A new poll of Muslims who took part in the midterm elections of 2018 revealed the extent to which religious fanaticism has reached American political life. The kick-off came from Fox News anchor Janine Pero, who dodged Congressional channel Elhan Omar. "Think about it, Elhan Omar wears the headscarf," she says. Its adherence to the law, which in itself contradicts the Constitution of the United States? ".
This insinuation of Islamophobia or "fear of Islam", which it cuts down in the headdress, worn by MP Elhan Omar, has been widely condemned even by the Peruvian president. However, its commentary includes that anti-Muslim narrative, which has long been at the core of political texts and American media. A new poll, polled by Muslim candidates in the midterm elections of 2018, found that such attitudes were harmful, and sometimes posed a threat to Muslims entering public institutions, especially for women.
American Muslims have traditionally avoided running for election. However, the "Islamo Phoebe" speech of the 2016 US presidential campaign, summarized by President Donald Trump's declaration that Islam hates us, has made an unprecedented number of Muslims seeking to run for office. "Many Muslims have been nominated for this position, to take a stand against fear and hatred of Islam," says Gregory Jones, who sought to run for the Congress in Alaska for the Democratic Party.
He says the poll team identified 166 US Muslims who attended the 2018 primary, the Michigan state government, city councils and school boards. Of these, 23 ran for Congress and 50 for state legislatures, five of whom sought state office. "We surveyed that group As part of a bigger project on Islamophobia during the midterm elections, and more than half of the respondents participated in the poll. "
The experience of the candidates was certainly mixed, with nearly 40% of the respondents reporting that they had experienced less anti-Muslim sentiment, or had never faced it, and about a third reported that the level of Islamophobia they faced was high or very high, Only four candidates for the lack of Islamophobia at all, none of these women, and heard many sarcastic comments about Islam from their opponents in the race.
Female candidates were twice as likely as men, and more than 40% of women surveyed said they received verbal threats, many of them reported textual threats, about 20% of them were physically threatened, and those wearing headscarves, such as Elhan Omar , In particular be the most polarizing of hatred.
One of dozens of horrific publications on the Democratic candidate's site in Arizona, Diedra Abboud, says on Facebook: "Put this towel on your neck." In reference to the hijab she wears, Abboud converted from Christianity to Islam and committed to wearing hijab. Another «It's time to practice shooting» on them.
"We must never allow any Muslim to participate in our government or our policy here in America," wrote one Twitter user, whose account was later deleted.
More than 80,000 tweets linked to Ahlan Omar were screened in the six weeks before the election, as these tweets speak crookedly about her hijab. "No one should wear a headscarf in America because the Koran and our constitution are not compatible in any way." In Twitter, a user chirps "there is no place here in this country" and another user agrees "and should not be linked Nothing here. " Followed by a third "not even breath".
Contrary to this attack on Twitter, more than half of the candidates said they rarely faced people who were upset about being Muslim, but there were many exceptions. Overall, candidates in the elections - both winners and losers - were positive about their fellow Americans' view of Muslim participation in US politics. Nearly 75 percent said they rarely faced people who believed Islam was dangerous, evil, or hateful. They rarely faced people who believed that Islam supported terrorism or opposed America. "While a gay candidate wearing a headscarf and talking quickly with a staff member may be surprised by Arizona voters, almost everyone greeted me warmly and spoke to me seriously," she wrote during her campaign.
The "creeping law" is a slogan used by anti-Muslim activists who claim that Muslims seek to impose Islamic law in the United States. However, less than 20% of the candidates said they believe they have voters fearing the "takeover" or "Islamization" of the country by Muslims.
The collective view of candidates for the media is not positive. 95% of the respondents agree that "the media spread fear." Two-thirds said that the media described Islam as "threatening American culture" and that Muslims were "dangerous people." During a recent study revealed that the US media coverage of the weakness of violence committed by Muslims compared to the coverage of the violence by non-Muslims. Candidates said religion had more influence in their campaigns than race, racism or politics, but pointed out that the election coverage was "unfair" and focused on their faith rather than on issues.
The Muslims who took part in the elections in 2018 are a sample of the nation, although the vast majority are members of the Democratic Party. The group includes six Republicans, including a former US military prosecutor in Afghanistan. Of the 166 candidates, half are immigrants and one-third are immigrants. Some were also refugees. The story of Elhan Omar, who was born in Somalia and grew up in a refugee camp in Kenya, is well known, but there are other stories with similar backgrounds, such as Safia Wazir, a 27-year-old New Hampshire representative who had a contract in Azerbaijan after her family fled « Taliban "in Afghanistan.
Ethnicly, 23 candidates were of Pakistani origin, the largest group in this regard, but the group also included 13 Afro-Americans and two adherents of Islam from white. At times, lichen among people who belonged to another country In the campaign, Nina Ahmed, who sought the Democratic nomination for governor of Pennsylvania, discovered that Muslims in the state accuse her of being anti-Muslim because of her criticism of Pakistan's role in the 1971 war in her hometown of Bangladesh. "I was wondering where is Islamic solidarity here?" She says.
Such stories, along with the diversity of American Muslim candidates in the midterm elections, lie about the existence of something called "Islam" that "hates us." There is an American Muslim running a presidential campaign for a presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, And the experiences of Muslim candidates during the midterm elections suggest that although Islamophobia is not the only story, it remains a hidden and toxic issue for American politics and society.
The "creeping law" is a slogan used by anti-Muslim activists who claim that Muslims seek to impose Islamic law in the United States.
Less than 20% of the candidates believe they have voters fearing the "takeover" or "Islamization" of the country by Muslims.