Expectations
and Realities for Muslims in American Politics
By Professor Nazeer
Ahmed
CA
It was the election year 2000.
Representatives from a large number of Muslim
organizations met, and after lengthy discussions,
decided to endorse George W Bush, then Governor
of Texas, as President. The meeting and the outcome
were hailed as a watershed for American Muslims.
It was the first time that some of the aspiring
young (and not so young) leaders had met and agreed
upon a single candidate. Enthusiasm overflowed.
Hopes ran high that the Muslim vote would make
a difference in the national elections.
If published estimates are correct, more than
seventy percent of Muslims voted for Mr. Bush
in the election of 2000. When Mr. Bush was elected,
there was jubilation and some celebration. Expectations
were high that the Muslim voice would at last
be heard at the highest levels.
9/11 intervened and the political landscape of
America changed. In the wake of that defining
moment, internal politics as well as international
policies went through a manifest transformation.
The Muslims and Arab Americans felt discriminated
against. The initial enthusiasm evaporated. In
its place a defensive attitude set in. Some Muslims
felt betrayed by their own leadership.
In retrospect, the initial euphoria as well as
the subsequent disappointment were both exaggerated.
The ship of state sails to higher winds than the
meager Muslim vote.
Politics is the art of making happen that which
is possible. It is almost like existentialism
applied to political affairs. A master politician
has that inherent sixth sense to grasp the possibility
of an event and maneuver his position to be on
the winning side. That is why men and women of
principle rarely make good politicians. Principles
are eternal; politics is not.
There are men and women of vision who create history
by the sheer power of their will. Politicians
respond to change. Visionaries create the conditions
of change. They create history. Politicians merely
float with the currents of history. As concrete
examples, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was a politician.
Mohammed Ali Jinnah was a visionary.
Politics in America is a compendium of issues
that revolve around the constitution and national
interests. The issues keep changing and have changed
over two hundred years. The institutions established
by the constitution have endured.
On the international scene, the overarching goal
of American foreign policy is to prevent the emergence
of a power or a coalition of powers that can challenge
the pre-eminent position of the United States.
A similar goal animated the British Empire up
until WW II, namely, maintenance of a balance
of power in Europe so that none could challenge
the pre-eminence of the British Empire. The two
world wars were a direct result of the German
challenge to this overriding British goal.
Muslims in America have neither the financial
resources nor the votes to substantially influence
national politics or foreign policy. They can
only hope to bring about change working in cooperation
with other interest groups. This may be a bitter
pill to swallow but political health sometimes
requires the consumption of bitter truth pills.
Let us look at the numbers first. Estimates vary,
but it is commonly accepted wisdom that there
are between three and six million Muslims in America
today. Muslims have a penchant for exaggeration,
a consequence perhaps of the tendency for hyperbole
in languages such as Urdu, Farsi and Arabic. In
the euphoria preceding 9/11, there were wild guesses
as to the number of Muslims. I have heard at least
one speech where the speaker claimed there were
fourteen million Muslims in America! What wishful
thinking! If one were to include only practicing
Muslims, and judge the number by attendance at
mosques around the country, the total is closer
to three million than six million. That is barely
one percent of the American population. This is
not a significant presence except in isolated
pockets clustered around large cities such as
Detroit, Los Angeles, Houston and Chicago. Muslims
come in different colors, different nationalities,
have different ethnic origins and have inherited
diverse historical experiences. Add to it the
dogmatic discordance among Muslims and their dismal
voting record. Many of them do not even bother
to vote.
Then there is the question of the floating population.
Prior to 9/11 there was a steady influx of Americans
into Islam. That stream has now become a trickle.
Verifiable statistics are absent but I personally
know many Americans, black and white alike, who
identified with Islam before 9/11 and have since
walked away. The stories about how conversion
has accelerated in the last three years are not
substantiated by observation. .
There is also reverse osmosis. Many who came from
Muslim families got co-opted into the American
secular milieu and have lost all touch with Islamic
practices. This phenomenon is not confined to
Islam in America. People of other faiths, including
Jewish, Christian, Hindu and Buddhist faiths,
have also encountered the same patterns. When
the loss from faith to secularism is factored
in, the statistics look even more dismal.
What the wild exaggerations in numbers have done
is to alarm a conservative section in America.
Claims that Muslims were soon to overtake the
Jewish population made some right wing elements
perk up and take note. There is a saying in Japan
that a nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
The nail must be strong enough to withstand the
blows of a hammer. Otherwise, it fractures. A
community that sticks its neck out must have the
resources to withstand the street heat that politics
generates. Otherwise, life becomes extremely uncomfortable.
It will be a while before someone with a Muslim
name gets elected to a major office in the United
States. Some will try with disguised or anglicized
nicknames. I remember when I contested in the
primaries for US Congress from the 46th Congressional
district of California in 1992, a Hispanic gentlemen
frankly told me: “Dr. Ahmed, you are probably
the most qualified man. But it will be a while
before an Ahmed or a Muhammed gets elected to
Congress.”
Now, consider the issue of money in politics.
Campaigns are awfully expensive. It may take close
to a million dollars to run a successful campaign
for a national office. Although a few Pakistanis
and Arabs have been extremely successful as businessmen,
most families are financially maxed out and the
ability to raise money in the community is limited.
Candidates, whether they are Republican or Democrat,
are willing to attend luncheons and listen to
your grievances if you promise them a substantial
campaign donation or a major cache of votes. With
a few local exceptions, Muslims cannot muster
either.
The same hard facts apply to influencing the foreign
policy of the United States. Whenever Muslims
get together, the conversation descends very rapidly
to a discussion of Palestine, Kashmir and Chechnya.
The policies of the United States, as are the
policies of all modern states, set by national
interests. American Muslims face a host of issues
at home that affect them directly without the
need to engage in frustrated debates on foreign
policy issues that they cannot influence.
These are the realities. Nonetheless, individual
Muslims have entered the fray at the local and
state levels and have enriched the political landscape.
These stalwarts are the trendsetters and they
deserve our support and our good wishes.
The hard lessons of American politics are obvious.
Get involved and stay involved despite the frustrations.
Attend the local meetings of the Democratic or
the Republican Party, as you choose. Time solidifies
relationships and long-term political associations
pay off. Build bridges with other communities
based on shared values and shared concerns for
specific issues. Avoid the Muslim label because
the Muslim brand does not sell in America. Focus
on local issues wherein you have a direct stake
and which affect you directly. Influence local
school boards towards quality education. Participate
in business councils to foster a sense of entrepreneurship.
Where there is a national issue such as discrimination
against Muslims, constitutional rights of citizens,
immigration or profiling of people of Middle Eastern/South
Asian origin, work with established organizations
such as the ACLU. Where there is a concentration
of Muslims, do seek out the candidates of both
major parties and brief them on your concerns
as citizens. Stand up for justice even if it be
against your own kind. And finally, learn the
art of negotiation but do not compromise on principles.
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