The Hindu : International : Muslims not likely to vote for Bush

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 21, 2004

International

International

Muslims not likely to vote for Bush

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, OCT. 20. Amid the noise about voter preferences in the November 2 presidential election, there are strong indications that the Republican President is not likely to garner the Muslim vote. The Muslim vote includes an estimated three million members of the Arab-American community.

"The dissatisfaction among these communities on key issues is too great," James Zogby of the Arab-American Institute said. "Those concerned about Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or their civil liberties are not going to vote for him," Mr. Zogby added.

Different situation

The situation in 2000 was different for George W Bush who easily took the Arab-American vote after actively campaigning in places such as Michigan. He then focused on issues that were central to the community such as profiling. Mr. Bush reportedly won 70 per cent of the Muslim vote last time. However, this time around, the situation is very different.

A poll done by the Council of American Islamic Relations found that only three per cent of Muslims intended to vote for Mr. Bush. Another poll in four swing states showed that the Democratic Presidential nominee, John Kerry, lead the President 49 per cent to 32 per cent. Mr. Bush's unpopularity with the American Muslim community may have to do with the Republican administration's foreign policies in West Asia. And, more importantly, the detention of thousands of Arabs and Muslims under the Patriot Act in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, may have contributed to the disenchantment.

Clinton may campaign

The former U.S. President, Bill Clinton, will campaign for the Democratic nominee, Senator John Kerry, in Pennsylvania next week. It is not clear if joint appearances with Mr. Kerry are on the cards but the Kerry campaign has shown great interest in Mr. Clinton — still a popular political figure — campaigning in key States.

"There has been some discussion with the former President about things that will be great for him to do. We are hoping that something will be able to come together," said the former White House Press Secretary in the Clinton administration, Mike McCurry. Mr. McCurry is a senior adviser to Mr. Kerry.

The various ideas put forth by the Kerry campaign will have to be approved by Mr. Clinton and his team of doctors. The 58-year-old Mr. Clinton is recovering from a heart surgery.

Mr. Kerry has said Mr. Clinton will be able to help him in Pennsylvania. In the 2000 elections, the then Democratic candidate, Al Gore, kept his distance from Mr. Clinton, a strategy that many have argued was a factor in the Democratic Party loss. The Kerry campaign knows the value of Mr. Clinton and would prefer him to come out in the tougher neighbourhoods like Pennsylvania.

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