Daily Times

President Donald Trump’s decision to nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo as secretary of state has alarmed America’s Muslims advocacy organisations.

After US President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday about his plans to replace Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo – a man with a history of anti-Muslim rhetoric and association with known anti-Muslim groups – several Muslim groups’ leaders have voiced their concern.

Pompeo has been associated with some of the most nefarious anti-Muslim voices in the US. In 2016, he accepted an award from ACT for America, an organisation labelled as an “anti- Muslim group” in the US by the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC).

According to the SPLC, Pompeo had repeatedly addressed their conferences and sponsored an act for America legislative briefing at the Capitol in 2016. “This new position gives anti-Muslim extremists another ally in a high place,” the SPLC said in a statement.

Scott Simpson, a spokesperson for Muslim Advocates, said: Mike Pompeo has made a career of bigotry and hate. This announcement should concern every American who values religious freedom.”

HodaHawa, director of policy and advocacy for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said: “Pompeo’s confirmation would further erode American Muslims’ trust in their government.” As a top diplomat for the United States, it is crucial that the secretary of state carries out a foreign policy agenda that doesn’t marginalise American communities.”

Two months after the Boston bombing, Pompeo criticised Muslim leaders across the US for remaining “silent” and failing to condemn the attack. This “silence” he alleged made them “complicit in these acts”.

However, not everyone is concerned by his previous comments or associations or the impact this may have on his policies. Kamaran Bhokari, a senior fellow at the Centre for Global Policy, explained Pompeo’s ascendance to the secretary of state would require him to change his behaviour and rhetoric – compared to when he was a Congressman.

He called the change as “political learning” that developed through political experience. “Look at Trump and what he said about Muslims on the campaign trail – and then at how different his speech when he visited Saudi Arabia.”

“Although Pompeo advocates for a tougher policy on Pakistan, not much will change in the US-Pak relationship under his watch,” he explained.

The Pakistan policy has already been determined by the US president. Pompeo has the Trump’s ear and trust and he would have known about Trump’s New Year’s Day tweet,” he said.

Both Pompeo and Trump oppose the Iran nuclear deal. Trump acknowledged he wanted to end the “bad” deal. Once inserted inside the state department, Pompeo will be in a position to push for this. Thus, he could prove to be a more commanding force on the global stage.

The road to the US state department may not be paved as smoothly as Trump would like to think. In a news conference on Wednesday, Senator Rand Paul vowed to do everything in his power to prevent Mike Pompeo from becoming secretary of state.

The senator reminded the press that Pompeo’s earlier support for the Iraq War and defence of “torture” or enhanced interrogation techniques – in his view and that of his colleagues – was disqualifying.

The Kentucky senator hinted that he might filibuster the nominations of both Pompeo and Trumps CIA director pick Gina Haspel.

“I’m perplexed by the nomination of people who loved the Iraq War so much. They would advocate for a war with Iran again,” Rand said. “It goes against most of the things President Trump campaigned on that the unintended consequences of regime change in Iraq led to instability in the Middle East.”

Published in Daily Times, March 18^th 2018.