By NICHOLAS WU
(POLITICO) Accusations of Islamophobia and anti-Israel bias are bogging down the confirmation of an under-the-radar Biden administration nominee who’d be the highest-ranking Muslim in its ranks if he’s confirmed.
The White House tapped Dilawar Syed for the No. 2 post at the Small Business Administration in March, but the Senate Small Business Committee has been unable to advance Syed’s nomination as Republicans criticize what they say is the veteran businessman’s association with an “anti-Israel” Muslim American group.
Religious advocacy groups, including several Jewish organizations, are crying foul. Particularly alarming to some Syed supporters is a June email circulated among Republican committee staff by an aide to Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO. The email notes Syed’s Pakistani roots and his membership on the board of EmgageUSA, a Muslim American nonprofit that “has taken very partisan positions” against actions by the Israeli government.
Risch spokesperson Marty Cozza confirmed the authenticity of the email and said the aide who wrote it was vetting Syed’s background when she “became aware he was an active board member for an advocacy group that has taken inflammatory positions regarding Israel. As is common in the vetting process, she moved forward on sharing Mr. Syed’s information with with Small Business Committee staff who were also reviewing his nomination.”