A Time to Vote
By Azher Quader
Chicago, IL
It is primary election day today (March 20, 2012) in Illinois. The survey people tell us that even on presidential election days barely fifty percent of the eligible voters in America make the effort to go out and vote. Considering that people around the globe have been giving their lives in order to have the privilege to vote and having secured it, often risk their lives to exercise it, our complacency in this arena of civic engagement is indeed deplorable.
The cynicism borne out of a political system that is horribly muddied with the influence of money notwithstanding, it cannot be denied that the public’s disengagement with the process only exacerbates the issue. Left to the attention grabbing power of negative ads on TV, the carefully crafted sound bites to mislead on radio, the system will continue to give us the kind of politicians that disappoint us at best and who wind up behind bars at worst. Change in a system so steeped in tradition that favors the rich and the elite is not going to happen without the awakening of the many who sit on the sidelines and lament their fortunes.
From access to affordable health care here at home to military misadventures in foreign lands, from resolving the problem of the undocumented in our neighborhoods to stemming the departure of our corporations to countries with lower taxes, from protecting the civil rights of minorities to promoting the freedoms of all, politicians we elect play a pivotal role, whether we like it or not.
Such being the relevance of reality, it behooves us as Americans first, to become involved and engaged in the political process: getting registered to vote, understanding the issues of the day, and reviewing the positions of the candidates.
As Muslims next, we should recognize that we are a community of faith with a vision for the ideal. An ideal for integrity, for social justice, for compassion, for family, for security, for freedom and for the rule of law. In the pursuit of that ideal, we will inevitably meet obstacles and road blocks. Rather than refrain from undertaking the journey because of the challenges we see, our better judgment should prompt us to be willing to take the side roads when necessary, never losing sight of our eventual destination. Whether we choose to be on the right or on the left of the political divide in America, each one of us will have to find our own calling for the cause that most animates us, remembering the example of Hudaybiya when a retreat in the present was not a defeat in the future, when compromise from the straight and narrow is not a sign of weakness but evidence of prudence.
Our nation today is divided as never before on a host of issues. Yet this is not the first time that America has been so divided. There was a time when we fought bitterly over slavery. There was a time we fought sadly over the right of women to vote. There was another time when we fought wildly over another unpopular war. Our fight today over our war on terror, over gay rights, over health care, over immigration over the environment, over energy, over taxes and so many other issues is nothing new. As American Muslims we need to be involved, we need to be engaged, we need to be in the battlefield of ideas, contributing with our views and making a difference with our votes. Refusing to vote for any reason is a bad mistake. Hiding under the cloak of apathy, or even worse, ignorance cannot be an expression of our good citizenship as we go to courts demanding our civil rights, or as we rally before zoning boards asking for building rights or as we complain against a media promoting Islamophobia. Democracy works best when the demands for rights are appropriately balanced with the delivery of duties.
Whether you have an under dog or a favorite in the race today, no matter what the odds for the candidate may be, know that your vote counts. We hope you will go out today and indeed every election day, to cast your vote and celebrate your precious citizenship. (The writer is Executive Director, Community Builders Chicago)
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