The Blue Muslim Wave: American Muslims launch political campaigns and hope to bring Trump "sweet justice"
April 16, 2018 World 7 Views
SAN DIEGO – Fayaz Nawabi never met President Trump. But he attributes to the president that he convinced him to run for office.
Nawabi, a 31-year-old San Diego City Council candidate, supports almost everything Trump rejects: He's an affordable housing, eco-friendly, pro-immigrant and pro-refugee. That makes him part of the blue wave of new liberal candidates driven by Trump's choice and politics.
But Nawabi is also part of a notable subgroup: the Blue Muslim Wave.
More than 90 American Muslims, almost all of them Democrats, are running for public office throughout the country this year. Many are young and politically inexperienced, and most are long-shot. But they are collective gambling: voters are so disgusted with America's least popular president that they are prepared to vote for members of America's least popular religious minority.
Although their numbers appear small, the candidates mark an unprecedented rise for the country's diverse Muslim community, which is typically underrepresented in American politics.
More than 3.3 million Muslims live in the United States, but Muslim Americans have only two of the 535 seats in Congress. And the turnout of the Muslim community is fading compared to the general public.
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The rise of Muslim candidates coincides with the growth of the predominantly immigrant population and an internal party shift that spanned over a generation. In a 2001
poll of American Muslims, 42 percent said they voted in favor of Republican George W. Bush in last year's presidential election, while 31 percent said they voted for Democrat Al Gore. Last year, just 8 percent of American Muslims said in a Pew poll that they voted for Trump, while 78 percent said they voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton. While Clinton's campaign never reaped widespread enthusiasm from Muslim communities called for the monitoring of mosques and a ban on Muslims entering the United States – delivered a shock on election night that some American Muslims compared with September 11, 2001.
"It woke everyone up," Nawabi said.
Now, Muslim candidates are running for a variety of offices across the country, from local school boards to the US Senate. Some make their Muslim identity central to their campaigns.
"When you put somebody in a corner and are in survival mode, they tend to come out and talk more about their beliefs," Nawabi says he considers himself an "unruly Muslim" who uses the Qur'an of memory and moonlight as " Freelance Imam ".
In Michigan, where 13 Muslim candidates stand for election, the doctor Abdul El-Sayed hopes that voters will elect him he was the first Muslim governor in the United States and has his religion in campaign ads against Republican front-runner Bill Schuette supported by Trump .
"Donald Trump and Steve Bannon would be pleased to have right-wing radicals like Bill Schuette voted in Michigan," reads a Facebook ad for Sayed, which faces a Democratic primary in August. If you chose a 33-year-old Muslim instead of Bill Schütte, send a message and help choose the first Muslim governor in America. "
A New Generation of Leaders
Half a century ago, a small population of black Americans adopted Islam as a road to political empowerment and civil rights. Today, their descendants are US military personnel, police officers, city councilors, and civil servants.
But in the immigrant community the experience is newer. About two-thirds of American Muslims are immigrants or children of immigrants, and activists say that cultural fear or mistrust of the government can accompany those who have fled authoritarian regimes and hindered participation in the political process.
"Many feel" I'm just going to earn my money, lower my head, "said Nawabi, whose family came to Afghanistan from Afghanistan as a toddler.
They feel politically committed" sets a goal on their backs because of that meant where they came from, "he said.
A small number of Muslim and Arab stakeholders, such as the Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Emgage (formerly Emerge USA), and the Arab American Institute have had it for years spent training young political activists, tracking down emerging politicians, and campaigning, especially in immigrant communities, after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks unleashed an anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic attack -Arab counter-reaction.
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But Trump's policy has the urge to Political activism in the diverse community intensified.There was the travel ban, the access to persons from several Muslim countries and to refugees. There have been Trump's calls to monitor mosques and his appointment of cabinet members and political advisors who have vilified and ridiculed Muslims. There were comments and tweets that regarded Islam as inherently dangerous and called into question Muslim patriotism.
Emgage, a nonprofit organization promoting Muslim political engagement, interviewed registered Muslim voters after the 2016 presidential election, finding 53 percent "less sure."
"But the answer was civic participation," said Wa & # 39; el Alzayat, the director of the organization. "I am one of the people who are optimistic about the long-term effects."
A considerable generation of American-born Muslims and Arabs are in their 20s and 30s, their school years are 9 years old / 11, and their comfort and familiarity with the American political system far exceeds that of their immigrant parents.
"They are ready," said James Zogby, a longtime Democratic activist and president of the Arab American Institute funding and mentoring for several candidates. "Both communities have reached a degree of maturation."
Nawabi, a self-described "typical millennial" and avid surfer, never cared for politics until Senator Bernie Sanders (Vt.) Drew his attention during the 2016 presidential campaign. But the day after Trump's election, Nawabi decided he had to act.
This morning, he went to the local Islamic school, where he taught and imagined how the parents of his students "could try to explain to their children that there is a fanatic in the White House, a racist."
But when he came to the classroom, he realized that his second graders were already thinking about it.
"They talked about where they were I'll go now that Trump was president," Nawabi said. "That really touched me."
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Soon he was a member of the California Democratic Party, which he attributed to his ability to mobilize 200 Muslim voters. He gave sermons in mosques that were mainly visited by immigrants, the importance of seeing himself as part of the American political system, and he founded a Muslim American Democratic Club in San Diego.
"Absolutely" a blue Muslim wave coming, says Michigan congressional candidate Rashida Tlaib
Rashida Tlaib, who is running for the Congress in the 13th district in Michigan, said Wednesday she "absolutely" sees a "blue Muslim wave" in the 2018 midterm elections. Tlaib is one of more than 90 Muslim Americans, many of whom are Democrats, running for public office in 2018, a trend The Washington Post dubbed the "blue Muslim wave."
In an interview with CBSN's Reena Ninan on "Red & Blue," Tlaib called the Muslim Americans running for office "incredibly talented, inspirational neighbors of ours who happen to be Muslim."
Tlaib, a former social worker and Michigan state Representative, said "my policy stance is going to be about improving the quality of life for the families I represent, and it so happens I'm a Muslim."
"Me being elected is a big message to the whole country that we are part of the government, we are part of society and we want to give back just like anyone else," Tlaib noted.
No Republican candidates have filed to run in the race, but Tlaib is one of 10 Democratic candidates who has filed to run for the August primary for the full two-year term, according to the Detroit Free Press. In March, the Detroit Free Press called the race a "Democratic free-for-all."
If she wins in November, Tlaib could become one of the first Muslim American women in Congress. There are currently only two Muslim Americans in Congress, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minnesota, and U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indiana.
When Ninan asked why there are just two Muslim Representatives in Congress among 3.3 million Muslim Americans, Tlaib noted that "it can be overwhelming" for people of color to run for leadership positions.
But now, she said, "you have people from all different backgrounds right now taking the lead of running for office the courage to stand up and say 'you know what, I can do this. Clear out the room boys, let's put some women there, let's deal with the gun crisis, let's deal with immigration, let's deal with crises we have in this country – it's about time we get an opportunity to get a stab at it.'"
Tlaib called President Trump's election a "bat signal" for many women who decided to run for office. "Not just Muslim women, but women from all backgrounds, it was a call to say we have to act," she said.
Tlaib is running for the seat vacated by longtime U.S. Rep. John Conyers, who retired last year amid sexual misconduct allegations. Conyers represented the district for 52 years, and the seat has been vacant since the beginning of this year. On Nov. 6, voters in the district will be voting in two elections -- a special election to fill the seat for the rest of the year and separately for the full two-year term.
Sound confusing? Tlaib said her campaign is worried voters will get confused, and they are "knocking on doors everyday" explaining the ballot.
While Michigan went red in the 2016 election, Tlaib said she feels her district, which includes parts of Detroit and Dearborn, is "very progressive" and did not go for Mr. Trump.
To watch the full interview, click on the player at the top of the page. "Red & Blue" airs on CBSN Monday-Thursday at 9 p.m.
Re: The Blue Muslim Wave: American Muslims launch political campaigns
Bloody hell, what a state of affairs when the whole secularist leadership structure is being replaced by gays lesbians and women.
All about sx and emotional manipulation
We need a serious genuine islamic leadership system that has some self respect and doesn't put it's women up on display for grabs. May Allah remove the obstacle to peace and justice that is currently Godless America and it's allies.
RISING NORTH STAR
Watch the GOP Freak Out Over This Muslim Candidate
She’s in Minnesota. Her name is Zarina Baber, an ex-Wellstone volunteer and a whole lot more. No, Republicans, it’s not horrible. It’s the American way.
Dean Obeidallah
DEAN OBEIDALLAH
05.24.18 4:57 AM ET
It was just a few months ago that a GOP activist in Minnesota introduced a resolution calling on the Republican Party there to “minimize and eliminate the influence of Islam.”
The resolution contained the typical BS talking points idiots on the right spew, such as Muslims want to destroy America. (Tell that to the 5,000 plus American Muslims currently serving in the U.S. armed services and the families of those Muslims buried in Arlington National Cemetery.) The resolution even seeks to ban Muslim leaders, religious or otherwise, from ever delivering a speech or invocation at a Republican convention or event.
Now before you dismiss this as the rantings of a madman, think again. The Minnesota state GOP chair, Jennifer Carnahan, refused to denounce the resolution when asked about it by the local media because she “did not want to prematurely judge the situation.” And even her statement responding to the resolution seemed to be dog whistle politics saying that the Minnesota GOP welcomes anyone “who shares our values.” Add to that, two GOP Minnesota legislators claimed in January that Muslims were trying to “infiltrate” the Republican Party and one of the current GOP candidates for governor, Phillip Parrish, recently refused to even meet with Minnesota Muslim community leaders saying that “Islam is not a faith.”
I think you get the idea: the Minnesota GOP—just like the Republican party’s national leader Donald Trump—demonize Muslims in the hopes it attracts votes. That’s why it’s truly inspiring that one of the three leading Democratic candidate for Minnesota governor, Rebecca Otto, announced on Monday that her running mate as lieutenant governor would be Muslim American Zarina Baber. If the Otto/Baber ticket wins, Baber will make history as the first Muslim woman in U.S. history ever to hold statewide office.
Just the thought of the Minnesota GOP anti-Muslim bigots freaking out over a Muslim lieutenant governor brings me an inappropriate amount of joy. But Baber is not just a Muslim; she holds many of the traits that Trump has lashed out against. She’s also an immigrant (from India), a woman, and brown. Baber is a quadruple threat to Trump and many in his base.
“Estimates are that Muslims make up over 200,000 of Minnesota’s five million residents. And in the past few years the community has become far more politically engaged.”
Baber, though, was not chosen simply because of her faith. She has truly earned her place on the all-female ticket with Otto, the current Minnesota state auditor who first won statewide election to this position in 2007 and has since been reelected to that post twice. Baber began her political activism decades ago by volunteering on the campaign of the late progressive icon, Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone. For the past 25 years, Baber has worked as an information technology professional and a health care advocate. She established a free health clinic that has been operating for over 20 years, sits on the board of the nonprofit Advocates for Human Rights and is a founding member of the National Democratic Muslim caucus. When does she sleep?!
In announcing Baber as her running mate Monday, Otto explained that Baber’s background is perfect to help tackle one of the top issues she is campaigning on: Implementing a single-payer healthcare system in the North Star state.
A group of detainees kneels during an early morning Islamic prayer in their camp at the U.S. military prison for "enemy combatants" on October 28, 2009 in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Although U.S. President Barack Obama pledged in his first executive order last January to close the infamous prison within a year's time, the government has been struggling to try the accused terrorists and to transfer them out ahead of the deadline. Military officials at the prison point to improved living standards and state of the art medical treatment available to detainees, but the facility's international reputation remains tied to the "enhanced interrogation techniques" such as waterboarding employed under the Bush administration.
But there’s clearly another reason why Otto chose Baber. In Minnesota, the Muslim community is growing in political strength. Estimates are that Muslims make up over 200,000 of Minnesota’s five million residents. And in the past few years the community has become far more politically engaged, much of it in response to the type of the anti-Muslim hate that Minnesota’s GOP and Trump have spewed.
There has been an effort for years to organize the Minnesota Muslim community, after all the first Muslim American to ever be elected to the U.S. Congress is Keith Ellison who hails from the state. And I’ve personally been to Minnesota various times in the past for events where Muslim leaders urged members of the community to register to vote.
But it was the open bigotry of Trump together with his Muslim ban that made it clear to all in the Muslim community that the stakes were too high to simply sit by idly. That’s why in the midst of Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016, various Muslim organizations united in Minnesota to launch an “unprecedented mobilization effort” to not only register Muslim American to vote, but to encourage them to get involved in politics and even run for office. And in November 2016, history was made with the election of Ihlan Omar to the Minnesota state legislature, the first Somalia Muslim refugee to ever be elected to that position in the United States.
That’s why when Baber was announced as Otto’s running mate you saw her flanked by Muslims on stage. And while Baber doesn’t wear a hijab (the simple head covering), another Muslim woman on stage standing directly behind Baber during the announcement by Otto was. That might not seem like a big deal, but back in 2008 then candidate Barack Obama’s presidential campaign staff removed two women wearing hijabs from standing directly behind Obama during a rally because they apparently had concerns about them being featured in press photos. (An Obama campaign spokesperson apologized later that day for the incident.)
What we are seeing in Minnesota with the Muslims community is simply the story of America on display. Minority groups that have been demonized in the past to score political points—be they Black, Jewish, LGBT, Latino, etc.—have found that engaging in politics can be an effective way to push back against the hate. It makes politicians aware that there are political benefits to appealing to these minority communities. And in turn, it sends a message to the politicians spewing hate that they will suffer electorally.
If Baber wins that won’t end anti-Muslim bigotry in America or even in Minnesota. But it will be a big step in the right direction for the American Muslim community as we—like other minority groups that came before us—hopefully begin a new chapter in our American story.
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