Record number of Muslim Americans running for office

[babylonsister]

Record number of Muslim Americans running for office
More than 100 Muslim candidates ran for office this election cycle.
Elham Khatami
Jul 16, 2018, 4:20 pm


A record number of American Muslims are running for Congress, state, and local office this election cycle, motivated into action in large part by President Donald Trump’s Islamophobic rhetoric and policies, a new report by the Associated Press found.

More than 100 candidates ran for office over the past year, more than ever since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, according to Jetpac, a 501(c)(3) organization working to increase American Muslim civic engagement. Roughly 40 of those candidates made it past their primaries and face elections in November. For comparison, about a dozen Muslim-American candidates ran in 2016.

“I never had any intentions to run for office, actually. I was supposed to go to medical school,” Michigan state Senate candidate Abraham Aiyash told ThinkProgress. But years of corruption in the state legislature, coupled with Trump’s xenophobia, motivated Aiyash to throw his hat in the ring.

“I saw a need to have leadership that was accountable,” he said. “I call this my generation’s Vietnam moment.”

Of the estimated 40 current candidates (Jetpac is still working on identifying others), nine are running for Congress, 18 are vying for seats in the state legislatures, and 10 are running for statewide offices, like governor, mayor, and city council. There are also several running for school boards and local planning boards.

more...

https://thinkprogress.org/record-number-of-muslim-americans-running-for-office-6041e64b23c5/

[ck4829]

1. The spirit of America

I've run into Deedra Abboud, not only is she one of those Muslims running, she's also a great progressive.

[Gothmog]

2. Yeah