several fundamental practices just to attempt to be more like other politicians. I appreciate that she is willing to do these things in an attempt to keep her political and religious spheres separate, but this just proves how difficult (if not impossible) it truly is to do this.
I praise Laouni for putting her politics before her religion. Clearly it is more difficult for her to separate politics and religion as a Muslim woman than most any other religion. If Laouni was able to divide the two spheres, then all other candidates should be able to as well. This event is also breaking the mold, as no other candidate has ever worn a hijab. Canada is a predominately Christian nation, based on Judeo-Christian ideals, much like the United States. I think this demonstrates Americans' lack of religious tolerance. We freaked out when a Mormon tried to run for office, and there are still rumors of Obama's Muslim affiliations.
I agree with Matt that this was somewhat of an eye-opening article. I instantly assume that a candidate’s religious and personal views will influence his or her policy decisions. I do hope that Laouni is elected to demonstrate that it can be done. Maybe that will give me hope that American candidates can follow suit.
I agree that this article does a great job of showing how campaigns, and even better how our government should be run. In America, as a society, we do not separate our professional lives from our everyday lives, and our social ties to religious ties all interconnect. We are an individualistic society and we tend to think that all these connections, beliefs, and opinions all makes us “unique individuals”. I feel that this is part of the reason why we will probably never have separation of church and state, even though it is greatly needed. I think that most politicians are concerned with their own well being and not of that for the country. Every single person brings an entirely different perspective to the table, with that being acknowledged our political leaders should not be concerned with what is the best policy for themselves, in agreeance with their faith, but rather for what is the best policy for the thousands of people they represent, taking into account we are an exceptionally diverse population. And according to this article that is what Laouni is doing.
It is fantastic that the woman referred to in the article “The way a campaign should be run…,” by Matt V. has stepped out of her religious constraints to do what she perceives to be for the betterment of the people. However, when Sarah Palin is dismissed as a religious fervent that is out to force her religious beliefs on the people, we need to look at several facts. These include the Republican party’s historic ties to religion, the beliefs of a candidate are biased from the beginning, and that the American system of campaigning brings opportunities for all aspects of a candidate’s life to be exposed.
First, the Republican Party is often referred to in the liberal media as the “religious right.” The religious right also refers to themselves as the conservative party. Right here, it is visible that the party values religious ideals, slow social change, and the wisdom of conservative principals. So, for those interested in the Republican Party, it is simply another way to attract voters who have the same or similar ideals as the candidates.
Second, all candidates derive their beliefs from somewhere. Some find them in the Bible, others in the Constitution. It is apparent that we are all influenced from the beginning of our lives as infants by what we hear, see, read, and our interactions with the world. Barack Obama had to get his ideals from somewhere, and his somewhere most likely included Reverend Wright, of which Obama was a member of for a numerous amount of years. An individual most certainly receives some form of preaching and adheres to it after so many years as a faithful church-going member.
Finally, American politics is like no other. We want to know every single detail about the lives of candidates. Some view this as good, but I view this as a positive. I do not want some lunatic who believes women should stay at home and raise children and not have a career. Nor do I want a candidate who believes religion alone is what should guide our great country. So, for the people who do not want religion to be the ruling force, Palin has simply given them another reason not to vote for the McCan-Palin ticket.
I don't really care for the statement 'should be run' if only because this seems just as narrow as the religion dominated politics that the article argues against. There is no way that politics 'should be run,' which suggests a 'right' way and a 'wrong' way. Its more a matter of living up to the labels we apply to our politics so as to avoid hypocracy and obfuscation. If for instance the US proffessed theocractic democracy then one would be hard pressed to say that Palin is running her campaign 'wrong'.
I totally agree with this article. It is nice to finally read about a politician who is able to keep her religion out of the realm of politics and not use it to further herself. I feel like politicians frequently use religion as a crutch and a gimme for a base of voters who have similar values and religious beliefs...but what does that tell me about their politics? That the religious right supports a candidate tells me little about their foreign policy or plans for medical insurance and social security. I wish that more politicians would use Laouni as an example that politics and religion can be kept separate.
Post a Comment