Thoughts On Voting As Muslims In The Upcoming US Elections I Sh. Furhan Zubairi

I penned this short piece four years ago around the last US elections. In light of the general political landscape and atmosphere, I feel the message is even more important this time around. It is unconscionable for us as Muslims to vote for Harris or Trump and the parties they represent. Both candidates and their parties are complicit in the genocide and ethnic cleansing of our brothers and sisters in Palestine.

I genuinely believe that we as minorities living in America cannot influence foreign policy in any meaningful way. This is my opinion and anyone is free to disagree with it, but our foreign policy is dictated and shaped by the military-industrial complex, Western imperialism, Western hegemony, powerful interest groups, multi-national corporations, and a Western liberal paradigm that seeks to impose its values on the Muslim world. I personally am apathetic toward national politics. 

As conscious Muslims living in America our political involvement should be focused where we can actually make an impact. We should find a way to participate in politics, especially locally, that will bring about real and tangible social change fighting against poverty, discrimination, homelessness, food insecurity, drugs, and alcohol, demonstrating our morals and values.

This post may upset certain people and some of you may “cancel” me because of what I write here, but this is how I personally feel about participating in the upcoming elections.

Republican or Democrat?

Over the past 20 years, within the Muslim American community we have witnessed a number of shifts in the way people view certain ideas, concepts, values, morals, ethics, and accepted religious tenets and practices. One of those shifts has been our attitude toward politics and political participation in the two-party system, particularly in the Presidential elections.

Going through high school in the late 90s and college in the early 2000s I don’t remember there being a concerted effort to get Muslims to participate in presidential elections from religious leaders and institutions. I remember that most Muslims who were involved in politics viewed themselves as being more closely aligned with the Republicans because of certain perceived shared values. That is why there was a call for Muslims to support the party and vote for Bush Jr. However, as a result of his hawkish policies and administration, starting two unjustified wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the war on terror, and a host of other detrimental domestic and foreign policies, those who supported the party and him realized they made the wrong choice. Now with Trump as the face of the party, the Republicans seem to be anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim. It appears to be absurd for a Muslim to be Republican because of their anti-Muslim bias.

To vote, or not to vote?

Those who still championed political participation on the national level shifted to the left and started aligning themselves with the Democrats. In the past three presidential elections, most Muslims voted Democrat and will most likely do so this November. With time this relationship has grown so strong and deep that now it seems like the only option for Muslims is to align with the Democrats and wholeheartedly embrace their platform. I understand the appeal because of their calls for civil and minority rights, multiculturalism, and other domestic policies, and how they are seemingly more accepting of Muslims. However, when we dig deeper we will find that they will never be truly accepting of our Islamic values. As a matter of fact, a lot of their domestic policies and values are in complete contradiction to the Divine Guidance we find in the Quran and Sunnah. I feel that it is absurd for Muslims to be Democrats because of their progressive values that are antithetical to the teachings of our faith.

Community First

To be as simple and straightforward as possible, I don’t think we belong in either of the two parties. I believe it’s time for us as a community to come together and build a grounded, robust, and nuanced framework for participating in politics that allows us to stick to our religious principles and values. Someone (I don’t remember who) shared earlier that as Muslims we should stay out of party politics and focus on specific policy issues. Sr. Nuriddeen Knight from the By the Fig and Olive blog said it beautifully: “No political party deserves our loyalty; When they work in our best interests we support them. When they don’t, we don’t. It’s that simple.” Developing this framework should be a joint effort between scholars, activists, community organizers, and political scientists. We should find a way to participate in politics, especially locally, that will bring about real and tangible social change fighting against poverty, discrimination, homelessness, food insecurity, drugs, and alcohol; demonstrating our morals and values.

In the past few months, especially the past few weeks, I have heard very vocal calls for Muslims to exercise their “voice” and go vote. This call has been the loudest for those who are pushing the community to vote for Harris and push Trump out. There are even some voices out there arguing that this is something that we have to do. Why is voting considered the only way to make our voices heard?

I am not saying “don’t vote.” I am also not criticizing those who choose to vote. What I am saying is to be conscious of what you’re doing, and make your decisions based on the principles and values of Islam. I don’t believe in the lesser of two evils argument for our current situation; they are both evil. We can make our voices heard in more effective and principled ways.

I remember that MSA West hosted a conference at UCI, where I was a student, in the early 2000s – it may have been 2002. Somehow they arranged for a collect call with Imam Jamil al-Amin that they broadcasted to the audience. Someone asked him about voting. I remember him saying something along the lines of, “Man, if voting worked they would have banned it years ago. Focus on establishing your prayers…” I don’t necessarily agree with that statement 100%, but I do feel that we should better educate ourselves on how national elections work with the two-party system and the electoral college, its flaws, and how we as a Muslim community can be most effective.

[Disclaimer: this opinion article does not reflect the views of MuslimMatters, a non-profit organization that does not endorse candidates and welcomes editorials with diverse political perspectives]

Related:

– The Conflicted Muslim Voter And The Flawed Candidate | Imam Omar Suleiman

– American Muslim Political Groups Call On Muslim Voters To Support Candidates For Justice