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Title: muslims Mobilize to vote the republicans back to the stone age
Source:
usinfo.state
URL Source: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/d ... 061017145009hmnietsua0.4339411
Published: Oct 22, 2006
Author: usinfo.state
Post Date: 2006-10-22 13:14:42 by TLBSHOW
Keywords: None
Views: 957
Comments: 2
Washington -- With the 2006 midterm elections three weeks away, ethnic, religious and other groups in the United States are working to inform their communities of the issues at stake and the importance of voting. Congressional candidates of both parties met with 300 Arab Americans at an iftar dinner October 15 in Fairfax County, Virginia. The dinner, hosted by the Arab American Institute, was an opportunity for some of the 21,500 Arab American voters in the county to hear directly from those running for office. In observance of Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating or drinking during daylight hours and break their fast at nightly iftar dinners, which are often festive family and community events. Candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate discussed their views on national and local issues of special interest to the Arab American community, such as mosque-zoning regulations, and issues of importance to residents of all backgrounds, including transportation and education. Such a "meet-the-candidates night" is an evening when "we as Virginians can meet face to face with the people who shape our government," said Helen Samhan, executive director of the Arab American Institute Foundation, a division of the Arab American Institute that focuses on Arab American political involvement. Along with campaign flyers and stickers from the candidates, the dinner hall was decorated with posters saying in English and Arabic, "Our vote is our power, let's use it November 7." Posters saying "Arab American Democrat" and "Arab American Republican" were also on the walls. Arab Americans are fairly evenly split between the two parties, according to Jennifer Kauffman, director of communications and marketing for the institute. Institute member Marwan Burgan noted that Arab Americans -- like all Americans -- " have a right to demand representation from our officials." Moreover, Burgan said, there are 135,000 Arab Americans in Virginia, and most elections in the state are decided by fewer than 135,000 votes, meaning that Arab American voters can make a difference in an election’s outcome. The institute's meet-the-candidates night, held annually in Virginia since 1987, is one of many nonpartisan efforts across the country the organization runs to help better inform its community of political issues. GROUPS REACH OUT TO EDUCATE, ENCOURAGE VOTERS Arab Americans are among the multitudes of groups launching efforts to inform people of the importance of voting in the November 7 midterm election. The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest Hispanic civil rights advocacy group in the United States, and the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, a coalition of Hispanic organizations, recently launched a campaign to mobilize Hispanic voters. The nonpartisan "It Starts with You" campaign urges Hispanics to vote and to encourage their peers to vote as well. The campaign provides public service announcements and other resources that spread the word about the importance of voting, a pocket guide on important issues and a free phone number people can call if they have questions about voting. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is asking African Americans to sign its "Arrive with 5 Pledge." Those who sign the pledge are asked to find five friends to register and vote. The campaign "will no doubt engage African American voters on the issues that matter most and motivate them to make a difference by voting and helping others get to the polls on Election Day," NAACP President and CEO Bruce S. Gordon said in a press release introducing the program. The nonpartisan organization Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) is running projects across the country to encourage their community to vote. Local groups are encouraging their neighbors to register to vote and are calling Asian Pacific Americans who often do not vote to remind them of the importance of doing so
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CAIR to Release Poll of American Muslim Voters; Survey Looks at Demographics, Political Leanings, Levels of Integration 10/19/2006 12:52:00 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor Contact: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726 or ihooper@cair.com, Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441 or rahmed@cair.com, Amina Rubin, 202- 488-8787 or arubin@cair.com, all of the Council on American-Islamic Relations News Advisory: On Tuesday, October 24, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will hold a news conference in Washington, D.C., to release the results of a survey of American Muslim voters. CAIR recently commissioned a scientific survey of 1000 registered Muslim voters that asked questions related to demographic profiles, political leanings and levels of social integration. (Respondents were randomly drawn from a pool of some 400,000 registered Muslim voters.) WHAT: CAIR to Release Poll of American Muslim Voters WHEN: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 at 10:30 a.m. (Eastern) WHERE: National Press Club (Lisagor Room), National Press Club, 529 14th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. The CAIR survey also asked respondents whether Muslims worship the same God as Christians and Jews, whether terrorist attacks in other countries harm American Muslims and if the war on terror has become a war on Islam. In addition, CAIR's poll asked Muslim voters to rank public policy issues as they relate to the upcoming elections. CAIR has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding. NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a journalist's window to the American Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called ISLAM-INFONET, receive news releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on issues of importance to our society. To subscribe to ISLAM- INFONET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/islam-infonet/ -0-
Virginia Muslims supporting Democrats Mukit Hossain, president of the Virginia Muslim Political Action Committee, said his group believes there are 60,000 registered Muslim voters in the state and he is working to mobilize voters to get out and vote Democratic. Population estimates show Virginia's Muslim population at about 300,000. Most reside in Northern Virginia. "I think we can make sizeable impacts," Hossain said. "I think we made a difference in the gubernatorial race" between Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore. The group supported Kaine, the winner of the race by just more than 113,000 votes. Hossain said the group does not have a political affiliation and attempts to be nonpartisan. He said the PAC is endorsing Webb and the Democratic House candidates in Northern Virginia based on their views on civil liberties, human rights, immigration, foreign policy, health care and education. One issue especially important to the group was local enforcement of federal immigration laws. The Herndon Town Council's decision to train local police to enforce these laws was especially troubling, Hossain said. "That's the sort of mechanism we believe would be extremely dangerous for the Muslim community," he told the Washington Examiner. "You are handing over a degree of power that is not necessarily warranted and can be abused, especially given the skimpy training [Herndon police] are going to receive."
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http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52557
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