Muslim
and Arab Americans’ real salvation in the upcoming election is to
vote as a bloc, and to vote for the right candidate. Anything else
shall yield further disintegration in their political clout and will
further alienate the skeptics among them, who see the “system” as
utterly corrupt and easily manipulated.
Without
a doubt, the last three years have given birth to a considerable
political awakening among members of the growing Muslim and Arab
population in America. That awakening however, by and large has been
accidental, even forced upon these communities. Many of its members
immigrated to the United States seeking deliverance, escaping
oppression and poverty at home, rather than “trouble” elsewhere.
For many first generation Muslim and Arab immigrants, politics was
considered a costly nuisance and understandably so.
The
tragedy of September 11, 2001 changed much of that perception.
Even
though September 11 might have not placed politics in a more positive
light for Muslims and Arabs, it greatly diminished the undeclared
illusion among them that absence, in both a political and social
sense, is a key to survival in a country forged on alliances,
political and cultural integration and, most importantly, active
pursuit for change.
Things
seem to be changing, however, or so inform us the plethora of press
releases issued by various American Muslim groups. The scattered
Muslim voices in the American political scene are finally coming
together. Now, we hear of Muslim groups with missions that never
before existed, at least not on such a large national scale. One is
the US Muslim Civil Rights and Election Committee, an umbrella group
comprising major American Muslim organizations with the sole purpose
of guaranteeing that American Muslims vote and that their votes make a
difference.
Many
American Muslims have inherited a policy of political
rejectionism. |
|
There
is an equal abundance of news about active registration drives across
the country to bring as many Muslims and Arabs as possible to “rock
the vote” on that critical November day. Needless to say,
America’s Muslim and Arab communities endured much of the brunt of
what they’ve fathomed as the Bush administration’s transgression
on the country’s rights, and particularity their civil liberties.
For them, voting is not a simple act of exercising and asserting
one’s rights, but maintaining a shred of dignity and preserving
whatever basic rights have not yet been violated.
But
to employ democracy to their advantage, US Muslims should be aware
that voting is only one aspect of the democratic process and not
necessarily the most vital. There is an entire culture that must
accompany the act of voting that many Muslim and American groups fail
to recognize.
One
topic of discussion that was once raised at a Muslim radio roundtable
discussion, of which I was a participant, was: what should devout US
Muslims do in the event that a group of Socialist activists joined in
on one of their rallies, therefore supporting their demands?
Even
though I found the question itself unfortunate, it honestly reflected
the political culture to which many Muslim Americans subscribe. Using
the same logic, one should question whether any form of support coming
from any particular group, (unless it’s a homogeneous Arab or
non-Arab Muslim group) should also be open for scrutiny.
Muslims
must realize that voting is not the end of the road, but the
beginning of a long struggle that requires commitment, skill and
resolve. |
|
In
a recent commentary, Chicago-based Arab American journalist, Ray
Hanania, protested the exclusion of the Arab Christian constituency-
“who suffer equally with their Muslim brethren” - as an obvious
alliance to US Muslims in their fight for political recognition.
“Arab
Christians offer the advantage of having open access into America’s
Christian societies. They are members of many churches, from Maronites
and Orthodox sects that are based overseas to Catholics, Protestants
and Baptists,” Hanania wrote in Arab News.
Of
course, this is not an attempt to agitate a discussion of which groups
should be exploited politically to represent a “strategic
alliance” to US Muslims. It is rather to highlight the subject of
political rejectionism, a philosophy which many communities inherited
from their prior political experiences, and an idea to which many
continue to adhere.
Aside
from the failure to capitalize on the common turf that binds Muslims,
Arabs and other minority groups that strive to protect civil rights
and liberties in America, there is an equal lack of understanding
regarding the value of “the vote” itself.
In
the upcoming elections, voting seems to be only understood within the
context that Bush betrayed his promises by walking out on Muslims
after he promised them “respect.” That belief turned into a
dilemma as many Muslims and Arabs, attentively listening to John Kerry
highlighting his foreign policy agenda on the Middle East - a major
concern to US Muslim and Arab voters - detected little difference
between the two major candidates: Kerry wishes to strengthen Bush’s
shaky war coalition in Iraq and is equally enthusiastic about
maintaining the “bond” between the US and Israel.
In
American politics, there is no black and white, but many shades
of grey. |
|
While
it makes perfect sense for the average Muslim voter to build his/her
perception of a candidate based on the candidate’s political posture
toward issues he cares about, those who represent Muslim voters must
not be equally constrained or narrow in perception. In American
politics, there is no black and white, but many shades of grey. In
fact, a group representing the Muslim and Arab constituency is not
only meant to recommend to Muslim voters their choice of candidates
once the candidate divulges his agenda at the endgame, but to
relentlessly work to influence that agenda while it is still in a
formulation mode. Those who watched the presidential and
vice-presidential debates so far must have realized that little was
said to satisfy the Muslim and Arab voters’ concerns and demands,
whether nationally or abroad. Other groups had a great deal to boast
about.
According
to a recent September poll by Georgetown/Zogby International, only 7
percent of the eligible Muslim voters are voting for Bush in November.
There are no surprises here, considering the blunders of the
administration which left American Muslims both in a state of fear and
grief. Evidently, whether intended or not, Muslims will be voting in a
bloc, a behavior that is undoubtedly the outcome of personal and
collective experiences, not a political strategy per se. Without a
responsible, long term political strategy, this bloc vote can hardly
translate into an affective tool that takes Muslim and Arab voters
from their decades-long slumber molding them into a meaningful
political force not to be reckoned with.
The
US Muslim and Arab constituency might have finally realized how costly
their self-imposed political estrangement and indifference was. They
are certainly becoming more aware of the political influence in the
reach of their members, which are millions strong. However, to
capitalize on this potential, they must adapt to the political culture
of their new surroundings, abandon political rejectionism altogether
and seek further integration and allies. They must also realize that
voting in itself is not the end of the road, but the beginning of a
long struggle that requires commitment, skill and resolve. Otherwise,
their success will be confined to self-congratulating press releases
and email messages following Election Day, filled with false
victories, espousing equally false hope.
Ramzy Baroud is a veteran Arab-American journalist. A regular columnist in many English and Arabic publications, he is editor-in-chief of PalestineChronicle.com and head of Research & Studies Department at Aljazeera.net English
