AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): American Muslims and the country's Islamic institutions, on the eve of the congressional midterm elections, have launched a broad campaign to increase Muslims' political participation and to confront the policies of Donald Trump's administration at the ballot box; a campaign whose most important axes are considered to be opposition to Washington's support for the Zionist regime, the war against Iran, the rise of Islamophobia, and the tightening of the US administration's immigration policies.
American Muslims' dissatisfaction with Trump; from support for Israel to the war against Iran
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), one of the most important organizations defending Muslims' rights in America, by publishing a call, has asked eligible voters to participate in Tuesday's elections. The results of the organization's survey published on October 28, which included 861 American Muslims, show that 84 percent of respondents are dissatisfied with Trump's performance and only 6 percent are satisfied with the US president's performance. Also, 72 percent have announced that they intend to vote for Democratic candidates.
According to the same survey, 89 percent of the participating Muslims considered the candidates' position on Gaza a very important or extremely important factor in their electoral decision. These statistics show that the Trump administration's support for the Zionist regime in the Gaza war, as well as Washington's positions regarding the war against Iran, have become one of the most important factors shaping the political attitude of a significant portion of American Muslims. The Council on American-Islamic Relations has also announced that in 2025, it received 8,683 complaints related to discrimination against Muslims and Arabs, which is the highest figure recorded since this data began being published in 1996.
Alongside legal and civil institutions, a number of American Muslim scholars, emphasizing the necessity of political participation, have called on Muslims to participate in the elections. Yaser Qazi, one of the well-known Muslim scholars, in a message addressed to the American Muslim community, emphasized that Muslims must use their citizenship rights to support candidates who defend freedom, justice, and oppose genocide in the world. Referring to the rise of Islamophobia in America's political atmosphere, he considered electoral participation a civil and social responsibility for Muslims.
Omar Suleiman, the head of the Yaqeen Islamic Institute, also after early voting, criticizing the political exploitation of attacks against Muslims, said, "Voting is not everything, but it is not without effect either." He especially asked Muslims in the states of Texas and Michigan to participate in the elections. Suleiman, who is a critic of the Trump administration's policies in supporting the Zionist regime and the war against Iran, believes that Muslims should not allow political and religious attacks against their community to remain without a civil response.
Trump's attacks on Muslim figures and the escalation of Islamophobia
Meanwhile, Trump's anti-Islamic positions and his repeated attacks on Muslim figures have also become one of the axes of criticism by Islamic organizations. The US president recently, at an election rally in the state of Michigan, attacked Abdul El-Sayed, the Muslim candidate for the US Senate elections.
Trump has also repeatedly targeted Ilhan Omar, the Muslim congresswoman from the state of Minnesota, and the Somali immigrant community with his insulting remarks.
Michigan and Minnesota; centers of Muslim vote influence in the elections
Michigan and Minnesota are considered among the most important centers of Muslim vote influence in the upcoming elections. In Michigan, cities such as Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, and Hamtramck host a significant population of Muslims and Arabs. Abdul El-Sayed is also present in the Senate election race against Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate, and if victorious, he could be the first Muslim senator in American history. In Minnesota as well, the extensive presence of the Somali community and the political activity of figures such as Ilhan Omar have turned this state into one of the centers of attention for political currents and Islamic organizations.
These developments are assessed as a continuation of the influence of the Muslim and Arab vote in the 2024 US presidential elections; an election in which part of these voters, due to the Biden administration's support for the Zionist regime's war in Gaza, refrained from supporting Democratic candidates. Now the surveys cited in the report show that dissatisfaction with Trump's policies regarding Palestine, Iran, immigration, and Muslims' rights has changed this community's electoral equations. According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations' estimate, more than three million Muslims in America are eligible to register and participate in elections; a population that in competitive states could play a decisive role in some close races.
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