2020 Presidential Candidates Are Visiting Mosques

It has been rare for presidential candidates to visit a mosque on the campaign trail.

The concerns of Muslim Americans were discussed by Washington Governor Jay Inslee when he visited the Islamic Center of Detroit.[/tweetit] The roundtable went on for an hour and was attended by activists, nonprofit leaders, imams, and other members of the community. In the past, Inslee made a promise to put a stop to the Muslim ban. Inslee’s promise was among the topics they discussed. In addition to Inslee’s promise, the group discussed his agenda regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and climate change.

2020 Presidential Candidates are Visiting Mosques[/tweetthis]

Gov. Jay Inslee made news when he condemned President Donald Trump’s ban on travelers hailing from majority-Muslim countries. Inslee even challenged the ban in court. Inslee has said the United States has a “dangerous person in the White House.” He has described President Trump as someone who acts to inflame hatred, fear, and anger against the Muslim community in the United States. Gov. Inslee brought up the Muslim ban at Wednesday night’s debate and called the President a white nationalist.

Trump has never visited a mosque as President nor has he visited on the campaign trail.

Plenty of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have joined Gov. Inslee to court the Muslim vote. They have all campaigned in many Muslim communities across the United States. Before the 2020 election, it has been rare for presidential candidates to visit a mosque on a campaign trail. Huffington Post notes Hillary Clinton and Obama never visited a mosque while fighting for the Democratic nomination in 2008.

In the electorate, Muslims are a minority. They currently comprise just 1 percent of the population of the United States. Muslim voter turnout was usually low before 2016. However, the rise of President Trump as well as a congressional class in 2018 has pushed Democrats to embrace marginalized communities in ways they’ve never done before.

Muslims have been hired for high-level positions by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Shahed Amanullah has called the Democratic relationship with Muslims a “push and pull.” Shahed Amanullah used to be an advisor in the Obama administration. Amanullah has said Muslims “were the avatar to be demonized and be used to drum up votes on the other side.” He went on to say that it’s strange to be a part of a demography which is an issue for a presidential campaign. He finished by saying that while it was strange, this is the world we all live in now.

Good. About time. "More Presidential Candidates Are Visiting Mosques Than Ever Before"
https://t.co/oQn5XzrmfD via @HuffPostPol

— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) August 1, 2019

Resources

• Huffington Post
• Michigan Radio

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