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Muslim Public Affairs Council comment – November 2, 2007
God on the campaign trail
As the 2008 campaign prepares to enter primary season, presidential hopefuls find themselves speaking more and more to the public about how they view the role of religion in politics. In past election cycles, the Republican Party successfully secured the conservative religious vote, while the Democrats largely avoided appealing to this group. However, in light of the unique challenges facing this country, Democratic contenders in the current presidential race have broken their Party’s silence and are speaking publicly about their faith and the important role religion can play in mending many of the concerns facing America today.
According to John Green, a University of Akron political science professor and senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, "To many Americans, religion is a very important part of their life and they are interested in how religiosity influences candidates." He added, "Where this election cycle is different is that more of the Democratic candidates are speaking out about their faith, and they've organized their campaigns to appeal to religious voters."
Read also: "Faith Playing Larger Role in 2008 Race" (Christianpost.com, )
This is true, and both Democratic and Republican candidates have been held to answer - one group more readily than the other - to the public about what their faith teaches them about issues such as war, poverty, and abortion. The 2008 election illustrates how the parties have changed since the last presidential race in candidates' openness about religion and politics. According to a cbsnews.com article, "it is the Democrats, not the Republicans, who seem most comfortable discussing their faith - and reaching out to the faithful."
Read also: "Democrats Keep the Faith" (cbsnews.com,
With two-thirds of responders to a June CBS News poll claiming that religion matters to them and that candidates have strong beliefs, even if they are not the same as the voter's own, the willingness of presidential contenders to candidly speak of their religious beliefs becomes vital. Former Senator John Edwards (D-NC) said candidly in a June 2007 interview: "I think the majority of Americans...what they are looking for - particularly in these times - is a really good and decent human being to be president." He continued, "If you are a person, a man or woman, of faith, that has an impact on how they view you as a human being, whatever your faith is." On the other hand, top-tier Republican contender former Governor Mitt Romney (MA) shied away from a similar discussion of faith and politics, seeking to shift the spotlight from recent inquiries into how his Mormon faith affects his political views: "I don't think that a person who's running for a secular position as I am should talk about or engage in discussions of what they in their personal faith or their personal beliefs think is immoral or not immoral."
Taking the lead among Democrats in the effort to address the concerns of "faithful voters" is Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), who in September launched his "40 Days of Faith and Family" campaign in South Carolina. The grassroots effort spread across the Palmetto State, engaging voters in Bible study groups and gospel concerts. It was hailed by the Obama campaign as an opportunity for people discuss how faith encourages their actions outside of a religious establishment, and to talk about how they want faith to inform the decisions of the president on issues of our time.
Inspiring Obama's campaign for social change is faith. He said in the keynote address at the Call to Renewal's conference that "when we ignore the debate about what it means to be a good Christian or Muslim or Jew; when we discuss religion only in the negative sense of where or how it should not be practiced, rather than in the positive sense of what it tells us about our obligations towards one another...others will fill the vacuum, those with the most insular views of faith, or those who cynically use religion to justify partisan ends." Muslims in America have long helped this vision of faith which Obama brings to the national spotlight.
MPAC firmly believes that faith plays an enormous role in American society by furthering the cause of social justice. It is imperative that the Muslim American electorate gets involved by bringing to light the issues that affect not only our community but America at large. We must ensure that the candidates on the campaign trail make stops to local community centers and mosques as well as churches and synagogues to generate support for justice across faith lines.
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