My Plan for McCain to Win Michigan: The Mosque Hall Meeting
By Asma Hasan
Colorado, US
I know how McCain can save his campaign. Rather than drop out of Michigan, McCain should hold a series of "mosque hall" meetings at the larger Michigan mosques. It wouldn't be a huge investment of time but could make a dent with Muslim voters in Michigan, estimated at 115,000, especially since there is still some ambivalence in the Muslim community about Obama's attitude towards them.
At the mosques, McCain could present his vision for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He should also be honest about why he thinks it's important to stay in Iraq but clarify how he will do things differently than the Bush Administration. He should highlight that he spoke out against torture (presumably including of Muslims in Guantanamo Bay), defying his own party, and also commiserate with the community over immigration and visa drama, a topic close to the heart of American Muslims, many of whom haven't seen family members for years because of visa holdups.
Palin would be a natural to visit because her devotional choice to continue her pregnancy despite knowing there will be complications that will resonate with many religious Muslim women. And if Palin wore a headscarf, the crowd would be very touched by her graciousness towards their traditions.
The crowd won't be an easy one at first, but they'll appreciate honesty and the visit. And many of them will remember the gesture on Election Day. Not every politician has the guts to publicly visit a mosque, but a "maverick" would.
Editor's Note: Reprinted from Glamour.com with permission of the author. Please read the original blog posting at: http://www.glamour.com/contributors/asma-hasan
