Obama may mesmerize with his charisma, but no one should ever forget that he is a politician first and foremost, and a shrewd one at that. He knows how the American political system is played. He shunned most special interest groups, but worked closely with the Zionist lobby early on when he decided to run for national office. The fact that Obama spoke to AIPAC the day after clinching the nomination is in itself telling about the power of lobbies.
Obama has gone to great lengths to ensure the Jewish American community that he is not anti-Israel. Most American Muslims considered those actions as part of the "politicking" that comes along with campaigning, yet saw in him a welcome departure from President Bush’s politics of division and fear-mongering, and therefore, supported him. Although Obama subsequently clarified his position, what Muslims must ponder is – why did Obama make this statement in the first place?
The reality is, the pro-Israel lobby has made an ‘undivided Jerusalem’ and Israel a top priority on its agenda. Almost every politician is fed well-rehearsed talking points, and those who wish to seal their victory know better than to go against the lobby’s carefully crafted positions. We, on the other hand, like to think that Muslims in America are no longer too weak or unorganized to ignore these usual pledges of allegiance to Israel from American politicians. But, are we?
The issue of Jerusalem has moved down many notches on the Muslim community’s to do list. Many have argued that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not the only concern within the American Muslim community. What a sad, sad commentary that is. If Muslims cannot unite under the banner of justice and peace for Jerusalem, then Muslims are not only irrelevant, but totally lost. The issue of Jerusalem is not an Arab or Palestinian topic. It is an Islamic matter and a matter of justice. The first qiblah (direction of daily prayers), Al-Quds, and the holy sites within it, are non-negotiable. Muslims need to make that perfectly clear to Obama and any other candidate. Plus, staying united on Jerusalem will teach Muslims to present a united front on other issues, too.
The upcoming presidential election in November is going to be close. American Muslim votes will be needed. Imagine -- just a few thousand Muslim votes in 2000 in Florida and Ohio could have been the difference for millions of Muslims and people of conscience in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and right here in the United States.
It is time for Muslims to take a stand if they don’t want to be faced with the same dilemma every four years. Muslims are not less deserving of Obama’s time than other groups that he has met with. Obama’s repeated campaign promise is that he wants to represent all Americans. To his credit, he met with a Muslim leader and personally apologized to the Muslim women who were banned by campaign volunteers from sitting behind the podium at a Detroit rally because the women wore hijabs. These actions are well and good, but Obama has yet to visit a mosque!
We must let Obama know that he has to earn our votes. He and future candidates will not respect us unless we respect ourselves. What kind of message would Muslims be sending if they voted for Obama without him engaging with Muslims and understanding the community’s issues?
Muslims can choose not to vote for either candidate, and if Obama loses/wins by a small margin, Muslims in America will show just how relevant they truly are.
What makes other political groups so effective is that they rarely compromise on their interests, and they back up their interests with money, votes, grassroots campaigning, and lobbying.
The two things that matter in American politics are votes and money – and not necessarily in that order. The American Muslim community has both – voters and money in huge sums – but American Muslims need to be more organized.
In a close race such as this, American Muslims and any other organized and committed voting minority may very well determine the outcome. For a long time, Obama was known to be fair on the Palestinian-Israeli issue. But for him to express a hard-line anti-Palestinian stance before AIPAC is a clear sign to the American Muslim community that much work lies ahead.
The struggle for respect and fair treatment on the political scene is a tremendous challenge for any minority group. However, American Muslims must continue to rise to that challenge. In less than seven years after 9/11, Americans have elected two Muslims to Congress. That’s a heavy accomplishment.
So, let us be the change that we want to see.
