How Muslims in the US are going to vote to oppose Islamophobia

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 26: Aliza Fatima, 12, of Queens and a descendent of Pakistani parents, participates in the American Muslim Day Parade on September 26, 2010 in New York, New York. The aual parade celebrates the presence and contributions of Muslims in New York City and surrounding areas. The parade, which attracts hundreds of participants, concludes with a bazaar selling food, clothing, and books from various Muslim nations. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

SHAFAQNA – US Muslims have now mobilized against Islamophobia, determined for their voice to be heard at govemental level through the exercise of their civil rights. And while many presidential front ruers continue to fan sectarianism and hatred to carry their campaigns this new US Muslim civic revival could prove more powerful than bigotry.

Republican presidential front-ruers Donald Trump and Ted Cruz have taken hardline stances on a range of issues conceing Muslims, and it could come back to bite them if either becomes the nominee.

That’s because civil rights groups have set a target of registering one million new Muslim voters for the coming elections, according to the New York Times. And advocacy groups believe this goal isn’t out of reach in a climate where Trump and Cruz have been accused of stirring anti-Muslim sentiment.

“The fear and apprehension in the American Muslim community has never been at this level,” Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told the Times. “The anti-Islamic tidal wave is spurring civic participation.”

Groups like CAIR and the Islamic Circle of North America are working with mosques to tu the religious places of worship into registration centers, the Times reported. Registration drives are expected to be at its peak during the holy fasting period of Ramadan in June, when attendance at Islamic centers will be high.

A recent Pew Research Center study estimated that there are around 3.3 million Muslims in the U.S. currently, which is around 1% of the total population. That number is expected to double by 2050.

Most of the fear has been attributed to Trump, who has advocated for a complete shutdown of Muslims coming into the U.S., and has remarked in a recent CNN interview that “Islam hates us.” Cruz recently called for heightened patrolling of Muslim neighborhoods and refused to disavow the anti-Muslim views of his adviser.

Already, the relationship between Republicans and those practicing Islam are tenuous at best. A Pew Research study found that just 11% of American Muslims considered themselves Republicans, compared to 70% who called themselves Democrats. The feeling is mutual—a separate Pew Research study found that Republicans felt the most negative towards Muslims compared to any other religious group, and even slightly below atheists.