Local Muslims are urged to vote

By Jennifer Sullivan
Seattle Times staff reporter

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Siddiqui and other members of the local Muslim community blanketed their relatives, friends and acquaintances with information about the importance of voting in this year's elections. They hosted a three-hour meeting at Town Hall Seattle last night and invited local politicians and Muslim leaders to speak.

"We are here because each of us is an ambassador and an activist," Siddiqui told the crowd of about 500. "We're here because we're tired of being kicked around by the Bush administration," which he accused of unfairly targeting Muslims in the war on terror.

U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle, King County Executive Ron Sims and Army Capt. James Yee, a Muslim chaplain who was accused of espionage and jailed for 76 days before all charges were dropped, were among those who spoke out against the war in Iraq and President Bush. They also begged the audience to vote.

"We are in the midst of the most important election in our history," McDermott said. "It's the first time I've been afraid in a very long time."

McDermott said he's not fearful of terrorism but fears "my own government's use of the Patriot Act," the law passed by Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that gives the government broad new powers to fight terrorism.

"Bullets and bombs will never be the way to solve the problems in the world," McDermott said to the cheering audience. "The way to show you're not afraid is to show up with a ballot in your hand. Do it."

Yee didn't talk in detail about what he went through after he was arrested last year; he plans to resign from the Army in January.

However, he encouraged Muslims to vote so they won't have to endure what he called U.S. tactics of fear, intimidation and abuses of civil liberties.

"Whoever sees something negative, let him change it with his hand," Yee said. "On Nov. 2, try and change something."

Siddiqui said the group that met last night is so new that it hasn't selected a name for itself. He said the group, and hopefully more Muslims, will meet again Oct. 10 at The Islamic School of Seattle. The free event, which also is open to non-Muslims, will start at 4 p.m.
 
"We are going to take a very active and strong political profile," Siddiqui said. "We feel very strongly this is the only way the persecution is going to stop."

The October meeting will be more of a question-and-answer session about voting and the candidates, said Aziz Junejo, who moderated last night's event.

Junejo said the events are meant to "motivate" Muslims to vote and to encourage them to participate in politics.

Jamil Abdul Razzaq said when he moved to Seattle in 1956, there were few Muslims in the area. He said there are now 50,000 Muslims and 14 mosques in the region.

"We are American citizens, and we have rights like anybody else," Razzaq told the crowd. "We don't want to control the world. We have to be leaders, not followers."

Jennifer Sullivan: 425-783-0604 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com