Muslims begin to talk about gaining power in the U.S.; Is Sharia law in our future?BY GREGOR
Minnesota is about to elect the United States’ first Muslim congressman. I previously posted here about Keith Ellison and the possible impact his being elected could have on this country.
Here is a follow-up article on what might be a successful campaign:
Via Reuters:
CHICAGO (Reuters) - At less than 3 percent of America's 300 million residents, Muslims are still on the fringe of political influence and power, experts say. But that may be changing.
A voter registration and get-out-the-vote drive is under way in the Muslim community before the November 7 mid-term election. And it comes at a time when their interest in politics may have been sharpened to a new edge by the expected election of the first Muslim to the U.S. Congress.
That will likely come in a heavily Democratic Minneapolis district for 43-year-old Keith Ellison, a native-born convert to Islam who would also be the first black member of Congress from Minnesota.
His candidacy "is being followed very closely in the Muslim community throughout the country," said one activist in Chicago, where more than 1,000 new Muslim-American voters have been registered in recent weeks.
"Muslim-Americans are emerging as a voice to be recognized in American society," she said.
Cainkar said experts believe there are 6 million to 8 million Muslims in America. While the total is a small percentage, they tend to live in urban pockets where concentration can lead to political punch.
Nationally about 2 million Muslims are registered voters -- including 30,000 added to the rolls in recent weeks, according to Mukit Hossain, who is heading up a voter registration drive for the Muslim American Society.
The group, which has set up voter registration booths in mosques across the country, is concentrating on 12 states. A recent poll found that 42 percent of Muslim voters were Democrats compared with 17 percent Republicans, with 28 percent having no party affiliation.
Related: Sharia Law in the U.S.; Could be coming sooner than you think
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