American Muslims and Elections 2010

My dear friend Earl wrote on Friday:

Dear friend,

It is with sadness that I acknowledge that the Democratic Party is very likely to be completely and soundly trounced in the November 2^nd  fall elections.

Why do I think, just as do virtually all of the political pundits, that this terrible fate awaits the political party to which I belong? Because the majority of Americans appear to have decided that the Democratic Party, more than the Republican Party, works for "other people" more than it does for the majority of  Americans; namely,  the Democratic Party works for the "other"  --  for the immigrants, for minorities of all sorts,  for the poor, for the Islamics and for foreigners generally, for people who do not have health care insurance, for people who are not American citizens, for those who are not the achievers within the American society, for the "other" within our society.

In a summary word, the majority of Americans appear to see themselves as hard working achievers, while they see all of these "others" as "the other," not deserving of any special attention of the government. In short, this vast majority of Americans will be voting in their own perceived best interest -- voting for themselves and against foreigners, for themselves and against those who do not have health care insurance, for themselves and against those who want to change our environmental standards, for themselves and against anyone who wants a
"bailout" for any purpose, for themselves and against Muslims, for themselves and against gays, lesbians, and the transgendered, for themselves to TAKE THEIR COUNTY BACK FROM THESE "OTHERS!"

 ... Most alarming is the prospect that this fight against "the other" may continue and endure for some time to come. As a minority in many, many different respects, I am this "other" the American majority is fighting against. I am the "other" from which the country is being taken.

With Some Fear and Trembling,
Earl

By the time I finished reading his email, I realized that his words actually fit many of us. They fit me.

I am: a Muslim, an immigrant, a small business owner, and a middle class American. In Earl’s words, “I am this ‘other’ the American majority is fighting against.”

Here, the question arises: Is it really American majority that is fighting against me or is it just a bunch of loud mouth Tea Partiers who are confusing everyone else?

I think, it's mostly Tea Partiers, but calling them "just a bunch of Tea Partiers" would be a criminal under estimating. Their threat is real.

The whole America is facing this serious threat this fall. No matter how much ignorant, careless or fearless we would like to be in this regard, this needs addressing right away.

CNN analyst Roland Martin recently addressed this in his article, “Democrats had better fear Tea Party candidates.” He notes that the Tea Party Movement in recent primaries in several states has already proven its power and is shaking the GOP.  In Delaware, he says, “Christine O'Donnell's victory this week over the legendary Mike Castle, a congressman, former governor and the man considered absolutely unbeatable” should be a serious point to note for Democrats. “In the New York Republican gubernatorial race, Rick Lazio was also considered a shoo-in to face New York Attorney General Mario Cuomo in November, yet a Tea Partier with a racist streak in his body, Carl Paladino, beat the former congressman. Badly.”

Although many political pundits are suggesting this as a sign of confirmed win for Democrats in many races, I think it could be unlikely. According to my observation as a political community organizer, voters other than Tea Partiers are either laid back or have given up. Many of us who were very involved in 2008 elections are not even talking about the elections or candidates yet.

In Columbus Muslim community, for example, I have not heard any discussion about upcoming elections and who are we voting for. So far, no programs have been organized to inform and educate the Muslim voters about the candidates.  Neither MPAC nor CAIR has organized any event in this regard. And we are only 44 days away from the election.

Here, we are talking about Ohio, a swing state, where Congress woman Mary Jo Kilroy won her 2008 elections with only 2,311 votes. This is going to be a tough race again this year. In the absence of Obama’s 2008 charisma, this needs way more activism than the last time.   

Similarly, according to a Quinnipiac University poll of likely voters released on September 16, “Republican challenger John Kasich has a 54 - 37 percent lead over Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland in the race to be Ohio's next chief state executive, with much of his lead due to overwhelming support among independent voters.”

A 17-point lead is nothing but a wakeup call for us. The situation is really bad. Ignoring these numbers and doing nothing about it is even worst.

In central Ohio, the loss of Kilroy, Strickland and many other democrats, God forbidding, would actually be a greater loss for Muslim Community than any other minority. In the current environment, Democrats are the only people who have supported us without any reservations. Although they are not perfect, when it comes to bigotry and Islamophobia, democrats have stood up clearly in support of Muslims and have defended Islam.  Keeping them in their offices is nothing less than a must for American Muslims.  

This calls for all kind of community mobilization in next 44 days. Having fundraisers and donating money to the races is very important; but the most important is the call to get out and vote (GOTV). At the end it’s the vote count that decides who goes to the office. We must launch a state of political emergency within our communities. Educating our communities about the candidates and encouraging them to vote would be the first step, but taking them to the poll would actually be the king maker.

My friends, it’s time to reach “others” and work together for a better tomorrow. It’s time to send all racists, bigots, fear and hate mongers home. This cannot be done without American Muslims.

Please join the movement by sending an email to zabid@ohiomuslims.org.

God bless you. God bless America.