Muslims Expected to Become Political Players

With an estimated population of between 5 million and 6 million, American Muslims are often described as the country's fastest growing religion. If those numbers are accurate, there are already more Muslims than Episcopalians (2.4 million) in America, and there may be more Muslims than Jews (6 million).

So it was only a matter of time before Muslims started organizing politically. This year, they are stepping up visibility and involvement in the elections and, as a result, will soon be considered a political power.

"They could become as influential as Mormons and possibly even as Jews," said John Green, director of the Bliss Institute for Applied Politics at the University of Akron and a leading authority on religion and politics.

Green said that based on his surveys, Muslims vote primarily Democrat. But he cautioned that accurate Muslim voting statistics are hard to come by because Muslim numbers are still small compared with other groups and because until now Muslims have not been that well organized. He said he could not predict how Muslims will vote this year.

Tom Albert, the director of Ethnic Outreach for the Democratic National Committee, said that in comparison with recent years, Muslims in 2000 have exerted "more of an organized effort to become a part of the process. Muslims really, really want to become a part of the system."

At the moment, there are Muslim staffers in Congress, and at the White House, State Department, and Justice Department. But the people who hold those positions are usually viewed as individual successes. No Muslim yet serves in Congress, although a Muslim Democrat, Eric Erfan Vickers of St. Louis, is running for a position in the House of Representatives.

More national political activity will soon follow. Four Muslim organizations--the American Muslim Alliance, Muslim Public Affairs Council, American Muslim Council, and Council on American Islamic Relations--have united this year to form the American Muslim Political Coordinating Committee. Meanwhile, on the local level, Muslim political activity is intense. Muslims have set up voter registration booths in mosques nationwide. They are winning positions as city council members and state legislators, and nearly 700 Muslims will run for office this year. They are particularly active in Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago.

About 25 delegates to the Democratic National convention in Los Angeles later this month will be Muslim; Republicans expected between six and 10 Muslim delegates at their convention.

Perhaps the greatest victory for Muslims lies in their growing symbolic influence. On the first day of the Republican convention, a Muslim led the benediction; Democrats are said to be lining up a Muslim for a similar spot on their program.

"This is a significant recognition of the Muslim community, that the numbers have grown to such levels that they are being recognized as being a part of the fabric of the American society," said Talat Othman, chairman of the Islamic Institute in Washington, D.C., who offered the GOP benediction Monday afternoon.

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