Archive of President's Messages
Message From the President: Every Vote Counts!
Muslims throughout the United States, individuals, organizations, as well as communities, continue to face tremendous challenges in their daily lives. Perhaps the most serious one is the current attacks on Muslims and the Islamophobia that not only seems to exist everywhere, but is gaining momentum at a very alarming rate.
Last month, I wrote about the importance of outreach and building relationships with non-Muslims as a key element for our survival and growth. This month, the focus will be on another very important element which is the 2010 mid-term elections in November.
In an election year, the main topic is not the economy, recession and high jobless rate; rather it seems to be Islam and Muslims. Open the newspapers, listen to any news outlet and you will no doubt be inundated with articles or election campaign ads about how America is infested with terrorist bases under the cover of Mosques, or how entire towns are being run under Sharia law as Islam is taking over America. It's a farfetched fear campaign backed by very powerful politicians and media members, and even though many Americans are fighting against this campaign, it appears that many others are impacted by it.
For years we debated whether or not it is Islamically acceptable to vote and if we should vote. Some of us are very pessimistic, unsure if our votes really matter. I believe, to a great extent, we are beyond that debate. However, we still do not realize the importance of our participation in the elections and its urgency.
We can sit here and debate how to tackle this issue and probably come up with many ideas. However, the issue is so serious that we cannot wait for a meeting of the minds to take place to devise the perfect plan.
Need we remind ourselves of what happened to the Japanese after Pearl Harbor? Are we that naïve to think that cannot happen to us? Not only are our rights as American citizens at stake, our existence as Muslims is threatened. Our future, the future of our kids and grandkids, largely depends on how the American political system shapes up. Our rights as humans are at stake and if you do not believe it, think about the images from Guantánamo Bay. Not being involved and letting others decide our fate is no longer an option. We must stand up for our constitutional rights as Americans and take matters into our own hands to help our cause and existence.
Experts predict many of the key races will be very close. Remember the 2000 Al Gore/George Bush presidential election was decided by a few Florida votes. Every vote counts, we must think this way. The election will take place November 4th. Early voting will be available, so we cannot use the excuse of being busy that day. We have more at stake in this year’s election than any other time in the past. Do not let others decide our future. Vote, Vote, Vote. We owe it to ourselves, our children and the world.
May Allah guide us to what pleases Him and help us in our struggles.
Hussein Ata