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Monday, March 28, 2016

Muslims Try to Get Out the Vote

WASHINGTON — American Muslims are watching in growing horror as Donald J. Trump and Senator Ted Cruz battle for the Republican presidential nomination, outdoing each other with provocative proposals that have included Muslim registries, immigration bans and fleets of police patrolling their neighborhoods.

With round tables, summit meetings and news releases falling on deaf ears, national advocacy groups are planning to fend off policies they consider hostile to Muslims with a more proactive strategy: driving up the Muslim vote.

Organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations, known as CAIR, the Islamic Circle of North America and the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations are encouraging mosques to turn themselves into voter registration centers before the November election so that Muslims can make their voices heard at the polls. Registration drives are expected to ramp up significantly in June, during Ramadan, when attendance at Islamic centers peaks.

“The fear and apprehension in the American Muslim community has never been at this level,” said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for CAIR. “The anti-Islamic tidal wave is spurring civic participation.”

Muslims tended to lean Republican as recently as 2000, but a backlash after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, along with the Middle East policies of the George W. Bush administration, has led to a gradual shift toward the Democrats. A Pew Research Center survey last year found that 70 percent of American Muslims identify with the Democratic Party, while just 11 percent consider themselves to be Republicans.

Although Muslims make up only about 1 percent of the population in the United States, civil rights groups have set a goal of registering a million new voters. Efforts will be focused on swing states such as Ohio and Florida that have large Muslim populations, potentially giving the small but united voting bloc the power to tilt close elections.

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8 comments:

Anonymous said...

To the Muslim community in our United States, if you are not 100% American, you need to leave our country.

Anonymous said...

Poor babies, so misunderstood.

Anonymous said...

This bears watching.

In the last election there were VANLOADS of Somalis being taken to the polls.
I wonder how many different ones they went to?

Anonymous said...

Why in the hell is cair allowed to even operate in this country? They are our enemy. We should be arresting them, but are instead allowing them to influence our elections. Unbelievable.

Anonymous said...

We keep changing our views and believes for 1% of the population. Trump strong!

Anonymous said...

4:55
Fair may be an enemy for you. However it is an ally for the elites who own and run this country.

Hint: It is not "our" country. It belongs to the people to whom you and I pay taxes and interest.

Anonymous said...

George Carlin said, It is a secret club.
And you and I aren't in it.

Anonymous said...

We need to do like the black panthers did and patrol at the voting polls to intimidate them from voting. Hand out anti-Muslim pamplets.