Jetpac – Eye on Islamism

US Muslim organisations see bright future for community’s candidates Though there are no new Muslim faces in public office at the national level from the latest US midterms, organisers from Muslim groups expect that to change in the next decade.

November 12, 2022 Brooke Anderson

(New Arab) Looking at the long-term prospects of political leaders in their community, organisers with Muslim groups see a bright future for Muslim candidates. While this year’s midterms didn’t see the slew of wins for Muslims that the previous two elections did, […]

Muslim Americans make historic gains in 2022 midterm elections 'When Muslims run for office today, in 2022 and beyond, ... it's rewarded by voters,' said Mohammed Missouri, executive director of Jetpac, a nonprofit that works to increase Muslim representation in US government and politics.

November 11, 2022 Alejandra Molina

(Religion News) Nabeela Syed made history in this year’s midterms when she defeated a Republican incumbent in Illinois’ 51st District, making her the youngest member of the Illinois General Assembly and among the first Muslims elected to the state Legislature. “It is […]

In run-up to midterms, Muslim groups, mosques push for voter engagement 'The local work is allowing us to expand voting rights so more people can vote for our candidates,' said Nada Al-Hanooti, executive director of Emgage’s Michigan chapter.

November 5, 2022 Alejandra Molina

(Religion News) Community organizer Nada Al-Hanooti insists local city council politics hold just as much power as elections on the national and federal levels. As proof, she cites voter outreach efforts in southeast Michigan that in 2021 helped elect the city of […]

American Muslims in the midterms aren’t long-shot candidates anymore In 2018, a Muslim blue wave emerged in response to Trump. Four years later, many Muslim American candidates are prepping for long careers.

October 29, 2022 Rowaida Abdelaziz

(HuffPost) Abdelnasser Rashid was one of the dozens of American Muslims who ran for office in 2018. It was dubbed the Muslim blue wave, where more than 90 American Muslims ran for office up and down the ballot, emboldened to push back […]

Are Arab Americans people of color? Mayor vote raises issue

October 31, 2021 Steve LeBlanc

(AP) Are Arab Americans people of color? The question has been bubbling beneath the surface of Boston’s historic mayor’s race, where one of the two candidates, Annissa Essaibi George, has found herself challenged on the campaign trail about her decision to identify […]

The Trump bump? With a surge of election wins, Muslims make their mark on NJ politics

February 16, 2021 Hannan Adely

(Bergen Record) Feras Awwad dreamed of entering politics and government one day to help his community and change the negative narratives about Muslims he heard growing up after the 9/11 attacks. Last year, at age 26, he seized the opportunity, winning election to the Clifton […]

Muslim Americans ran for office in record numbers in 2020 At least 170 Muslim candidates were on ballots this election cycle, running in 28 states and Washington, DC

December 2, 2020 Umar A. Farooq

(Middle East Eye) Muslim Americans ran for political office in record numbers this year, according to a report published on Wednesday by multiple organisations. Taking a step up on the ladder of political mobilisation, 170 Muslim candidates were on the ballot this […]

Muslim voters want more than ‘just a seat’ at the table from President-elect Joe Biden

November 8, 2020 Sarah Parvini

(LA Times) In the lead-up to the midterm election two years ago, Sara Deen noticed that many fellow Muslims in her South Bay community weren’t voters. Some didn’t understand the process. More lacked faith that their voice would matter or had trouble […]

Groups say over half of Muslim candidates win US office Seven of 110 Muslim candidates make history as first Muslim officials elected to respective state office

November 7, 2020 Michael Gabriel Hernandez

(Anadolu) More than half of all Muslim-American candidates for public office who ran in the general election won their races, a trio of Muslim advocacy groups said Friday. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Jetpac and MPower Change said of the 110 […]

Five states elect first-ever Muslim lawmakers, from Oklahoma to Delaware On Tuesday, voters in Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Oklahoma and Wisconsin all elected their state legislatures’ first-ever Muslim lawmakers.

November 5, 2020 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) Mauree Turner, a 27-year-old member of Oklahoma City’s Muslim community, became Muslim after learning about the faith from her father, who converted while incarcerated. Black and nonbinary, Turner is also a community organizer who’s long been involved in criminal justice […]

Muslim Americans aim for high turnout, new influence in 2020

October 30, 2020 Mariam Fam and Elana Schor

(AP) In the 2016 presidential election, Mohamed Abukar didn’t like his options, so he didn’t vote. This year the 26-year-old Michigan resident has already cast his ballot — and urged others to follow suit. “It’s your civic duty” to vote, Abukar said […]

Muslim Americans care more about civil rights than foreign policy, survey claims Health care and education reforms are also more of a priority for Muslim Americans than foreign policy, survey of 1,500 Muslims claims to show

August 25, 2020 Unlisted Author

(Middle East Eye) Muslim Americans care more about civil rights, health care and education reforms than foreign policy, an online survey by a coalition of national Muslim organisations has claimed. According to the survey, which was held over a period of five months and gathered […]

Bernie Sanders’ next-level outreach gives Muslims solid footing in presidential politics Candidates on both sides of the aisle have rarely formalized their attempts to draw in Muslims. Sanders has succeeded and lifted up an often-overlooked voter base.

March 4, 2020 Rowaida Abdelaziz

(HuffPost) Super Tuesday saw former Vice President Joe Biden leap ahead in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) got knocked out of the lead. Despite the losses, the Sanders campaign has advanced how presidential candidates have […]

‘A show of force’: Muslim-Americans plan to get the vote out on Super Tuesday Muslim groups say the faithful, despite being small in numbers, could be crucial in some voting states

March 3, 2020 Umar A. Farooq

(Middle East Eye) Data on Muslim-American voters is scarce and their voting patterns have hardly been studied, but according to a leading political action group, the Muslim vote could make a major difference on Super Tuesday. Voters in 14 US states and […]

Muslim advocates demand Bloomberg apologize for NYPD spying program

February 21, 2020 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) Calls are growing for Mayor Mike Bloomberg to apologize for his role in the New York Police Department’s long-running warrantless surveillance of area Muslims, which has seen renewed scrutiny since Bloomberg announced his candidacy for Democratic presidential nominee. A coalition […]

Meet the progressive Democrat running for Congress in the heart of Arab America Solomon Rajput, a medical student and congressional hopeful, is seeking to take down one of the longest-standing political dynasties in the US

February 18, 2020 Umar A. Farooq

(Middle East Eye) Congressional hopeful Solomon Rajput says his early morning commute to school, more than 20 years ago, left an indelible mark on his political outlook. Growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a school bus would pick him up from his […]

Can Muslims become strong voice in American politics? Muslim-American organisers want to build on political momentum gained over past three years

January 2, 2020 Umar A. Farooq

(Middle East Eye) Muslims say they can either make or break President Donald Trump’s bid for re-election in 2020. The young and politically visible community says it has all the tools at its disposal to turn the almost 3.5 million Muslims in the United States into a powerful […]

US: 26 Muslims elected in Tuesday’s off-year elections Muslims can help fix massive inequities in US healthcare, education, criminal legal system, says head of Muslim NGO Jetpac

November 7, 2019 Vakkas Doğantekin

(Anadolu) About a third of the 81 Muslim-Americans who ran for office in Tuesday’s off-year elections in the U.S. scored electoral victories, according to Muslim-American advocacy groups. A total of 26 Muslim candidates emerged winners on Tuesday night, and so far this […]

At first Muslim presidential forum, Sanders reaps adoration of ISNA attendees

September 1, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) The Islamic Society of North America attracted some major names to its annual convention in Houston this year, including comedian Trevor Noah, activist Linda Sarsour, Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad and (by video) Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. But the figure […]

It’s 2019 and Democratic presidential candidates are ignoring Muslim voters Muslim organizers say the candidates’ lack of interest in an upcoming gathering reflects a much larger apathy toward their community.

July 19, 2019 Rowaida Abdelaziz

(HuffPost) The president of the United States stood tall and proud at his North Carolina rally as the crowd chanted loudly for him to deport Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), one of the first two Muslim women in Congress. Just days before, Donald Trump had […]