 |
Friday,
January 30, 2004
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
Muslims
impact politics
COMMENTARY
By
Dmitri Pikman
There
are 1.8 million registered Muslim voters in the United
States, but that number is predicted to increase with
a new generation of young Muslim Americans coming of voting
age, and politicians are slowly starting to take notice.
A Democratic forum in Michigan organized by the Arab American
Institute in October was attended by all of the Democratic
candidates, and Michigan will print its first Arabic language
ballots for the upcoming February primary.
Agha Saeed, national chairman at the American Muslim Alliance,
said that the increased political importance of Muslim
Americans should be expected.
“There are 7 million Muslim Americans in the United
States, and in every close race, politicians realize that
they can ignore large populations of potential voters
only (at) their own expense,” Saeed said.
The importance of Muslim American voters first became
clear to political experts during the close election of
2000.
During that presidential race, the American Muslim Public
Council, a nonprofit organization, invited both presidential
candidates to discuss issues important to its members.
“The Bush campaign responded, while (Al) Gore kept
postponing the meeting. The AMPC counseled their members
to vote for Bush, and it did make a significant difference
in the election,” said Delinda Hanley, news editor
for the Washington Report on Middle Eastern Issues.
Another important aspect of the Muslim American voting
block is its youth, with one-third of all Muslim votes
coming from 18 to 25-year-olds and much of the political
momentum coming from American-born Muslims.
“The immigrant generation is ambivalent and hesitant,”
Saeed said. “They are not sure how to participate
in the political process. The American-born generation
is free of those illusions and concerns, very much ready
to participate in every aspect of the political life.”
However, experts say even with a higher voter participation,
Muslim Americans still face several hurdles before their
voting block can truly begin to influence American politics.
The primary hindrance is the sheer diversity of the Muslim
population in the United States. With the majority of
Muslim Americans hailing from many different countries,
making a joint consensus is difficult.
The path was also severely hampered by the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks.
Experts say the passing of the USA Patriot Act, which
some activists say unfairly targets Americans of Muslim
descent, may provide a new political rallying point for
Muslim Americans.
“We suspect Muslim American organizations will try
to get all their members involved in this upcoming presidential
election, not only because of international issues, but
civil rights issues as well, such as unfair profiling
and the Patriot Act,” Hanley said.
But all the experts agree: Muslim Americans should start
playing a bigger role in American politics.
“We need to be heard to affect policy, Al-Quatami
said. “Then, policy makers will take note.”
Dmitri
Pikman is a columnist for the Daily Bruin at the University
of California-Los Angeles. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
