Islamic religious leaders and Muslim advocacy organizations are urging Muslims to vote in Tuesday’s midterm elections, with new polling showing strong Democratic preferences among Muslim respondents and growing political engagement over immigration, Israel and U.S. foreign policy.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
WASHINGTON — Muslim religious leaders and advocacy organizations are intensifying voter mobilization efforts across Michigan, Texas and other politically competitive states ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, encouraging turnout through mosques, community organizations, digital advertising and social media as surveys indicate substantial support for Democratic candidates among Muslim voters.
Texas-based Islamic scholar Yasir Qadhi has urged American Muslims to regard electoral participation as both a religious and civic responsibility, calling on members of the community to support candidates who reflect their political priorities.
In a video circulated on X, Qadhi emphasized the importance of voter participation in states where closely contested races could affect control of Congress.
<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><br>
“You need to vote for candidates that represent your interests and our interests … especially in the battle states of Texas and Michigan,” Qadhi said.
The appeal comes as Muslim organizations report heightened political engagement over the Trump administration’s immigration policies, American support for Israel and the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Iran.
Qadhi, who serves as chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America, also addressed the subject in an Oct. 29 message published on X.
“It is our ethnic duty, it is our civic duty, it is our religious duty to go and support those candidates and choose those that represent the best of our interests,” he said.
He added that the midterm elections represented an especially important opportunity for American Muslims to exercise their political rights.
“We are undergoing perhaps the most important election season, perhaps of our entire lifetimes, and it is imperative that we, as Muslims of this country, as American Muslims, we avail ourselves to the same rights, the same privileges, the same sense of civic engagement and civic duty as everybody else.”
Qadhi’s remarks were also highlighted in a Nov. 1 report by the British Muslim publication 5Pillars, which examined efforts by Muslim organizations and religious figures to increase turnout.
“And so, today, tomorrow, pray Jumma and go to vote for the Ummah,” Qadhi said.
Jumma refers to the congregational Friday prayer, while ummah is an Arabic term commonly referring to the worldwide Muslim community.
Qadhi’s appeal has also attracted scrutiny from critics who question the political influence of religious organizations and their historical relationships with Islamic movements.
A social media post discussing Qadhi’s leadership and a separate post concerning religious organizations have circulated allegations about connections between American Islamic institutions and the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Jewish Onliner has also examined historical relationships involving the Fiqh Council of North America and other organizations with institutional origins linked to the Muslim Students Association and the Islamic Society of North America.
The Fiqh Council developed from religious advisory bodies associated with those organizations and became a separate council in 1986.
However, those historical and institutional relationships do not independently establish that Qadhi directs a Muslim Brotherhood political operation or that American mosque voter registration efforts are controlled by that organization.
A further social media discussion of Qadhi’s activities reflects the continuing controversy surrounding religious leadership and political influence.
The more clearly documented electoral activity involves voter registration, turnout appeals and organized political outreach by Muslim civil rights and advocacy groups.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, announced a nationwide get-out-the-vote effort on Oct. 29, using streaming television advertisements, digital advertising and text messages to reach Muslim voters.
According to the organization’s campaign announcement, the initiative is expected to generate approximately 3.13 million advertising impressions, reach hundreds of thousands of voters and deliver as many as 750,000 text messages.
The outreach covers California, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
CAIR described its campaign as nonpartisan and said its goal was to encourage eligible Muslim Americans to participate in the election.
The organization directed voters to registration information, polling locations and other election resources.
Its government affairs director, Robert S. McCaw, encouraged eligible voters to establish plans for participating.
“We urge every eligible Muslim voter to visit Muslims.Vote today and make a specific plan to cast their ballot,” McCaw said.
Although CAIR’s formal voter outreach is nonpartisan, its latest survey indicates that Democratic candidates hold a substantial advantage among the Muslim voters who participated.
A survey released Oct. 28 by CAIR and CAIR Action found that 72% of Muslim respondents intended to support Democratic candidates in their state elections, compared with 6% who planned to vote Republican.
Another 7% preferred independent or other candidates, while 15% remained undecided.
The survey included 861 self-identified Muslim respondents, with responses collected between Oct. 16 and 25.
The pollster reported a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points for the full Muslim respondent sample, although the recruitment method and reliance on voter files present additional limitations.
The survey also found that 81% of respondents said they would definitely vote, while another 9% said they probably would.
CAIR cautioned that reported voting intentions do not guarantee actual turnout.
Respondents expressed substantial dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s performance.
The survey found that 84% disapproved of the president’s job performance, compared with 6% who approved.
The remaining respondents expressed no opinion or did not provide a definitive assessment.
Foreign policy emerged as a particularly important factor.
Eighty-nine percent said a candidate’s position on Gaza was extremely or very important to their voting decision.
The survey also found that 87% opposed the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, while 81% wanted Congress to prevent renewed American military action against that country.
Domestic economic concerns remained significant.
Sixty-three percent identified the cost of living among their five most important domestic issues, while 49% selected access to health care.
Religious freedom, immigration and concerns about discrimination were also frequently mentioned.
In a joint statement, CAIR and CAIR Action said American Muslim voters were demonstrating strong interest in the election while weighing multiple domestic and international concerns.
“American Muslim voters are expressing a strong intention to participate in this election,” the organizations said.
They emphasized that the community’s political preferences could not be reduced to a single issue or party affiliation.
Michigan has emerged as a major focus of the outreach because of its competitive U.S. Senate race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers.
The state has substantial Arab-American and Muslim communities, particularly in Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Hamtramck and the Detroit metropolitan area.
Those communities have become politically significant during recent election cycles, with voters expressing dissatisfaction with both parties over American policy toward Israel and Gaza.
El-Sayed, a physician and former Wayne County health director, would become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate if he wins Tuesday.
His candidacy has attracted support from progressive activists and Muslim voters, while also prompting disputes over his statements concerning Israel and political spending.
Rogers, a former Republican congressman, has emphasized national security, economic issues and his support for Trump’s administration.
The candidates’ competing positions have made Michigan a focal point of disagreements over American foreign policy and the political influence of religious communities.
In Texas, Muslim organizations are also conducting voter registration and outreach efforts.
According to an Oct. 28 report by Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, mosques in Houston have served as voter registration locations, with community leaders reporting efforts to register approximately 1,000 voters each week.
The activity followed controversy over changes to the Texas social studies curriculum that Muslim advocates argued portrayed Islam unfairly.
Religious leaders and community organizations have presented voter registration as a means of increasing participation in decisions affecting education, religious freedom and government policy.
Texas also features a competitive U.S. Senate election between Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.
The presence of organized voter outreach does not independently establish that all participating mosques endorse a particular candidate or party.
Federal tax law generally prohibits churches, mosques and other organizations classified as 501(c)(3) charities from intervening in political campaigns on behalf of or against specific candidates.
However, nonpartisan voter registration drives, voter education programs and general encouragement to participate in elections are generally permitted when conducted within applicable legal requirements.
Individual religious leaders may also express political views in their personal capacities, subject to the legal distinctions governing their organizations.
Those rules apply across religious traditions, including churches, synagogues, mosques and other faith-based institutions.
Another prominent Muslim religious leader, Omar Suleiman, has urged increased participation in Texas and Michigan.
Suleiman, president of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, emphasized the importance of voting in response to political rhetoric concerning Muslim Americans.
“Voting isn’t everything, but it also isn’t nothing. Especially when politicians think they can score points by picking on our community. If you can, get out and vote early. Texas & Michigan, I especially mean you!” Suleiman wrote.
His comments reflect concerns among some Muslim voters about how the Trump administration and Republican candidates have addressed immigration, religious identity and American involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts.
The electoral situation is also influenced by shifting attitudes among Arab-American voters, a population that overlaps with but is distinct from the Muslim community.
Many Arab Americans are Christian, and American Muslims include people from numerous ethnic and national backgrounds.
An Arab American Institute poll released Oct. 27 found that 59% of likely Arab-American voters intended to support Democratic congressional candidates, compared with 26% who favored Republicans.
The survey, conducted by John Zogby Strategies from Oct. 16 to 23, included 500 respondents and reported a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.
The findings suggest a change from the 2024 presidential election, when dissatisfaction with the Biden administration’s handling of the war in Gaza contributed to reduced Democratic support among some Arab-American voters.
However, the survey also found that 31% of Arab-American respondents identified as independents, underscoring the diversity of political preferences within the community.
The current outreach extends beyond Michigan and Texas.
Muslim communities in Minnesota, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and other states are participating in voter education and registration efforts as candidates compete for congressional and state offices.
The concentration of Muslim voters in certain metropolitan areas may make their participation relevant in close contests, although the actual effect will depend on turnout, candidate preferences and the distribution of votes.
CAIR estimates that more than 3 million Muslim Americans are registered to vote nationwide.
Its survey findings indicate that many respondents are dissatisfied with the current administration, but those results do not establish how every Muslim voter will cast a ballot.
The political mobilization also reflects the growing involvement of religious organizations and community institutions in American civic life.
Faith-based voter registration efforts have historically played important roles in elections, including campaigns organized through Christian churches, Jewish community organizations and other religious institutions.
Those activities can involve lawful voter education and assistance, while direct partisan endorsements by tax-exempt organizations remain subject to federal restrictions.
The distinction is important as allegations concerning religious political coordination circulate online.
Qadhi’s statements demonstrate that he has urged Muslim Americans to vote for candidates aligned with their interests, and CAIR’s announced program documents an organized effort to increase participation.
The available reporting does not establish that Muslim mosques nationwide are operating under a single partisan command structure or that their activities constitute unlawful election interference.
As Americans prepare for Tuesday’s midterms, the efforts by Muslim organizations and religious figures illustrate another dimension of the broader contest for voter participation.
Democratic candidates currently receive substantial support among Muslim respondents in available surveys, while Republican candidates continue competing for voters concerned about the economy, education, foreign policy and public safety.
The ultimate impact of mosque-based registration efforts, religious leaders’ appeals and national advocacy campaigns will become clearer only after ballots are cast and counted.
For now, the documented developments show an increasingly organized effort to encourage Muslim Americans to participate in elections that will determine control of Congress and the direction of state and federal policy.
Original article
Comments