State Sen. Larry Shaw will chair the nation's leading Muslim civil rights and advocacy group.

The Fayetteville Democrat was named today as the new chairman of the board of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, where he has served as a member for the past three years.

A seven-term state senator, Shaw was the highest-ranking Muslim public official in the United States until 2006. 

In a statement, he said he looked forward to partnering with the Obama administration to promote "pluralistic values." 

"In carrying out our mission of promoting justice and mutual understanding, we honor and will continue to learn from groups who have faced similar challenges, including African-Americans, Asian-Americans and many others," he said.

CAIR has 35 offices and chapters in the United States and Canada. 

U.S. Rep. Walter Jones has condemned Barack Obama's remarks about guns and religion.

In a statement today, the Farmville Republican said he did not agree with the Democratic presidential candidate's recent characterization of small-town Pennsylvanians as "bitter."

"Senator Obama is clearly out of touch with the values of middle-class Americans," he said. "Those comments might be welcomed by liberal groups in San Francisco, but mainstream America resents these types of condescending remarks."

He added that "law-abiding citizens who believe in the Bible and the Constitution" do not want their values "mocked" by politicians. 

U.S. Rep. Walter Jones wants Americans to take some time in May to think about religious history.

Jones, a Farmville Republican, is co-sponsoring a resolution by GOP Rep. Randy Forbes of Virginia to designate the first week in May as "American Religious History Week."

Jones said in a statement that "it is crucial that our nation takes time to acknowledge and appreciate the importance of its religious history. I am hopeful that this resolution will serve as a reminder that religious freedom is at the very heart of America's constitutional and historical greatness."

Jones said the resolution is needed because of "relentless challenges" to the phrase "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.

John Edwards said prayer helped him get over the death of his son.

At a candidate forum at George Washington University, Edwards joined Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to talk about the role of faith in their lives.

In previous campaigns, Edwards has shied away from speaking about his son, Wade. But at the event he said his death and Elizabeth's cancer spurred a "faith journey."

"Prayer played a huge role in my survival. ... It was the Lord that got me through that," Edwards said.

The event was sponsored by Sojourners/Call to Renewal, a Christian social justice group. (N&O)