Muslim-Americans
Show Responsible Citizenship
By Hazem Kira
CA
Founded in 1817, and having gone through several
names and owners, the Observer-Dispatch garnered
a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1959. The
following editorial, which was published before
the AMT-PAC’s qualified endorsement of Sen.
John Kerry shows tremendous dignity and honesty
in complimenting American Muslims and their largest
representative body, the American Muslim Taskforce
on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT) as a model
for the rest of the country. Fair-minded and unbiased
institutions like the Observer-Dispatch make us
all proud to be Americans. The complete text of
the editorial is given below:
Observer-Dispatch Editorial
“No-shows at the ballot box might take a
lesson from Muslim-Americans, who are stepping
up efforts to assume an active role in the nation's
political process.
“The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil
Rights and Elections believes that this year's
presidential race will be close, and even though
its numbers are small, activists say voters could
have an impact in November. To that end, the Associated
Press reported Monday that the group aims to register
one million Muslims to vote and will educate them
about the presidential candidates' positions.
"We believe this election will be a very
tight one and small communities can play a major
role, particularly in battleground states such
as Michigan, Ohio and Florida, where a majority
of Muslims live," Omar Ahmad, national chairman
of the Council on American Islamic Relations,
said at a news conference on Saturday.
“The group hasn't decided which candidate
to support, but task force chairman Agha Saeed
said it would weigh the candidates' positions
on civil rights issues, the economy, crime prevention
and education.
"We are going to hold town-hall meetings
all over the United States for the community and
for the candidates to engage in a dialogue where
we bring ourselves up to speed on these issues
and create common cause with fellow Americans,"
Saeed said.
“That's responsible citizenship. Whether
it be a large group or simply an individual, it
is incumbent upon all Americans to become familiar
with political candidates -- presidential or otherwise
-- and their positions on the critical issues
affecting our lives.
“This is particularly true of this year's
presidential campaign. Too often, people think
that their vote doesn't matter, but the 2000 presidential
election proved otherwise. Don't let democracy
pass you by. Become familiar with the candidates
and the issues, and make your voice heard in November.”
