JEDDAH: With the US presidential election taking place today, American Muslims in Saudi Arabia, the US and around the globe are still reluctant to publicly endorse a candidate.
One of the main reasons analysts say is in part that many Muslim Americans feel that they are being ignored on both sides of the presidential ticket.
"I have never heard either Democratic nominee Barack Obama or Republican hopeful John McCain come out publicly to speak about the needs of Muslim American voters," said Tammy "Mariam" Umar, an American Muslim from Minnesota living in Jeddah.
"It would be nice to have the candidates at least meet with the Muslim community leaders in the US or go on an international news network such as CNN or BBC to speak about issues such as Middle East foreign policy and the like but instead we have received the "cold shoulder" making us feel as if our vote simply doesn't matter," she added.
However, spokesmen for McCain and Obama reiterate that they are in fact addressing issues of interest to Muslims but the claims are falling on deaf ears as the apparent negative campaigning techniques and pessimistic portrayal of Islam has spoken volumes about opinions of the two sides thus far.
"I think that the way the media and candidates are maximizing the "Islamiophobic" attitude is unbelievable," said B.M. a Muslim American from Virginia now married and living in Riyadh. "I mean, Obama has been accused of being secretly a Muslim by the McCain campaign, as if being Muslim is some sort of incurable disease," she said, adding "It is all quite absurd. One example of the madness would be when the New Yorker magazine had a cover a few months ago showing Obama and his wife dressed as terrorists, burning the US flag and sporting a portrait of Osama Bin Laden on the wall of the White House. I don't feel that the candidates or media should be allowed to go this far. On the other hand when it comes to voting you have McCain also being known for his solid support of the negative attitudes most believe are part of the current Bush policy regarding Muslims and Islam with the man even being quoted as saying a Muslim should not be president."
B.M. stated that she would prefer to ignore the election entirely.
But the candidates may very well be disregarding the wrong group labeling them as "unimportant" despite their small number.
Melissa K., an American who has been working in Riyadh at a private university for the past two years, told Arab News that she feels that both presidential nominees are missing out on a golden opportunity in proving that they are truly the "candidate for change".
"If they would simply address the political needs of Muslim and Arab American voters they just might find that it could be greatly in their favor as you never know Muslims could be given the power of the swing vote," she said.
And she just may be right according to survey recently carried out by Pew Research Center indicated that out of the total US population of 300 million citizens, roughly 3 percent are Muslim and Arab-Americans. And if the election does become too close to call, "Muslim voters could be the deciding hand of who will be occupying the coveted Oval Office for the next four years," Melissa K. added.
According to Dr. Abdul Raheman Nakedar, a retired cardiologist and publisher of The Muslim Observer who has rallied US Muslims to the polls in the past, this presidential election is curious with candidates refusing to reach out to Muslim voters by choosing not to meet with imams or publicly appearing in mosques after being seen repeatedly visiting a number of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues.
"Any candidate should address the issues of Americans not just a particular religion," Nakedar said, adding, "But when you ask a certain group for support, then they must, I would have expected, reach out," he said.
"The truth is that I believe despite all the mud-slinging Muslim Americans have found their candidate and are ironically ignoring him a bit," said D.G, a Muslim American who has lived in Saudi Arabia for over 20 years.
"One who can positively identify with every aspect of their lives and political needs, one who understands the important issues not only Muslims but, all Americans. For we are so fed up with the economic woes, the Iraq war, and the US policy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian dilemma," she said. "We are in fact ignoring him out of fear that our endorsement might very well be blamed for causing him to lose. So when you ask us who we will be voting for in the 2008 presidential election, don't be alarmed to find our reply to be a resounding...No comment," she said.
