MPower Change, in collaboration with grassroots organizations, launched the #MyMuslimVote campaign to promote a nationwide virtual registration drive. The group bills itself as the largest Muslim digital advocacy organization in the US, with more than 250,000 members.
The group aims to register American Muslim voters through its website, which also provides resources for local activists to organize within their communities.
Participating organizations have already reached out to nearly half a million registered Muslim voters, and are sending email and text message reminders to encourage American Muslims to vote in person or by mail, they said.
American Muslims, along with other minority communities, could help vote President Donald Trump out of the White House and usher in Democratic contender Joe Biden, MPower Change Executive Director Linda Sarsour told CNN.
“We must do everything we can as Muslims to alleviate harm,” Sarsour said. “I hope Muslims join me in voting this election because we can’t allow this administration to appoint more Supreme Court Justices or federal judges who can negatively impact our lives for generations to come.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will also host virtual phone and text banks to assist in the effort.
“If there was the full participation of Muslim voters in this election, we’d have the ability to tip the vote in Florida, Virginia, Ohio, Michigan and Connecticut. We need to make sure Muslims are inspired to vote for the candidates in front of us,” Robert McCaw, CAIR’s director of government affairs, told CNN.
“Muslim Voices for Trump will energize and mobilize the Muslim community in re-electing President Donald J. Trump by sharing the many successes of the Trump Administration,” the site states. “Re-electing President Trump will ensure the protection of religious liberties, economic prosperity, and educational opportunities for Muslims in America.”
Countering Islamophobia
Following Trump’s 2016 election, American Muslims experienced a spike in hate crimes, according to data from the FBI.
Many American Muslim leaders attributed the spike to anti-Muslim rhetoric espoused by Trump and some of his close associates.
“There is a fire in the stomach of every Muslim voter to make sure that their voices are heard, because we are very concerned about the rise in Islamophobia in America,” McCaw said.
“In the face of rising anti-Muslim political rhetoric, it inspires Muslim communities to get out and make sure we are getting the candidates in office that best respect our votes and our concerns.”
Biden’s election may not change the situation for American Muslims, but it is a step in a better direction, Sarsour said.
“I don’t believe that the lives of our communities will drastically change under a Biden administration, but we can at least alleviate some of Trump’s harm and continue to build power and movements for the future,” she said.
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