CAIR Launches Eid Voter
Registration Drive
Washington, DC: The
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has urged American
Muslims to register to vote at events nationwide on the
eve of the Eid ul-Adha holiday. CAIR's Eid voter registration
drive was part of a major non-partisan Muslim political
mobilization effort to be conducted during the 2006 election
cycle.
The effort included in-person and online voter registration
drives, candidate forums, production of voter guides, get-out-the-vote
campaigns, conducting research on and surveys of American
Muslim voters, and other grass-roots activities. CAIR also
called on Muslim students to volunteer in political campaigns.
On January 10, Muslims in America marked the end of the
yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, or Hajj, with communal prayers
and celebrations at locations around the country. The prayers,
and the holiday that follows, are called Eid ul-Adha (EED-al-ODD-ha),
or "festival of the sacrifice." Eid ul-Adha commemorates
the Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael
at God's command. The holiday is celebrated with prayers,
gifts for children, distribution of meat to the needy, and
social gatherings.
"We call on Eid event organizers to set up voter registration
booths after prayers and during other holiday activities,"
said CAIR Government Affairs Director Corey Saylor. "If
all eligible American Muslims are registered to vote, and
then go to the polls on election day, our community's voice
will be heard and our issues will be addressed by elected
officials."
Saylor noted that the entire US House of Representatives
and one-third of the US Senate will be up for re-election
in November. He said each state has its own voter registration
rules and that CAIR will provide assistance to Muslim activists
who wish to organize voter drives. (SEE: National Mail Voter
Registration Form)
Muslims first participated in a bloc vote during the 2000
presidential election. During the 2004 elections, Muslims
showed increasing organization through major get-out-the-vote
drives in key states such as Ohio and Florida. CAIR also
conducted exit polls to track Muslim voting trends.
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