By Barbara Ferguson, Arab News Correspondent
http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=20115
WASHINGTON, 5 November — Americans go to the polls today in a crucial mid-term election to decide 34 Senate seats, 435 House seats and 36 governorships.
Today’s elections will determine which party will control both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
To regain the Senate, Republicans — who lost the majority control in 2001, when Vermont Sen. James Jeffords left them to become an Independent — now must pick up one seat. In the House of Representatives, Democrats must win six seats to regain the control they lost in 1994.
Tufain Ahmad, a trustee of the US-Pakistan Association of the Washington metropolitan area, said the Muslim American community has been active, as never before, in this year’s elections.
“Bush’s doctrine of pre-emptive strikes, a unilateralism in the Bush foreign policy and the administration’s onslaught on civil liberties affecting the Muslim community at large,” is why Muslim Americans have felt the need to become active and vocal, he said.
Asked how this will be reflected in Muslim American votes, Ahmad said: “In the last election, Muslims voted for Bush, because they thought that during the debates he appeared more concerned about the situation for Muslims, and he said he was against Arab profiling — that gave some hope the Muslim community that he would be fair and reasonable to our community.
“Unfortunately, after 9/11, the situation has completely changed and Muslims feel discriminated against, whether they are US citizens or US immigrants, students, or on visit visas in this country,” said Ahmad, a businessman who has lived in Potomac, Maryland for 30 years.
“It appears there will be a shift in the voting pattern of Muslims, and a substantial number of Muslim votes will be cast for the Democratic candidates, as opposed to the Republicans,” said Ahmed.
He said Muslims, for the first time ever, have become active in political rallies and fund-raising. They have even started holding political rallies at their homes.
“Muslims are really becoming very active now,” said Ahmad. “There is a growing realization amongst Muslims that they cannot live in isolation, and they must participate in all the local civic activities, and local charitable activities — as Muslims.”
Another first, according to Ahmad, is that Muslim Americans are working with other minorities, including African-Americans, Latinos, and other Asian communities.
Khaled Mahmoud, a resident of Rockville, Maryland, for 27 years, said this year Muslim Americans have made a concerted effort to get involved in local and national politics, because “basically, since 9/11, things are getting hotter for us.
When asked which party would win the majority today, Mahmoud was uncertain.
“I don’t think Muslim Americans have a clear choice. Last time they voted for Republicans, and they were disappointed.”