Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Findley Urges Muslims to Vote for Bush |
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| Arsalan |
| 10/19/00 at 14:31:48 |
| Why Muslims should vote for Bush in this election By Paul Findley This is a moment in history when US Muslims must band together. I speak from my heart when I urge them to vote as a bloc in the presidential race in support of Governor George Bush. US Jews have demonstrated how handsomely bloc voting in presidential elections pays rich dividends. In 1992, Bill Clinton got 85 percent of Jewish votes because Jews were upset with the pressure George Bush applied on Israel when he tried to bring about a land-for-peace agreement. In 1996, Clinton, the most pro-Israel president ever, got 88 percent of the Jewish vote. This year, the Jewish vote for Al Gore may exceed 88 percent. Al Gore has been solidly in the pro-Israel camp since he served as my colleague in the House of Representatives over 20 years ago. Bush may not realize it, but his chances to win more than a handful of Jewish votes are absolutely zero. Why will Jews support Gore en bloc? The answer, in a word, is Israel. Jews disagree on a lot of things, but they are united in support of Israel. Muslims disagree on a lot of things too. Some of them are Republicans. Others are Democrats. Still others are independents. They may disagree on reforming the tax code, Social Security, Medicare, school vouchers, and reducing the public debt. But I am convinced that Muslims, to the last man and woman, are united on one thing: the future of Jerusalem. A vote for Gore == Israeli control of Jerusalem To me, this means that they should vote en bloc for Bush. A vote for Gore is a vote to let Israel control the future of Jerusalem. Asked what he would do as president if the Palestinians establish a separate state outside the peace process, Gore recently said, "I would consult with the government of Israel to see what the most helpful response from Israel's view might be." Richard H. Curtiss, editor of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs warns: "Until the Jerusalem problem is solved, it is going to be increasingly difficult to be a Muslim in the United States. The Israel lobby, with its incredible influence in the media, is going to continue to depict all Muslims as ÔterroristsÕ to be restricted, thwarted, ridiculed and even deported for the ÕsecurityÕ of the non- Muslim community." US Jews are united in wanting Al Gore to win. Amos Elran, writing in the Israeli daily Maariv: "Israel would feel much safer with Gore." The Washington Jewish Week recently had this to say: "Bush has few ties to the Jewish community nor any investment in the peace process, and has picked a running mate who once complained that Ronald Reagan was not tough enough on Israel. If Bush is elected, he won't be beholden to the Jews the way Gore would." In a 1989 interview published in the Washington Report magazine, Richard Cheney called himself a supporter of Palestinian statehood since 1982. Everyone agrees that the presidential vote will be close, and there is no doubt in my mind that Muslims, by voting en bloc, can swing the election to George Bush, the candidate who is not under IsraelÕs thumb. [Paul Findlay is a former US congressman from Illinois (1961 to 1983). He is the author of the bestselling book 'They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel's Lobby'] |
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| Re: Findley Urges Muslims to Vote for Bush |
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| Saleema |
| 10/20/00 at 01:29:10 |
| Assalamaolykum, A lesson from the Jews that we could learn: Let's learn to put aside differences and unite on the most important issues in critical times! Another lesson learned: To those who didn't believe that Bush would be the lesser of two evils, well, I was right. Next time listen to me and pass on my words of wisdom to others as wel. :))) ok...ok...i'll stop. Another thing, Bush's foreign policy is weak. in most cases it will be a bad thing to vote for such a person. but since we are not jewish, or pro-isreali, and the oppnent is pro-israel and has a stake in the jewish votes, the best bet is with a president who doens't know what he is doing in foreign policy. (this is the wors grammatical sentence ever.) I hope you understand what i'm writing, because i am too lazy to change anything. hey, its not an english class, you know. So anyway, the Muslims and Arabs can put pressure on ol' boy Bush to succumb to their demands, even its not a lot. Something is better than nothing! And at this point in time, we can use all the littel help we can squeze out of politicians. (I still wish Buchanan, Nader and MacCain would have been in the big picture.) Did anyone notice Bush's remarks about racial profiling against Arabs and the secret evidence law? Gore didn't mention a word of it. Liberman came up with the law, did you guys know that? And liberman voted on anti-immigration legislation targeted towards Muslims? PLUS: Bush's domestic policy is better than Al-Gore's. Republicans domestic policy has always been morally better than the Democrats. So, it will be good at home too. Bush will appoint 2 conservative judges to the Supreme Court (its a life-long postion) and that will have a major shift towards a better laws that are in line with or close in line with Islam. We can all benefit from that, trust me. Did anyone read the article in Newsweek about Arab Americans? Bush's comments were noticed by the media, (and Jews), and of course Americans didn't have a clue. :) I will post it later inshallah. I was mildly surprised, that the media took notice and dared to write it. It is said that states that are pretty tight, the Arab (muslim) vote will tip the scales. And Bush is counting on Arabs (muslims) to tip it in his favor. Well, so long fellas and have yee haa day. :) wassalam |
| Canuck's View on the Vote |
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| SuperHiMY |
| 10/24/00 at 05:42:03 |
AsalamAlayKum... Gore is FOR Murdering the Unborn: He's Pro-Abortion. Lieberman is FOR Partial Birth Abortions where the Baby is pulled out of the womb and the brains are sucked out. He voted FOR this type of abortion on the Senate Floor. Bush is NOT. As a Christian He's Against murdering the Unborn. Bush may be able to change the Supreme Court makeup by appointing Justices that will change your country's current freedom to abort laws. Just another coupla reasons to vote for Bush. As Hazrat Ali (RA) the fourth Caliph said something like: 'The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend.' Salam. |
| MUSLIMS AND THE VOTE RELIGIOUS & CIVIC DUTY |
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| SuperHiMY |
| 10/24/00 at 06:18:36 |
| ===================================================================== EDITORIAL: MUSLIMS AND THE VOTE -- IT'S A RELIGIOUS AND A CIVIC DUTY [By Dr. Mohamed Elmasry, in AMBITION, September 23, 2000.] ======================================================================= Students learn in Politics 101 that an individual's private life -- that which affects him or her and the family -- would not be possible without the overarching public world of the state, which sustains a structure of laws appropriate for ensuring individual rights and freedoms. And those freedoms include every person's choice and practice of religious faith. Students also learn in Politics 101 that the broad genre termed "politics" used to refer almost exclusively to the actions of presidents, monarchs, statesmen, or ministers, as well as to politically-committed collectives such as parliaments, councils, assemblies or legislatures. But with our modern-day expansion of governmental influence into virtually every sphere of human activity, all that we are and do has come to be described, in one way or another, as "Politics 101." Although there is a popular tendency to profess a casual, even cynical attitude toward politics, the majority of citizens living in liberal democratic countries like Canada or the United States, recognize that they have the freedom to take sides on important issues affecting our society, security and economy -- if only around the dinner table or in coffee-break discussions at work. But that is enough to show that they are indeed politically involved, so why should they not articulate their views in a more public forum by voting for the candidate(s) of their choice and joining or supporting a political party? Using today's civic language and terminology, Islam teaches Muslims to be activists according to the precepts of their faith. In fact, it is a religious duty, rewarded by the Allah SWT in both this life and the hereafter, to enjoin what is good and disallow evil-doing (al amr be marouf wa nahee an al monker) -- to work, for example, in furthering social justice and world peace. To become a politician oneself is not a career-choice available to all, nor are all people even suited for it, regardless of their personal aspirations. But Muslims also cannot remain passive onlookers. They are forbidden to hold back in giving their public testimony (Shahada) (Qur’an 2:283) including opinions on civic issues, or on the suitability of any candidate running for public office. Yet many Muslims in Canada and the U.S. are discouraged by the corrupt and/or immoral conduct of their political leaders. They feel most politicians are too willing to appease the rich and powerful, so a sense of powerlessness sets in and they either do not make the best choices, or simply do not go out and vote at all. Casting such a "negative vote," however, can actually help less-desirable candidates become elected by default. Thus, by not voting and making their voices heard, Muslims are ignoring an important religious and civic duty. As the U.S. gears up for a presidential race and Canadians for a federal, Muslims everywhere in North America should become personally aware of theissues at stake and of the campaign platforms being presented by their local and national electoral candidates; it is part of their "amanah" to vote for those they discern to be "the most worthy." But this is not always easy and straightforward, for at election time all parties compete vigorously for our votes with promises of increased social and economic benefits, assurances that our problems will be addressed and solved, etc. etc. It is therefore more important than ever to study the issues and the candidates scientifically and impartially; those who do so gain individually, while contributing to a more informed and proactive society. After all, politics can also be described as "navigation by ideals." Once we give in to cynicism or passivity and neglect those ideals, the casting of votes becomes an empty and powerless exercise in which everyone loses. Neither we, nor our nations, can afford such a dire alternative... we can no longer afford to cut classes in Politics 101. [Dr. Elmasry is professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Waterloo and national president of the Canadian Islamic Congress.] |
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