AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Texas Muslims, on the eve of the US midterm elections, have expanded their campaign against Islamophobia and religious discrimination. In the city of Frisco, members of the city's Islamic center held an event titled "Barbecue and Ballot Box" for the first time to encourage Muslims to participate in early voting while also serving as a social gathering. Participants stressed that the Muslim community needs more effective political presence to defend its rights.
Concerns about Islamophobia in Texas have intensified after Greg Abbott, the state's governor, designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a terrorist organization. Additionally, Republican-backed proposals to ban Islamic Sharia and the approval of a new social studies curriculum in schools, which critics say presents Islam primarily through the lens of war and conquests, have fueled controversies.
Disputes over the construction of mosques and Islamophobic remarks by some local candidates have also added to Muslims' concerns.
Sarah Asrar, a newly naturalized American citizen and mother of three, who voted for the first time, said she devoted the majority of her vote to Democratic candidates because she opposes the state's new curriculum. Criticizing the image of Muslims presented in this curriculum, she said: "They just want to make us look bad."
She added that her daughter feels she has to hide her religion. Numan Shafi'i, a member of the civil affairs committee of the Frisco mosque, also said that some worshippers who traditionally supported Republicans are reconsidering their positions due to the increase in Islamophobic remarks.
Meanwhile, Yameen Ahmed, a volunteer for the election campaign of James Talarico, the Democratic candidate in the US Senate election in Texas, reported a noticeable increase in Islamophobia in this state during the current year and expressed hope that greater Muslim participation will force politicians to respond to the community's concerns. The midterm elections on November 3 are being held as Talarico's race against Ken Paxton, the Republican Attorney General of Texas, is considered one of the important election contests, and the Muslim vote could play a role in the political equations of this state.
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