Posted on 08/31/2003 11:18:58 AM PDT by kattracks
CHICAGO, Aug 31, 2003 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- 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 Monday, 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, 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 last 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 Awad's, reported a dramatic increase in donations and membership. Immigrant Muslims who had taken little interest in U.S. government began inviting their mayors, governors and even FBI agents into local mosques to learn about the community.
Muslims see the recent fight over Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes as another sign of their political progress.
Bush nominated Pipes, an outspoken critic of militant Islam, to a federally funded think tank called the U.S. Institute for Peace, angering Muslims who consider him a bigot - a claim Pipes denies.
After an intensive Muslim-led campaign to block the nomination, Bush appointed Pipes in recess on Aug. 22, bypassing the Senate approval process where his confirmation was in jeopardy. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., was among the lawmakers who opposed the nominee.
"For the first time, someone on Capitol Hill was advocating our issues," said Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council based in Los Angeles.
By focusing on civil rights in 2004, Muslim leaders acknowledge they could end up endorsing a candidate who would disagree with them on foreign policy, particuarly backing the Israeli government over the Palestinians.
Until recently, the plight of the Palestinians dominated political discussion among American Muslims. But Muslim leaders say they must now be pragmatic as they seek greater influence in government. They are pledging to broaden their alliances by working to improve education, fight crime and protect the environment.
Said Awad: "We are not a one-issue community."
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There is no historical precedence for living peacefully with moslems in our midst.
You took the words right out of my mouth!
Wherever Islam goes and gains any control, there is blood and persecution of non-Muslims. There are no known exceptions in 1400 years of history. That's a pretty convincing record, and it is as true today as it was in 650 AD.
There is no such person allowed by the Koran whom we would term a "moderate" Muslim. Islam's requirement and ultimate goal is the world being the "House of Islam", i.e. Allah and his faithful are in control of everything and all laws and behaviors are based on the Koran and the other accepted Muslim holy teachings. Period. Any Muslim that thinks otherwise is by definition an "apostate" and subject to righteous execution by another Muslim, as he is worse than an Infidel. Of course, if they are "lying" to promote Islam, that's another story and is allowable.
These people can say whatever they want, but they are either lying outright or somehow duped into thinking otherwise, though unlikely. There is no middle ground in Islam for tolerance of other faiths, governments or law.
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