veiled4allah: it's Kerry

Not to my surprise (though I admit to being relieved that they didn't do something stupid), the American Muslim Taskforce has endorsed Kerry for President. The wording of the announcement is interesting, though:

MUSLIM COALITION OFFERS QUALIFIED KERRY ENDORSEMENT AMT-PAC calls for 'protest vote' as guarantee of civil rights

WASHINGTON, D.C., 10/21/04 - Following careful consideration of overall U.S. interests, interaction with presidential campaign officials and extensive input from the Islamic community, the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections - Political Action Committee (AMT-PAC) is calling on Muslims nationwide to cast a protest vote for Sen. John Kerry.

AMT-PAC is an affiliated political action committee of the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT). AMT is an umbrella organization representing American Muslim Alliance (AMA), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), Muslim American Society (MAS), Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA), Muslim Student Association-National (MSA-N), Project Islamic Hope (PIH), and United Muslims of America (UMA). SEE: http://www.americanmuslimvoter.net/

Muslims are a potential swing-voting bloc in key battleground states such as Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. There are an estimated seven million Muslims in the United States.

In its statement, AMT-PAC said:

"We believe that our vote is the best guarantee of our civil rights and the best expression of our citizenship.

"Unfortunately, the Bush administration has been insensitive to the civil liberties and human rights of American Muslims, Arab-Americans and South Asians. Today, American Muslims are being treated like second-class citizens.

"American Muslims are also disappointed with a number of domestic and foreign policies instituted by the Bush administration since the 9/11 terror attacks.

"AMT-PAC appreciates the outstanding role of Ralph Nader in highlighting the denial of civil liberties to religious and ethnic minorities.

"We acknowledge the considerable outreach to our community by Sen. Kerry's campaign, particularly by his campaign co-chair Sen. Edward Kennedy. We also appreciate the ongoing dialogue with Muslim leaders about problems posed by the USA PATRIOT Act.

"While the Kerry campaign has critiqued a number of Bush administration polices, it has so far failed to explicitly affirm support for due process, equal justice and other constitutional norms. We are also disappointed that his campaign has shied away from expressing unambiguous support for principles enshrined in the U.S. Constitution that prohibit use of ex post facto laws, secret proceedings and secret evidence.

"Because pluralism is based on partial agreements, support for Sen. Kerry is premised on our overall effort to help restore liberty and justice for all.

"Mindful of disagreements with Sen. Kerry on some domestic and international issues, including the war in Iraq, we are willing to work with him to help restore due process and equal justice in accordance with the U.S. Constitution.

"AMT-PAC therefore urges American Muslim voters and their allies in the struggle for civil rights to focus on the real issues: civil liberties, human rights, international peace and justice, jobs, education, health care, economic development of inner cities, and sound foreign policy. It is vital for the protection of our liberties to vote together, in high numbers, and for a common purpose."

So basically, they went with Kerry as the lesser of two evils. That's how I feel, and that's how a lot of Muslims I know feel (not to mention a lot of non-Muslim progressives). What it comes down to for me is that when I step into the voting booth, I'll take the course of action that I believe brings the most benefit or the least harm of all the options open to me. I believe that that course of action is to vote for Kerry, so that's what I'll be doing, inshallah.

I have a feeling that the delay over the AMT endorsement was over whether to endorse at all, given the reservations that many Muslims have about some of Kerry's positions (especially civil rights and civil liberties, as mentioned in the press release - as far as Kerry is concerned, this issue doesn't seem to even be worth mentioning), and given that an endorsement implies approval.

So I think that the AMT made the right choice and did it in the right way. Al-hamdulillah.