I was living in New Jersey in the summer of 2011 when Governor Chris Christie appointed Sohail Muhammed to the bench of the Superior Court of New Jersey. Almost immediately, the governor faced a serious backlash from the conservative right, which attacked his move to appoint a US Muslim judge to high office. Governor Christie was unmoved. With the pressure mounting, he decided to clarify his stance on national media in these words: “It is ridiculous and insulting, that because I nominated Sohail Mohammed, that people somehow think that means I am for sharia law. It is crap. And I will not ever apologise for making him a judge; in fact, I am proud of it.” He added, “Sohail is an extraordinary American who is an outstanding lawyer. Ignorance is behind his criticism.”

The governor silenced his critics with his principled stance. He made it clear that all US citizens were equal and appointments to office were made on merit alone. As a US Muslim, I watched this moment with pride and joy. Governor Christie’s moral integrity reminded me of Pakistan’s own founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. On numerous occasions, he faced similar pressures from the right wing, yet he stood true to his principles. When he was pressed by Kashmiri clerics to close the doors of the Muslim League to Ahmedi Muslims, for instance, he did not give in to their divisiveness. Instead, he admonished: “I appeal to the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir not to raise sectarian questions, but instead to unite on one platform under one banner. In this lies the welfare of the Muslims. In this way, not only can Muslims make political and social progress effectively, but so can other communities.”

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