U.S. Muslims regret support for Bush, won’t repeat it in ’04

Wilmington Star ^ | 9-1-03 | Staff

[veronica]

Even before the Sept. 11 attacks and the crackdown that followed, American Muslim leaders generally had come to believe they had made a mistake.

In 2000, they made their first unified endorsement in a presidential race, backing George W. Bush. Many thought he would take a harder line against Israel, and, based on statements he made while campaigning, would protect the rights of immigrants facing deportation.

Muslims say they were disappointed on both counts. Now, feeling the additional sting of being scrutinized in the domestic hunt for terrorists, they are mobilizing to express their anger at the polls in 2004.

At their largest convention of the year, which ends today, national Muslim leaders announced plans to register 1 million Muslim voters and make civil rights a top issue in any endorsement of a presidential candidate.

"A defining moment of Islam in America is approaching," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights group based in Washington. "We cannot surrender our future and our destiny to hate in this country."

Agha Saeed, head of the Muslim American Congress, led the crowd in a chant. "I am an American, I am a Muslim and I vote," he said, joined by thousands gathered for the Islamic Society of North America meeting.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Mr. Bush won points with American Muslims by visiting a mosque and declaring Islam a peaceful religion.

But since then, the federal government has detained hundreds of immigrants, shut down U.S. Muslim charities suspected of terrorist ties and gained broad new powers to monitor citizens under the USA Patriot Act.

The Bush administration said these moves have been crucial for U.S. security. American Muslims say they are being scapegoated.

A White House spokesman referred questions about the presidential race to the Bush campaign, whose spokeswoman did not immediately reply to a request for comment Sunday.

It is unclear what effect Muslims can have in the 2004 elections.

Estimates of the number of U.S. Muslims vary dramatically from 2 million to 6 million. But immigrant Muslims generally are highly educated professionals with the means to make significant campaign donations.

Also, their community has matured dramatically in the past four years.

The assault on Islam that followed the suicide hijackings that killed thousands in New York and Washington compelled Muslims around the country to defend their faith.

National Muslim organizations, including Mr. Awad’s, reported a dramatic increase in donations and membership.

[Arkady]

Let's put U.S. Muslims as a voting-block in the same room with NASCAR-Republicans and see who gets nullified. What are their issues? Mandatory veil-wearing on driver's licenses? Peddle crazy somewhere else.

[annyokie]

One of my dogs is like that, yipping and leaping to his feet.

[A CA Guy]

This is an empty threat since they would not be for him before anyway!

[misterrob]

How about Americans feel betrayed that Muslims in the US don't do enough to stop terrorism, anti-American rhetoric and support for people who kill children.

How about Muslims who are in denial about who killed 3,000 plus people on 9/11?

How's about any and all that are unwilling to love the US and what it stands for go live in the West Bank, Iraq, Saudi Arabia or even better, under Taliban rule in Afghanistan?

[ASA Vet]

The term Muslims-american is a nothing but a blatant oxymoron.

Don't all supernaturalists put their particular belief system ahead of the nation?

[expatguy]

"There are peaceful Muslims ...[sic]"

Yes, and there were peaceful Nazis as well.

What exactly is your point?

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Okay. All Muslims are bad, violent people, and they should be rounded up on trains, shipped off to a remote location, and euthanized. Whatever. You win.

I'm not going to sit here and argue about this all day.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

You can't figure my point out? Wow.

[Mr. Mojo]

One group whose votes Bush can depend on I think, are the Iraqi-Americans in the Michigan area who were in the streets celebrating after the fall of Baghdad.

You're probably right, but unfortunately that's just a very small % of Muslim-Americans

My point was that if CAIR is a radical organization (which it certainly is), and the majority of Muslims support them, then that majority is radical as well. If DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet's Muslim friends/neighbors aren't among that crowd, then they're in the (brave) minority and I salute them.

think CAIR is very PO'd about the Daniel Pipes appointment

No doubt.

[friendly]

This is Horrible news for Bush! Gosh, how can he ever hope to be re-elected with the enemies of the USA are supporting the opposition rat party?

Islamofascists opposing Bush and voting for the vermin democrat.. how will Dubya and the Republicans ever cope with that?

Oh, and let's not forget Hillary "Soul kissing Suhat Arafat just after her blood libel" Clinton.

HillaryNazi (in between her "FJB" antisemitic tirades) was caught disquising contributions from the American Muslim Association by labeling them "American Museum Association."

[BOOTSTICK]

What convinced me, was on the day Bahgdad fell, I had to deliver an oven to a Arab deli on 50th street in Temple Terrace {East Tampa} Florida. As I Rolled the Grill into this deli, all eyes were glued to Al Jazerra TV {satalite dish, on the roof} And all watching {10-12 young 20 something arab males} looked as if their puppies were just run over by a truck. NUFF SAID ABOUT OUR AMERICAN LOVING, PEACEFUL ISLAMIC NEIGHBORS!

[veronica]

My point was that if CAIR is a radical organization (which it certainly is), and the majority of Muslims support them, then that majority is radical as well.

Unfortunately, that appears to be true. It is rare that we see a total condemnation of terrorism from Islamists. There are exceptions of course, but they seem to be few and far between. The prevailing view seems to be that reasons can be found to justify the terrorism, i.e. American support for Israel, blah blah, and etc.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Whatever the color of your skin and whatever religion you follow, I hope people will always be absolutely fair to you and judge you as an individual.

That's all I can say.

[Kenny Bunk]

Veronica, Michigan was taken by very heavy fraud. A review of the rolls in Detroit alone shows 150,000 bad registrations. MAyor admits it. Clean-up the voter rolls and Michigan might just surp[rise everybody. Like Missouri and Maryland.

[ASA Vet]

I hope people will always be absolutely fair to you and judge you as an individual

I hope to some day be rich and have Kobe Tai.
I will not hold my breath while my hopes come true, I suggest you don't either.

[sinkspur]

Yes, and there were peaceful Nazis as well.

What exactly is your point?

That there are Muslim-Americans who reject radical Islam, who are not violent, who are not out to destroy America. They're just like you and me. (Well, I don't know about you).

I'm Catholic; no doubt you think I'm keeping my powder dry, just waiting to put the Pope in the White House.

[Tom Jefferson]

"American Muslims say they are being scapegoated.


Huh? Muslims are being scapegoated. Well, a question I would like to ask is, What is the religion of the people who have attacked the USA and its interests abroad during the past 10 years?" The answer is MUSLIM. I would say that Muslims are not being scapegoated. Who should be directing our attention to...buddhists? Christians? Jews? No....Muslims are our enemy.

[cwb]

"but the Democrats' heads will be the first on the chopping block when Muslims take over America. You think fundamental Christianity is bad? Wait til you see a fundamental Muslim U.S."

This is so true. And I want to see how many will actually follow this move to the Democratic Party. The point of fact is, Islam is an extremely conservative ideology and I find it hard to believe that many of them are going to support a progressive/secular ideology. While I expect many of the radicals to do this for purely political reasons, I would hope that most moderates would recognize that the Democratic Party is an anethema to their ideals. For all the reasons given for why Islam hates the US, progressive liberalism is one of them...from the garbage coming out of Hollywood to the attacks on religion and the family. The radicals aside, Islam is fundamentally, conservative.

[Kenny Bunk]

All Muslims are not Mohammed Attas. They just are not.

Many of America's "quiet" Muslims attend mosques to which they donate heavily. Follow some of that money, Daughter, and you may not have such a sanguine view of the friendly "moderate" sons of Mohammed.

OK, they don't personally tether camels on the lawn, or put a bomb in your car. The money they give to their fire-breathing clerics takes care of that. Neither do these "peaceable" sorts ever think of dropping a dime on the Feds, either. Imsagine how much more effective our anti-terror campaign would be if these worthy oriental gentlemen spoke somewhat more freely to the authorities about what they know.

One last thing you should know about your neigbors. Muslims marry cousins, and a lot of them. Their parents were cousins. This is a tight clan-tribe connection which leaves no one from a Muslim country without a guilty relative.

Furthermore, Daughter, a Muslim can be nice as pie, but he is honor bound to support the Jihad of another.

[Sir Charles]

If Mohammad Atta simply voiced his hatred in a non violent manner, it would be comforting but not crucial to claim that "All Muslims are not Mohammad Attas". As it stands now, it is not sufficient to make such a meaningless claim. We are left to deal with the situation in which some Muslims are not Mohammad Attas, and the difference in emphasis is real.