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Uthman
08-05-2008, 12:49 PM
Native of Pakistan among those chosen by state Democratic Party

If Democrat Barack Obama carries Washington state and the nation to win the White House in November, he won't become the first Muslim president of the United States.

That's because, despite Internet rumors, he's not a Muslim.

But Jeff Siddiqui is – and an Obama victory in the state and nation would give Siddiqui a small but possibly historic role in choosing the next president.

Siddiqui, a real estate agent who lives in Lynnwood, is one of 11 presidential electors designated by the state Democratic Party.

"My basic message is that Muslims are no different from Christians ... Jews, anyone," says Jeff Siddiqui. If Obama wins Washington, those 11 – one for each of the nine congressional districts in the state, and one for each of the state's two seats in the U.S. Senate – will assemble to cast their ballots for Obama on Dec. 15, when the electors from each of the other states and the District of Columbia also will meet.

If Republican John McCain wins Washington, the state's 11 GOP electors will cast ballots instead.

Whoever gets the majority of the 538 electoral votes nationwide becomes president.

With Obama leading in the polls in Washington state, Siddiqui is poised to become possibly the first Muslim presidential elector in U.S. history. And his religion has played a key role in shaping his path to the Electoral College.

A native of Pakistan who gained U.S. citizenship in 1986, Siddiqui, 56, is a relatively high-profile representative of the Muslim community in and around Seattle, giving speeches at schools, churches and community organizations, writing Op-Ed pieces in newspapers and providing guest commentary on radio and TV. His mission is to counteract the image of Muslims as fanatical terrorists and extremists that, he believes, is propagated in the media, popular culture and even the government.

"My basic message is that Muslims are no different from Christians, atheists, Jews, anyone," he said last week. "We're human beings. We should be treated just the same."

Siddiqui never participated officially in the political system until this year, when – drawn partly by curiosity, and partly by his concerns about Muslim bashing and the war in Iraq – he showed up at his precinct's Democratic presidential caucus in February.

"I went there to cast my ballot initially" – for Obama, who, Siddiqui contends, was the only candidate in either party not engaged in demonizing Muslims. "I had no intention of being a delegate. And while I was there, I thought, 'This could be the first step toward making our opinions known.'

"I raised my hand to be a delegate, and the next thing I knew, I was a delegate."

That led to successive rounds of caucuses and ultimately to the state party convention in Spokane. There, the Democrats settled on their delegates to the national convention in Denver in August and also held votes to pick their presidential electors.

Elector was not a position Siddiqui had intended to seek, but again, he wound up doing just that.

"I stood up and said, 'I want to tell you: I will use every opportunity I can as an elector to bring attention to the hate and bigotry that are being promoted in this country, and to fight against it,' " he said. "To my surprise, they loved it, and they said, 'All right, you're an elector.' "

Siddiqui – whose given name is Jafar – grew up in a family headed by a military officer in Pakistan. He was taught by nuns in Catholic missionary schools – "I had to go to catechism every day and if I didn't, I'd get whacked with a cane, and they weren't gentle" – until seventh grade, when the government forbade Muslim children to attend Christian schools.

He came to the U.S. in the mid-1970s to earn a master's degree in engineering at the University of Washington.

While serving as executive director of the Foundation for International Understanding Through Students, a campus group that placed foreign students with host families during the students' first week in Seattle, he met a third-generation Washingtonian (and Christian) named Kathy who was on the organization's board. They recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary and are raising two teen-agers.

Kathy Siddiqui is still a Christian; as for the children, Jeff Siddiqui hopes they'll choose Islam, but he knows enough not to force the issue.
Siddiqui recognizes that his role as an elector is strictly functional – electors in Washington state are legally pledged to support their party's candidate, and cannot vote otherwise – but he is not oblivious to its wider implications.

"You're entering history when you're an elector," he said.

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IbnAbdulHakim
08-05-2008, 01:01 PM
i just hope by

"muslims are no diferent from jews and christians"

he means that we're all human deserving equality, i hope he doesnt think its allright to be a jew or christian
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YusufNoor
08-05-2008, 01:52 PM
:sl:

"My basic message is that Muslims are no different from Christians ... Jews, anyone," says Jeff Siddiqui.
Siddiqui – whose given name is Jafar – grew up in a family headed by a military officer in Pakistan
translated, his REAL name is Jafar, but prefers Jeff...

Kathy Siddiqui is still a Christian; as for the children, Jeff Siddiqui hopes they'll choose Islam
hopes his children will choose Islam...

Siddiqui, a real estate agent who lives in Lynnwood, is one of 11 presidential electors designated by the state Democratic Party.
IS a democrat...

IS a Real Estate agent...

MAYBE SOME Muslims are no different from Christians ... Jews, anyone,

His mission is to counteract the image of Muslims as fanatical terrorists and extremists
we MIGHT be able to do this by...adopting Western names...marrying non-Muslim women...shaving our beards...letting our children choose whatever religion they want...joining political parties...make a living off Riba...:enough!:

AT LEAST HE HAS A PLAN!

:w:
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Izyan
08-05-2008, 02:04 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by YusufNoor
:sl:





translated, his REAL name is Jafar, but prefers Jeff...



hopes his children will choose Islam...



IS a democrat...

IS a Real Estate agent...

MAYBE SOME Muslims are no different from Christians ... Jews, anyone,



we MIGHT be able to do this by...adopting Western names...marrying non-Muslim women...shaving our beards...letting our children choose whatever religion they want...joining political parties...make a living off Riba...:enough!:

AT LEAST HE HAS A PLAN!

:w:
What's wrong with this?
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Izyan
08-05-2008, 02:05 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by IbnAbdulHakim
i just hope by

"muslims are no diferent from jews and christians"

he means that we're all human deserving equality, i hope he doesnt think its allright to be a jew or christian
It IS alright to be a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Agnostic, Atheist ...
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m102313
08-05-2008, 02:14 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Izyan
It IS alright to be a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Agnostic, Atheist ...
Agreed, i think it is alright to be whatever you want. Whether you like it or not, at the end of the day you are responsible for your own decisions.
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IbnAbdulHakim
08-05-2008, 02:22 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Izyan
It IS alright to be a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Agnostic, Atheist ...
if you thought being something would lead to hell, would you PERSONALLY think its allright?

if you accept a doctrine , like jeff as accepted islam, then he must also accept that those outside his faith will enter hell. So how can he say its allright? is he saying he doesnt care if they enter hell>?
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Izyan
08-05-2008, 03:38 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by IbnAbdulHakim
if you thought being something would lead to hell, would you PERSONALLY think its allright?

if you accept a doctrine , like jeff as accepted islam, then he must also accept that those outside his faith will enter hell. So how can he say its allright? is he saying he doesnt care if they enter hell>?
Isn't Allah the only judge? How does Jafar know these people are going to Hell? How do you know?
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SixTen
08-05-2008, 03:44 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Izyan
Isn't Allah the only judge? How does Jafar know these people are going to Hell? How do you know?
According to muslims, Allah has judged already - that he shall not accept any other religion other than Islam - so IbAbdulHakim is definatly correct here, muslims cannot say it is okay to be christian/jew/atheist - it would be against his religion.
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Gator
08-05-2008, 06:21 PM
I guess it all depends on what you mean by OK. It could be OK in that they are allowed to do it (you can't make them be muslim), but then again I wouldn't be happy if I were a Muslim and believed all these people were going to hell.

For the first interpretation, doesn't the quran say "to me my religion and to you yours"? Also, it says there should be no complusion in religion? So from that point of view, the quran says they may be different and that's the way it is (therefore OK).

For the second, its not OK because they are going to hell. I'd feel this is a personal/individual view rather than the social context of the first meaning.
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