The president of a national Muslim group has resigned from Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine’s newly formed immigration panel after a Shenandoah Valley delegate accused the group of radicalism and “questionable motives.”
Esam Omeish, an Alexandria surgeon and head of the Alexandria-based Muslim American Society, resigned from the panel after Kaine was “made aware of certain statements he has made which concern me,” according to a statement from the governor Thursday.
The decision follows a Tuesday letter from Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, to the governor protesting Omeish’s appointment.
“Dr. Omeish indicated that he did not want this controversy to distract form the important work of the commission,” Kaine’s statement said.
The incident is an unneeded black eye for the Kaine administration as it tries to navigate a broader controversy over illegal immigration policy. Omeish was one of 20 appointees charged with reviewing immigration’s impact on the commonwealth.
Kaine’s spokesman could not be reached Thursday, and it’s unclear what remarks from Omeish the governor was referring to in his statement.
In videotaped speech at a rally posted on YouTube, Omeish urged the end of the “repugnant illegal occupation by Israel” in the West Bank and Gaza and blasted the United States’ “extremely biased and lopsided foreign policy in the Middle East.”
Gilbert alleged Omeish’s group is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, which hecalled “a dangerous international organization that seeks to bring about worldwide Islamic government” and want to implement hard-line Muslim law in America.
The controversy is an indication that governments may now need to start checking YouTube footage when vetting appointees, according to Sean O’Brien, executive director of the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute. But such screening could prove very challenging with the scores of appointees each year.
The resignation, he hoped, would prevent any distraction from the issues before the commission.
Omeish could not be reached Thursday.
