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New York Muslims Back Democratic Mayoral Candidate
NEW YORK, July 24 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Under the banner of the Muslim Political Coordinating Committee of New York, Muslims this week endorsed Democratic candidate Mark Green as their choice for mayor in upcoming elections for the position, news agencies said.
Choosing to steer clear of controversial international issues, such as the Middle East, the group centered its concerns on education, housing and Muslim representation in public policy.
In November 2000, Muslims in the region, through the American Muslim Alliance (AMA), were accused of being sympathetic with what Republican senatorial candidate Rick Lazio labeled as "Islamic militant groups".
Lazio said that Democratic senatorial candidate Hillary Clinton had received campaign donations from the group, causing a stir within the city, dominated by organized voting pro-Israel groups.
Hillary Clinton responded by returning the donation money, and never defended the contribution as a legitimate contribution by an organization. New York Muslims, angered by Lazio's accusations, nevertheless backed Hillary Clinton, whom Lazio lost the election to.
This time around, the Muslim Political Coordinating Committee of New York has endorsed a Democratic candidate. The group said it contacted all four Democratic candidates and both Republican candidates, although it did not heavily pursue the latter.
Every Democratic candidate, with the exception of Peter Vallone, responded to the group's initial inquiries and questionnaires. Vallone's office, for its part, said they were only contacted once, and were told at the time that the Committee had already selected Green. Committee members deny they had selected Green when querying Vallone.
In an interview with IslamOnline, Faroque Khan of the AMA commented as to why the Committee endorsed Green over other mayoral candidates.
"We had set some criteria. And the criteria were…what has been their level of participation with the Muslim community in the past? Are they willing to take on Muslims on their campaign team at this time?
"In the event they get elected will they consider qualified Muslims for their transition teams? And in the event they are able to form government and be part of it, are they willing to, and able to, consider qualified Muslims for positions in the government.
"And it wasn't just verbal discussions, we interviewed all of them [mayoral candidates]. It was in writing. Commitments had to be made in writing.
"Based on those clear-cut criteria it was very clear that Mark Green came out way ahead of the other candidates," Khan said.
Green is currently New York's Public Advocate, a position that answers the public's complaints against the city's bureaucracy, investigates ineffective agencies and programs and proposes new solutions to make government more efficient and accountable.
He also served as a public interest lawyer with former presidential Ralph Nader in Washington from 1970 to 1980.
In addition to Green's endorsement, the Committee endorsed three New York borough presidents and four Muslims running for New York City council seats, two from Brooklyn and two from Queens, of which Khan was especially proud.
"We are particularly excited and energized by the emergence of the four Muslim candidates, …the four of them have persisted and we're hoping that if not all, at least a few, or some of them, will get elected," he commented, adding, "And that would be a breakthrough."
In addition, Khan comments that compared to three years ago, and even last November, the manner in which Muslim participation in politics in New York is being perceived is getting better.
Speaking on an upcoming editorial to appear in a New Yorks daily newspaper, Newsday, a daily, Khan said it would be "extremely favorable towards the Muslim community and their participation and, basically, the newspaper is voicing its view that what happened in November 2000 [the Lazio affair] should not happen again."
However, "Some politicians are still creating issues regarding Muslim participation, but I think the tide is turning towards welcoming the Muslims in the mainstream."
The Democratic primary, in which a final mayoral candidate for the party will be chosen, will be held on September 11, with elections following in the first week of November.
With additional reporting by Jamshed Bokhari
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