The question is whether Muslim and Arab voters will follow their leader's endorsement in the ballot box. The rest include people from Africa, Europe and other parts of the Middle East. And many African-American Muslims, for example, support Al Gore for president, not Bush. With all the diversity, finding common issues to rally around has been an ongoing challenge. Nihad Awad is executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and says some issues are bringing the entire community together.
Muslim leaders say the latest crisis in the Middle East is sparking greater political interest.
They insist having Joseph Lieberman, an orthodox Jew, on the Democratic ticket does not, in itself, sway their vote, but they say Lieberman's staunchly pro-Israeli position does. This has been a problem in American politics, not a partisan problem. And the issue is that the American Muslim voice has not been registered or incorporated into the decision-making process. In terms of American interests, we really do need to listen to the Muslim voice. Muslims still have a long way to go in the political process.