Still Undecided, the Muslim Vote May Prove Powerful

April 11, 2004

Source: Newsday

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--muslimamericans0411apr11,0,5721446.story

On April 11, 2004 Newsday reported, "Nizar Yaghi hasn't decided for whom he'll vote on Election Day, but one thing is certain-- the Muslim American will cast his ballot this November. 'After Sept. 11, I understood that Muslim Americans need to come out and present themselves to the Americans,' said Yaghi, a 28-year-old engineer from Schenectady, N.Y. 'One way to do this is through the political process.' With the 2004 presidential election approaching, people like Yaghi are stepping up efforts to encourage their fellow Muslims to register to vote and to convince the presidential candidates that they need to be accountable to the Muslim American community, which numbers up to 7 million, according to estimates. Although Muslim groups say there are only about 4.2 million eligible Muslim voters out of 200 million eligible voters overall, they believe these voters could have considerable influence on the November election."