Picture from another article from Chicago

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By Tanya Weinberg, Staff Writer

February 23, 2002

Praying alongside nearly 1,000 others, he felt brotherhood, sisterhood, unity, strength. Then he took a step toward joining many thousands more. For the first time in his life, Zaid Rahman, 31, decided to register to vote. After honoring the sacrifice of Abraham at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines on Friday morning, the California-born computer programmer added his name to the list a national Muslim group hopes will grow to 100,000 by November elections. At one of several large South Florida gatherings, including a service that drew hundreds to the Florida Atlantic University gym in Boca Raton, to celebrate the Eid ul-Adha holiday, the Council on American Islamic Relations’ local representative collected several dozen names of would-be new voters. It is just the beginning of a drive that the group and others hope will step up Muslim political participation in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. ”To have an impact on the issues that affect American Muslims, we have to have a political voice, and we only get a political voice through voting,” said CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper over his cell phone from a Washington, D.C., mosque where he staffed a voter registration table. The indefinite detention of Muslim and Arab immigrants facing no criminal charges, the spread of racial profiling, FBI interrogations and 1,700 documented incidents of harassment against Muslims are some of the problems to have hit the community, Hooper said. For Rahman, the decision to become involved followed stories he heard of Muslims facing extra scrutiny at airports and women being asked to remove their veils. ”I noticed that if our numbers were known and our cause was known, we wouldn’t have to suffer those drawbacks,” said Rahman, of Fort Lauderdale. Rahman said he grew up in a politically inactive family in a politically inactive neighborhood in Southern California. When he was old enough to register, he decided politicians didn’t care about him, so why take the time to vote. Now he says it’s up to him and his fellow Muslims to make them care. Many agree, citing the immigrant detentions, discrimination and U.S. policies perceived as anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian. Until recently, Muslim leaders have not ventured into the political arena. Even now it is unclear just how much of the community will mobilize. ”In the Quran, it happens to say you should rule by God’s law and if you rule by anything else it’s not acceptable,” said Hassan Shareef of Delray Beach. “Now some people take that quite literally. They say the U.S. is not ruled by Islamic Shariah, or Islamic law, so the law’s no good and we shouldn’t participate in it.” New York native Shareef takes a different view. The community activist has considered running for city commission and still may. Friday he attended Eid ul-Adha prayers at FAU. Imam Ibrahim Dremali did not speak of voter registration at the service, which also commemorated the end of the hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca.”I always encourage the people to become more politically involved, but if they understand politics. But I don’t understand politics. To me it’s all tricks,” he said. Another local leader disagreed with CAIR’s decision to start a political drive on the day he said Muslims should focus on helping the needy. But Sofian Abdelaziz Zakkout, the director of the American Muslim Association of North America, said his group, which focuses on charitable assistance, also plans to organize the community to be heard in future elections. ”I never wanted to be a political organization, but after [Sept. 11] people came to me with problems with the hijab [head covering], or people in prison,” he said. “You can’t turn your back on people in prison. “Tanya Weinberg can be reached at tweinberg@sun-sentinel.com  or 954-385-7923. South Florida Sun-Sentinel You can Read it Online: 

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