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August 26, 1996 American Muslims active in political process as election nears Washington - August 26, 1996 - According to U.S. population polls, the estimated six million Muslims in the United States comprise, or soon will comprise, the second largest religious community in the country. Their increasing numbers make them an emerging voice on the American political scene, and in cities across the country, Muslim citizens are mobilizing to express their views in anticipation of the upcoming national election. In an effort to promote family values, prevent crime, combat drug abuse, and encourage other worthwhile social goals, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and the newly formed Muslim Women for America (MWA) held a joint press conference on August 26 to designate September 13 "Muslim voter registration day" and to announce several initiatives designated to increase American Muslim participation in the political process. Nihad Awad, executive director of CAIR, reported that his organization is encouraging America's Muslim communities to: -- form local voter registration committees; Also at the news conference, the Muslim Women's Association outlined a ground breaking mobilization drive aimed at registering, educating and polling Muslim women voters. This new organization has as its focus the political involvement and activity of not only Muslim women, but women of every religious background whom it is encouraging to become politically aware, vote, and run for office. "There is a clear message being given to Muslim women today," said MWA president, Anisa Abd El Fattah. "When it comes to politics, your vote is our voice." Finally, Dr. Mohamed Nimer, director of CAIR, released the first opinion poll dealing specifically and systematically with the opinions of Muslim-Americans concerning a variety of social and political issues. The survey paints a picture of the average American Muslim as a young, highly educated professional who lives in a middle class, family oriented household. Following is the summary of the survey, "Muslims and the 1996 Elections," which was released August 26: As the American Muslim community grows, it is becoming increasingly aware of its social and political potential. American Muslims have distinct views on issues such as abortion, prayer in public schools, welfare reform, immigration, and civil rights. As Muslims integrate into civic organizations, their views will be taken into consideration by policy makers. This is the first opinion poll dealing specifically and systematically with a Muslim constituency. The survey offers a profile of the membership of one major Muslim organization in the United States. As such, this study will serve as a base for measuring change in Muslim public opinion. The survey questionnaire consisted of forty-eight questions, mostly dealing with domestic issues. Most questions were composed with closed-ended format; but some critical ones were left open-ended to allow unstructured responses. There are inherent difficulties in measuring American Muslim public opinion. Few databases are available from which to select a random sample of Muslims. Also, some members of the community have in the past shunned politics and public debate. By focusing on a systematically developed membership base, this survey shed some light on where Muslims stand on controversial issues. Respondents to this survey questionnaire consist of telephone entries selected randomly (i.e., their selection meet the criteria of a statistical random sampling) from the membership base of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). ISNA is one of the largest, multi-ethnic American Muslim community organizations. However, ISNA draws its membership primarily from immigrant, practicing Muslims. The profile and views expressed by the sampled population may represent this segment of the American Muslim community. Sample development proceeded as follows. First, Canadian ISNA members were eliminated. Second, every third telephone number entry was selected from the resulting 13,000 telephone number entries. This generated a random list of 4,727 for the purpose of polling. The telephone interviews were conducted by an independent polling company, the John Zogby Group International of New Hartford, New York. At least five calls were made to complete an interview at every sampled telephone number. Calls were made, in the period of July 18-22, to numbers at proper intervals resulting in 259 completed answer sheets. The poll carries a margin-of-sampling error of +/- 6% Findings of the survey paint a picture of the average American Muslim as a young, highly educated professional who lives in a middle class, family-oriented household. Contrary to long-held stereotypes, more than half of Muslim women interviewed work outside their homes, mainly in professional careers. Also, 8% of these women own or manage businesses. Less than half of the women work at home. More Muslims identify with the Democratic party and its constituencies. Still, considering that Muslims are a minority grouping, there is a surprisingly large segment that identify with the Republican party. This finding stands in contrast to how other minority groupings view their party affiliation. There is an overwhelming majority among Black, Hispanic and Jewish communities who identify with the Democratic party. The Republican party has attracted only small portions of these minority groupings. The comparatively large segment of Muslims identifying with the Republican party is perhaps due to the largely conservative inclinations among Muslims on matters usually described as family-value issues. Still, the survey shows that there is overwhelming evidence that issues of minority rights and religious tolerance stand out as primary concerns for the respondents. On these issues Muslims find themselves in natural alliance with liberal Americans. But no matter how Muslim leaders draw their alliances, they face the formidable challenge of mobilizing their constituency. usembassy-israel.org.il/publish/press/society/archive/august/bk1_... |