(Photo credit: CAIR)
Elham Asaad Buaras
Support for the Democratic Party among American Muslims has fallen in the last 2 years, while the Republican Party gained 2 per cent, according to a poll by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
Although 7 of every 10 respondents said they intend to vote for Democratic nominee Joe Biden, the results released on October 5 showed that Muslim voters who identify as Democrats decreased (by 12%) to 66 per cent over the past two years, while those supporting the Republican Party slightly moved up to 19 per cent.
The survey of 846 Muslim respondents took place on September 30, a day after the first presidential debate. The vast majority of the respondents – 89 per cent – said they intend to vote in the forthcoming presidential elections, with only 5 per cent still undecided.
Some 59 per cent believed that Biden won the first presidential debate on September 29, 14 per cent viewed it as Trump’s night, and 21 per cent said they were unsure due to the chaotic nature of the discussion. The majority of the respondents – 65 per cent – believe that the Democrats are most concerned about protecting religious freedoms, addressing racial inequality (67%), providing accessible health care (72%), and treating all immigrants equally (72%).
For the Republicans, the percentage remained 15 per cent to 19 per cent in all four areas. The poll addressed what Muslim voters thought of the parties and the current Administration. 67 per cent said Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiments have increased in the US over the past four years during the Trump presidency.
Some 15 per cent believed the opposite, while 18 per cent preferred not to answer.45 per cent found the Democratic Party to be Muslim friendly, followed by 44 per cent who feel that it is neutral, and 14 per cent who feel that it is unfriendly.
Only 16 per cent viewed the Republican Party as friendly towards Muslims, 24 per cent feel that it is neutral, and 61 per cent said it is unfriendly. CAIR’s Director of Government Affairs, Robert McCaw, said, “More registered Muslim voters intend to vote in this presidential election than in 2016, and that the majority of those voters favour former Vice President Joe Biden in comparison to re-electing President Donald Trump.”
“That said, Muslim voters are equally social liberals and fiscal conservatives, indicating that both major political parties should be doing more to reach out to and engage Muslims in this and every election.”