How did I miss this?

My local congressional district has a special election in a couple of weeks to fill the House seat vacated by the late Rep. Julia Carson, D-Ind. You wouldn’t know it from reading our local newspaper The Indianapolis Star, but the Democratic candidate for the seat, Carson’s grandson Andre Carson, could become the nation’s second Muslim member of Congress.

I do have to wonder about this though:

For the record: 7th District Dem candidate Andre Carson is “an Orthodox, universal, secular Muslim” who “frequently attends” services at Nur-Allah Islamic Center.

Gah, what is “an Orthodox, universeal, secular Muslim?”  Too many terms, not enough definition!

It is interesting to note that the first and now possibly the second muslim in congress both come from TMC and WD Muhammad affiliated masjids.  Is there something about these masjids and these communities that nurture civic participation?  And how does this relate to the series “Why Blackamerican Muslims don’t stand for Justice?”  While immigrant muslims may control the community, it does seem that some blackamerican muslims have carved their own niche and are leading the rest of us into mainstream politics.Â