Georgia Muslims Have A Voice Through Voting

US elections 2020: Muslims in state of Georgia mobilise for Senate runoff | Middle East Eye

By Imam Nadim Sulaiman Ali 12/24/2020

"Whosoever of you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart—and that is the weakest of faith."

Prophet Muhammad(Peace and Blessings be Upon Him)

It was a breath of fresh air to see candidate Joe Biden make a video quoting this hadith in light of the first act of the 45th president was to institute a Muslim ban, and the reluctance of the 44th president to associate with Muslims due to the perception of many that he was secretly a Muslim.

This act by Biden demonstrates the importance of the Muslim vote in this country, and in the upcoming Senatorial election in Georgia on January 5th, 2021.

The Muslims of Florida were responsible for helping to elect the worst president at that time for Muslims, George Bush, to office by their inactions & actions

This affinity for Bush was in part that Al Gore’s running mate was of the Jewish faith, and many Muslims could not see themselves voting for the Gore ticket. Bush won Florida by over 500 votes, that's the size of a large masjid’s weekly jumah.

“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

Living in a pluralistic society, Muslims have to weigh the pro’s and con’s of participating in the political process.

Local officials make decisions about our communities,
People who have an aversion to Islam can be elected, and limit our rights.
Issues that impact the Muslim community both domestically and internationally are decided by elected officials.

If we are going to be here, then we need to be here, and that means to participate in all aspects of society that impact us. We need to be just as active in politics as we are in commerce.

In the past Muslims have had a reputation of being apolitcal, and many of the candidates have not spent a great deal of financial and emotional capital on the Muslim communtiy.

In recent years the margins of the elections have been so thin that politicians have been actively cultivating new voting blocks, and there have been many candidates for office that have appointed Muslims as liaisons to the Muslim community to cultivate votes.

The Muslim community is seen as an untapped resource by many people that are seeking political office. We have to determine how we are going to use this power. The operative word is power.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”Margaret Mead

Voting gives you power, and that has been the fear of those who have traditionally welded power in this country.

The many acts of voter suppression is evidence that there is a fear of “the other” gaining a significant voice in this country.

As Muslims we can wait to create an ideal Muslim society, or work to make this society ideal for Muslims.

No candidate is perfect; so we have to assess anyone who is running for office, and hold them accountable.

As a minority demographic/community in this country, Muslims have to optimize our strength by voting for people who best support issues that are consistent with Islam and be vocal on issues that are inconsistent with islam.

As Muslims, we have the responsibility to enjoin the good, and forbid the wrong; electing people who support values that are consistent with Islam is one way of assuring this.

Practicing Islam and voting are not mutually exclusive. We just have to be discerning on the issues and people that we vote for.

“Every election is determined by the people who show up.” Larry J. Sabato

We have to do what is humanly possible to make the societal conditions for Muslims better, and voting is one way of achieving this.

URGENT MESSAGE GEORGIA VOTERS: http://oppressedpeoplesonlineword.ning.com/profiles/blogs/urgent-me...

Anas ibn Malik reported: A man said, “O Messenger of Allah, should I tie my camel and trust in Allah, or should I leave her untied and trust in Allah?” The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Tie her and trust in Allah.”