Has
the Genie Jumped out of the Muslims’ Bloc
Vote Box?
By Moin Moon Khan
Illinois, US
Nobody can
dispute that our faith amplifies our deep belief
in the concept of oneness - one God, one Prophet,
one Holy book, and sort of one virtual Ummah.
However, when this notion is stretched too far,
it gets murkier and scarier. Think of an anachronistic
model of having one ruler or worse one king, or
one political party.
For the last two general elections, American Muslims
have experimented with the prototype of one voting
bloc, which is somewhat like cappuccino, i.e.
more expensive and full of steam. The results
have been contrastingly different, ineffective
and undesirable.
Assuming that voting for one political party will
work like an insurance policy has proved unfruitful
for us. In the 2000 presidential elections, we
decided to vote for President George Bush. In
the recently concluded election, we switched to
Senator John Kerry’s platform. Now, are
we going to be recruited in the Amen corner of
Senator Hillary Clinton for 2008? What will we
be doing in the meantime?
There are several other important questions too
- is it healthy for the entire community to take
a 180 degree turn every time and wait for the
next four years to make another decision at the
eleventh hour as we do in case of moon sighting?
When we mobilize our collective votes for one
presidential candidate, does it not give the signal
to abandon the other political party altogether?
When the country’s system warrants us to
have two political parties, how can we develop
our strategy of supporting one party at a time?
Have we developed the idea of splitting the ballot?
Will it be a bad idea to vote individually for
local candidates and collectively for federal
positions? If yes, does it not behoove on national
organizations to make such distinctions and create
awareness about it?
Despite the fact that Democratic Party’s
presidential candidate was a Catholic, majority
of Kerry’s fellow believers voted against
him.
African Americans, who traditionally vote for
a Democratic hopeful, split their affiliation.
Both political parties received electoral support
from Latino Americans. Jewish Americans voted
for both groups. Indian Americans, a new potent
emerging political force, ran for various offices
and, more than a dozen won, using both platforms
according to their circumstances. It was only
Americans Muslims who decided to side with one
party overwhelmingly and matched themselves, in
an unusual way, with the Evangelicals who seem
to have voted only for Republicans.
By going with one political party, American Muslims
completely ignore the regional dynamics of the
local politics as it happened in the recently
held election. Muslims got so enormously focused
on the presidential election and one voting bloc
‘panacea’ that they almost did not
pay any attention to candidates who were running
for countywide and township wide positions. We
forgot that States’ Attorney’s Office
play immensely important role in the day-to-day
law and order situation than US Attorney General
John Ashcroft’s disciples. County Board
Commissioners are superbly helpful in obtaining
business permits in suburban areas, where a lot
of Muslims own small businesses like gas stations,
grocery shops, and convenient stores.
Circuit Court Judges decide more neighborhood
cases than Justices of the US Supreme Court. In
the post-911 conditions, county Sheriffs can allegedly
enforce Patriot Act’s provisions more subjectively
and frequently than we can find fault with Homeland
Security’s directives. Think of a scenario
in which these local officials are led to believe
that local Muslims never voted for their election
or re-election and supported collectively their
opponents.
In 2004 elections, not a single American Muslims’
national organization advised its patrons to split
the ticket while voting for federal candidates
and pay attention to local realities. For example,
I live in a county, which is nationally recognized
for being hard core Republican, and most of them
are moderate Republicans. Almost all the elected
officials that represent this county, at any levels,
are Republicans.
Interestingly, they are cognizant of the large
presence of their Muslim constituents and they
have visited local Islamic centers in more numbers
and more frequently than their counterparts in
any state of the USA.
About 50,000 Muslims live in DuPage County of
Illinois. Nearly a dozen prominent Islamic institutions
are based here that include two prestigious Islamic
High Schools. But Muslims of this area overwhelmingly
voted against the local ruling party’s candidates
and supported the opponent side in line with the
national consensus of the Muslim community. Is
it the sign of political astuteness or political
ineptitude?
I am sure the above cond ition is not an exception.
Think of the plight of Muslims of the “Red”
states where Muslims might have got carried away
as we get overwhelmed when we deliberate on the
bloc vote issue. We also ignore the fact that
to win an election, candidates make deals behind
the scenes, compromise on issues, and make alliances
with groups that never get along with each other.
Politics is a game of bargain, where no interest
is eternal. When can we learn how to be in the
mix? Falling on the ground is not bad, but failing
to get up is worse.
(Moin Moon Khan, an Illinois-based political activist,
can be reached at moonkhan2006@yahoo.com)
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