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Name
Fahad Khan
- Pakistan
Profession
student
Question
Who should we vote for if all of the candidates in any election are non-Muslims?
Answer
Akhi (brother) Fahad,
As-Salamu `Alaykum,
First of all, we accepted to become citizens of this country. For those of us who accepted to be citizens of America, it seems that we never ask the question whether this is a Muslim country or not. Secondly, I am not aware of any fatwa that prohibits us from becoming citizens of this country. Based on that, I see no reason for us not to vote, rather than to vote. Actually, not to vote is what I will question. We live in this country and the policies that are adopted by this country affect us and affect the future of our generations and Islam in this country. I think by not voting we are harming our cause and our religion. In one word, we are citizens of this country and this is our country.
Name
afsah
- Pakistan
Profession
student
Question
As a Muslim how can we help our brothers in Palestine and at Kashmir? Thousands of our brothers are committing suicide, is this right path to do so? If no, then how can we stop this war at this era? War is at best b/w Muslims and non-Muslims.......but you America is continuously becoming successful in destroying Muslims......
Answer
We as American Muslims believe that our reachable objective is to enhance the idea of a better America and a more just America. We are doing our best to help the causes of our brothers whether in Iraq, Kashmir, or Palestine, etc... The best way we can help them is by casting our votes to the candidates who are best representing our interest or at least who less harmful in this sense. That doesn’t mean that we are seizing the right of the rest of our ummah wherever it is located and determining its options. But in America we are very clear and blunt about it. Our only option is to participate in the political process and to integrate our community and our religion more and more into America. In addition to that, we are trying our best in the media and humanitarian aid arenas. However, I won’t say that we reached a satisfactory level in this sense although we are advancing.
In regards to the war being between Muslims and no-Muslims, I would rather to call it a war between right and wrong, justice and no-justice, aggression and defense. And in regards to the American role as you described it, I dispute the accuracy of your description; I think America is driven at this era by arrogant and ideological policies that we should confront here in America in an intellectual level arguing that is not in the best interest in America. I am not saying America is an angel in this sense at this time; it’s not a wise idea for us in America to portray this war as a religious war.
Name
Sam
- United States
Profession
Question
As-Salamu`alykum, who should we be voting for in the 2004 elections? I have noticed that Kerry's ideas are similar to Bush's ideas.
Answer
I think it is very early at this stage to decide our vote. Actually we made as a Muslim community a tremendous mistake in the 2000 elections. W decided for whom we are going to vote based on false gains when we viewed the acceptance by the candidate at that time, governor George w. Bush to meet with our delegates and promise them to wave the secret evidence that our community suffered from for a long period of time since 1996. At that meeting our delegate did not receive any assurances or guarantees by this president to carry out his promises, rather than we dealt with him based on this word. This is politically incorrect and very immature. I think before we decide for whom we are going to cast our votes, we need to set a criteria that should include but is not limited to:
1. Studying the vote record of each of the candidates in regards to our issues.
2. Based on the negotiations with the candidates if any would take place we will decide whether the promises that are made are assured and guaranteed.
3. I think we ought to involve the ideological background of each candidate in our decision. We did not invest any efforts in this direction in the previous elections. In reality I think that very few of our community if any have heard of the new conservative trend in this country that bush is surrounded by before the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
I think such a decision should not be left only to our national organizations at a time that we have hundreds of Muslim political scientists who are very informed on the intellectual level to determine the ideological and political backgrounds of each candidate. Also I think that our community in the U.S. is bigger than the Arab and Muslim organizations that are headquartered in Washington and are claiming to be representing the majority of our community.
Name
Mohamed
-
Profession
Question
My question is i live now in the uk because of my study as well as my work which will take years. i want to marry. but i dont knw how to find the person i will marry. i donot know lots of people here and my work is full of christian.i refused any relation with christian girl to marry a muslim girl. but my dream seems hopless. i talked with somone in the mossque and he did not help me. wht shall i do.
Answer
Editor:
Brother Mohamed, sorry for not answering your question as this session is only dedicated to questions related to the US 2004 elections. However, you may re-submit your question on Ask the Scholar Service.
Name
Hamid
-
Profession
Question
What is the effect of what is going on Iraq on Bush’s opportunity to win the elections? Do you think it will affect him so much?
Answer
According to the last poll, which was conducted both by the Washington post and ABC news, President Bush is surprisingly gaining from the turmoil in Iraq. Despite the rising of American causalities and despite the criticism of the democrats that the Bush administration has no plan whatsoever to stabilize Iraq, the poll showed Bush's approval rating holding steady and Kerry is slipping on a variety of issues and attributes. Despite increased uncertainty in Iraq and fierce attacks by critics over the way his administration handled the terrorist attack before Sept. 11, 2001, the survey which was published on Tuesday April 20th, found Bush's approval has remained unchanged at 51%. A significant majority approved of Bush’s administrations handling of the situation in Iraq and favored him in this sense over Kerry. And although a growing number of Americans (46%) are saying now that going to war was a mistake, they still believe that Bush is a stronger leader than Kerry in this sense and they still believe that what they call the American mission in Iraq should be continued.
Yet, this poll does not mean that Bush will be the next president of the United States even though he is the most likely to become president at this time. The American public opinion is shifting back and forth, between Kerry and Bush from month to month. But what was surprising in this poll is that despite the difficulties that the Bush administration is facing in Iraq and from the commission that investigated the terrorist attack on Sept. 11th, this administration managed to keep its public support at an unchanged rate. The analysts here are justifying these results by saying at the time of difficulties the American people usually rally around the president in office as a symbol of patriotism.
Again this does not suggest that Bush would win based on the situation in Iraq. It might be harmful to him in the future, however it’s not harmful to him in the month of April.
Name
Clare
- United Kingdom
Profession
Accountant
Question
Dear Sir,
Do you believe the 2004 election will be as close as the last one? To be honest, I think that the last election was fixed for Bush to win it, and it's more than a coincidence that his brother Jeb is governor of Florida that was the deciding state in the last election. There were stories of black voters being prevented from voting in Florida, is this true? Do you think this kind of thing will happen again? What are the current opinion polls looking like?
Answer
As for your first question, the analysts and the pollsters are predicting a close election as it was in 2000. Let’s not forget that this country is divided almost evenly between the blue states (democrats) and the red states (republicans). In order to win the elections in America, you need to win the swing states that are historically not determined for either side based on supporting a specific party than voting based on issues.
As regards the Florida experience in the year of 2000, there have been some rumors that suggested what you are saying especially when it comes to the manual recount that were rejected by the republican controlled state of Florida when the democrats questioned the efficiency of the voting machines were vice president Al Gore lost by 535 votes. For the African American votes I heard the rumors but it has never been confirmed by an independent side.
I doubt that this scenario will be replayed in this election. However, the 2000 election was decided by a conservative dominated supreme court, yet no one can question the constitutionality of the outcomes of the elections. In regards to your question to the recent polls, it shows Bush is leading Kerry by 48% to 44%.
Name
Abu Sinan
-
Profession
Question
In response to a question about the need to bring international cooperation into the conflict in Iraq, John Kerry said that it’s not a Paul Bremer/U.S. decision-making process but a legitimate international accord as to how you empower the Iraqi people to decide their own future, then you absolutely have the ability to get additional help on the ground. Does Kerry go for the idea of independent Iraq and supports the withdrawal of troops as countries did?
Answer
In theory both candidates: President Bush and Senator Kerry are for the withdrawal of the American troops from Iraq when it finishes its mission according to what they are saying in that country. Both of them are insisting that the American forces in Iraq are not occupying forces rather than them being liberating forces. However the main difference among many between the two candidates is constituted in the issue of internationalizing Iraq. Kerry is calling for the internalization of Iraq by going to the United Nations to handle the Iraqi administration to the UN instead of having Iraq run by an American administrator. According to Kerry, this would encourage the American allies especially France, Germany, and the rest of the Nato's members in addition to Pakistan and Turkey and some Arab states to withdraw their reservation of how the US is handling the situation in Iraq and to send troops to help the American forces in stabilizing Iraq.
On the other hand, the Bush administration is adamantly against the transferring of power to the UN; it calls for a "specific UN role" in Iraq without defining that role and the size of authorities that will be handed to the UN. The Bush's administrations argument is that we "conquered" Iraq by the American blood at the time the UN stood against the war, so it won’t be acceptable to hand the power to the UN in the post era of the war. Yet, and because of the difficulties that the UN are facing now in Iraq, the Bush administration seems more willing of going to seek a UN resolution to encourage some other countries to contribute to the occupation forces in Iraq. however, this administration as I said previously is unwilling as Kerry is saying to handle the iraq administration to the UN and that seems to keep the burden of running iraq on the American shoulders who its tax paying people are paying more than 90 % of the tab in iraq and where also more than 90% of the occupation forces are Americans and the stubborn position of this administration in this sense seems to alienate the rest of the American allies to contribute to the occupation forces in iraq in order to build a real coalition.
Name
Jonas..
-
Profession
Question
What is the real difference between Bush & Kerry?
Answer
Actually it is very hard to distinguish between the two candidates on many issues. Kerry seems to try to take Bush’s positions on many major issues such as the American war on "terrorism" and the American "mission" on Iraq, although he differs with him in the best means of conducting this objective. And because of this, many American analysts are cautioning that Kerry’s campaign might lose the elections because he is providing no alternatives to Bush’s policies in these arenas.
I think the main differences between Kerry and Bush can be seen in the economy, healthcare, and education arenas. Or in other words in the domestic issues. The polls are showing that Kerry is leading Bush when it comes to the question of who is better to handle the economy in America.
However, I personally think that the main and most important difference between Kerry and Bush lays down in the fact that Bush is an ideologue who believes as he said he is on a mission to fulfill "GOD’S WILL". On the other hand, Kerry is more liberal and secular in this sense and he is more pragmatic. And based on my belief it is easier to deal with a liberal secular American president than to deal with a religious ideological president who thinks he is fulfilling a divine mission.
Name
Omar
- Zambia
Profession
Journalist
Question
What do you think American Muslims should consider important before casting their votes? Both candidates to my understanding don't have anything to offer to Islam. So how should they vote?
Answer
Akhi Omar,
I think in the post era of Sept.11, 2001 our main objective in the US came to be our civil rights. I think that there are no major differences between the two parties when it comes to the foreign policy, especially the unlimited and the ultimate support of Israel. As a Muslim community, in this time I think that we are unable to affect this American bias towards Israel. And we cannot fool ourselves that the democrats would be less bias against our issues. And I think Kerry made it very clear when he went on to support Bush's position that reversed the policy of the previous American administration since 1967 until 2000, which viewed the Israeli settlements in the west bank and Gaza as illegal and as an obstacle in the way of peace. However, I still believe that if we cannot change the position of either party in the foreign policy that shouldn’t alienate us from trying to support a party who will enable our civil rights as the constitution requires. Under the Clinton administration, which was one of the most biased administrations in the history of the united states toward Israel, we still as a Muslim community enjoyed a wide margin of a freedom to express our views and to conduct our activities and to criticize the American bias and the unjust position in the middle east, and that provided us with a relevant suitable environment to try to bring the American foreign policy to a more humane and just stance.
On the other hand, under the Bush administration, which is the most conservative and the most ideological administration in the history of the United States according to the description of many American analysts and academics, we are not even confident that expressing our views will be treated as our constitutional right as freedom of expression. As a Muslim community we are experiencing and participating in a self-censorship because of the intimidation environment that is forced on us. So I think the civil rights issue in addition to the economy, healthcare and social policies will be our prime focus in this coming election.
Name
David
- United States
Profession
Software Engineer
Question
Do you think is better: to play politics with a short-sided view, jumping between the established parties, or to stand firm on principles and work to see permanent and meaningful change in the system, as Ralph Nader has advocated?
It is obvious that the leadership of both US parties are corrupt and controlled by the same special interest and the message they have sent to Muslims is that both parties will tend to sideline them on issues of import. What do you think?
Answer
As I mentioned in a previous answer, I think that we need to study our options thoroughly in a profound and thorough way. I agree with you in some of the premises you based your argument on in regards to the two parties. But what is worth noting is that we were an insignificant minority in the U.S. until now. So personally, I think that our options are very limited at this time. I believe that Ralph Nader as a person and as a candidate will be the best choice for us if he has a significant support from other segments of the American society. Therefore, I think that we need to study the case of Nader and to explore his chances not in the sense of if he is going to win or not, because we know he is not going to win, rather than in the sense if he is going to get the required percentage of votes that will enable him to receive a governmental financial support and that will be the premises of the engagement of a third party in this country.
Is this do-able in this period of time? I think this is a question that we have to answer before this coming election.
Name
Editor
-
Profession
Answer
Finally, we would like to thank Mr. Osama Abu-Irshaid for speaking to Islamonline viewers today, and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue. We apologize for not being able to accommodate all the questions within the time allocated to this session. We request our readers to join us in the upcoming sessions.
