Hawzah News Agency- With the elections set to determine control of Congress, Muslim civil rights group the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has launched a final push to get eligible voters to the ballot box, while Islamic scholars and community leaders have also been encouraging greater political participation.
The mobilisation comes amid widespread opposition among Muslim voters to the Trump administration’s handling of Gaza and its war against Iran, as well as concerns about anti-Muslim rhetoric, immigration enforcement and civil liberties.
And Muslim voters look set to cause a significant upset in a closely fought election with key Swing States with a Muslim heavy population again possibly deciding the outcome.
A new CAIR survey suggests the president could face a significant backlash from Muslim voters. Published on October 28, the survey of 861 Muslim respondents found that 84 per cent disapproved of Trump’s job performance, compared with just six per cent who approved.
The organisations added that voters were weighing “the threat of rising anti-Muslim hate and the human consequences of U.S. policy at home and abroad, including in Gaza.”
CAIR’s survey found that 89 per cent of Muslim respondents considered a candidate’s position on Gaza either extremely or very important when deciding how to vote.
Meanwhile, another prominent Muslim preacher and Yaqeen Institute president, Dr Omar Suleiman, has also used his social media platform to highlight the importance of political engagement after casting his vote early.
Suleiman, who is of Palestinian Arab origin, has been an outspoken critic of the Trump administration and its strong support for Israel amid the genocide in Gaza. He has also criticised the controversial war against Iran, which has led many Americans, including former Trump allies, to question whether Washington is fighting a pointless conflict in Israel’s interests.
The findings come after more than three years of Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza, during which the Trump administration has continued to provide political and military support to Israel.
The latest surveys suggest that Trump’s own record on Gaza, Iran, immigration and anti-Muslim rhetoric is now contributing to a different political calculation among many of those voters who now wish to unite against Trump and cause his admin a significant setback.
For Trump and the Republicans, the message from American Muslims is increasingly clear: their votes should not be taken for granted. However, Trump’s hands are tied and he has committed heavily to policies which directly affect Muslim Americans in a very negative way.
Source: 5 PILLARS
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