WEB POSTED 01-16-2001

ANOTHER SPICE ADDED!

Exit polls and other surveys indicate that President-elect George W. Bush received more than 70 percent of Muslim votes cast in the recent turbulent presidential election. Thirty-six percent of respondents said they were first-time voters. Final calculations showed that 72 percent said they voted for Bush, 19 percent for Nader and only 8 percent for Al Gore. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) had taken a poll in September which showed that the same constituency, at that time, had 24 percent leaning toward Gore.

Observers say the switch was mainly the result of Bush�s "outreach to the Muslim community" and his pledge to end the use of secret evidence in INS deportation hearings. CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad was quoted as stating, "Muslim voters clearly followed the lead of Islamic political groups in voting for George Bush. This signals that a Muslim voting bloc must be taken into consideration in future elections." Reportedly, Muslims from almost every state responded to the exit poll, with the most responses coming from California, Virginia, Illinois, Maryland, Texas and New Jersey. September 15th had been designated "Muslim Voter Registration Day".

Meanwhile, on the front page of the December 1st edition of The Arab American Journal printed the complete text of what it described as "... a warm and eloquent message of friendship and respect to Muslims around the world on the occasion of the start of the holy month of Ramadan" by outgoing President Bill Clinton. Reportedly, the statement was videotaped as well as written. Some attention-grabbing statements by the President were:

"It enriches our country with Islam�s teaching of self-discipline, compassion and commitment to family.

"The rigors undertaken by devout Muslims inspire respect for Islam among people of all faiths.

"It enriches our country with Islam�s teachings of self-discipline, compassion and commitment to family."

The Muslim Chaplain at Georgetown University, where I attended college, has told me of a verse in the Qur�an in which Allah tells us that He created nations and tribes so that we may know one another, not so we might despise one another.

"As the fasting of Ramadan begins, I pray people of all faiths may come to appreciate this precious wisdom of the Qur�an. And when next month�s moon appears, and the Muslim world celebrates Eid al-Fitr, we may also celebrate the revival of our hopes for peace throughout the world.

"Ramadan Kareem."