Muslim hoping to unseat longtime Dem congressman for supporting Israel says pro-LGBT messages alienate Muslims

(JNS) — Melissa Chaudhry, a Muslim who wears a headscarf, has said that she is running as a Democrat against Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), who has been in office for almost 30 years, in part because he is too pro-Israel.

“Your congressman takes money from AIPAC, Boeing and Raytheon, then calls you a totalitarian for protesting,” she stated. “His biggest funders are the Israel lobby and the defense industry.”

But Chaudhry, who has said that she supports gay rights, is drawing criticism from the Washington state Democratic Party for neglecting to mention that support on her website—a decision that...