Barack Obama Just Nominated A Muslim To Be A Federal Judge. That’s A First

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Apparently not the first, after all

But did any of those news outlets perform a perfunctory check of the claim? Because it appears that this particular bit of history was made years ago: in 2009, President Obama nominated Abdul Karim Kallon, who was reported to be a Muslim by the Islamic Society of North America, to the federal bench. In January of 2010, he became a U.S. District Judge for the northern district of Alabama.

Those convinced that Muslims endure unbearable persecution in the U.S. may find the circumstances of his confirmation surprising: Kallon was backed by both of Alabama’s Republican senators and confirmed with unanimous consent.

In fact, it appears that even Kallon was not the first Muslim federal judge. In the book Religion and Immigration: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Experiences in the United States, chapter author M.A. Muqtedar Khan mentions a Muslim federal judge being appointed prior to the 2000 election, likely by President Clinton.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2016/09/07/the-headlines-are-wrong-abid-r-qureshi-is-not-the-first-muslim-american-federal-judge-nominee/

And Kallon was nominated to be promoted, this year.