Israeli Cabinet gets first Muslim minister - Focus on Israel/Palestinians - MSNBC.com Quote:
JERUSALEM - Israel on Monday installed the first Muslim Cabinet minister in its 58-year history, with parliament approving his appointment by a wide margin.
Raleb Majadele’s appointment to the Cabinet, which the government billed as a step toward equality for Muslim Arabs, Israel’s largest minority, passed by a vote of 59 to 23.
Majadele, a parliamentary backbencher from the centrist Labor Party, said his appointment is meant to give representation to Israel’s Arabs, who make up about 20 percent of the country’s 7 million citizens. He has predicted that in the future, every Israeli government will be obliged to include an Arab minister
Israel’s parliament has always had Arab lawmakers — today, they number 13 members out of 120. But the country has had only one Arab Cabinet minister before: Salah Tarif, a Druse, who was appointed in 2001 and forced to resign nine months later under a cloud of corruption allegations
Arabs have been slowly taking on a more visible role in Israeli society in recent years. There is an Arab Supreme Court justice, as well as several diplomats and senior civil servants. There is also a smattering of Arab TV journalists and actors, along with a former national beauty queen and the winner of the Israeli version of “America’s Next Top Model.”
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Guarantee most on this board will say that this means nothing. That, since it took so long, is another example of Israeli discrimination. However, it is significant. Israel has always had Arab lawmakers (can the pro-Muslims on the board say that Muslims countries give Christians and Jews the same respect? - Doubtful). There is an Arab supreme court justice, Arab journalist etc. Like it or not Israel is a far more tolerate country than ANY of its Muslim neighbors.
Remember one thing America just got its first Muslim Congressman!