Skip to content
  • Image
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Podcasts
  • Email
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Contact
The Arab Daily News

The Arab Daily News

Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem

  • About
    • About
    • Our Writers
    • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
    • Book Store
    • Contact
    • Submit Book Reviews, Press Releases
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Corrections Policy
    • Profile on Ray Hanania
    • Submit Press Release
  • Features
    • Food
    • Book Review
    • Humor
    • Movies
    • Travel
  • Arab Stores Targeted
  • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Heritage America resources
    • Directory
      • Groups & Organizations
      • Mosques, Churches
      • Restaurants
      • 2008 & 2014 Arab Media Directories
    • National Arab Heritage Month
    • Video: Chicago Arab History
    • Video: Photo Array of Chicago Arabs
    • Overview of Arabs in America
    • Hanania standup comedy
    • Arabs on the Titanic
    • Obituaries
  • Podcasts
    • Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast
    • Arab News Ray Hanania Radio
    • Arab Radio Podcast intro
    • Radio Baladi Detroit
  • Hanania on Tiktok
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Toggle search form
  • US Senator Bernie Sanders
    Sanders: Trump Welcomes War Criminal to White House American Arabs
  • Al-Haq
    War crimes probe urged against two Israeli snipers who intentionally killed civilian women, children Christian & Muslim
  • CAIR Executive Director and co-founder Nihad Awad
    CAIR Says Israel Turns Gaza into ‘Human Slaughterhouse’ as Killing of Civilians Continues Arab World
  • photo credit author Nehemia Gershuni-Aylho www.NGPhoto.biz and Wikipedia
    Emergency Court Motions to Stop Elbit Drone Parts Shipment via Frankfurt Airport  Activism
  • American Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh murdered by Israeli soldiers May 11, 2022
    Documentary names soldier it says killed Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022 American Arabs
  • Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ
    Jordan bans 12 news sites for ‘spreading media poison’ following corruption report Arab World
  • CAIR Logo. Council on American Islamic Relations
    CAIR Condemns MIT for banning Class President from Graduation Ceremony over Anti-Genocide speech Activism
  • ADC creates emergency fund to defend people who are being punished for expressing views on the American-sanction violence by Israel in the Gaza Strip. Photo courtesy of ADC
    ADC Condemns ADL, Rep. Torres’ Defamation of Dr. Lara Sheehi Activism
  • UN Special Committee on Israeli practices in occupied territories warns of a second Nakba  Arab World
  • Arab American community liaison Hassan Nijem, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Bolingbrook Mayor Mary Basta at the Arab American Heritage Month event hosted by Pappas’s office.
    Pappas honors Arab American business and community leaders for Heritage Month Activism
  • 04-28-25 Pappas Arab Heritage Month
    Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas recognizes Arab American Heritage Month by honoring business and community leaders American Arabs
  • Stuffed Grape Leaves. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    A recipe on how to make Stuffed Grape Leaves with lamb, ox tail and rice American Arabs
  • Andrew Boutros, interim US Attorney Northern District of Illinois. Photo courtesy of the US Attorney's Office
    Andrew S. Boutros Takes Oath of Office as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois American Arabs
  • Israeli massacres of Palestinian civilians March 18 2025
    Palestinians demand investigation of Israeli war crimes in Gaza Strip Arab World
  • Illinois Muslim Action Day April 9 2025
    Illinois Muslim Action Day Policies at April 9 Statehouse News Conference American Arabs

Arab and Muslim Americans View the Race to the White House

Posted on November 7, 2016November 7, 2016 By Abdennour Toumi No Comments on Arab and Muslim Americans View the Race to the White House
SHARE ...
          
 
  

  • Tweet

Arab and Muslim Americans View the Race to the White House

Arab and Muslim American voters are not voting as a solid block because they are heterogenous ethnically, culturally, politically and socio-economically, even though they are culturally well integrated and emancipated, and politically involved and engaged.

By Abdennour Toumi

Abdennour Toumi
Abdennour Toumi

Muslim Americans are strongly leaning to vote for the Democrat candidate, Madam Secretary Hillary Clinton, as we go into the final hours before decision, according to CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations). The report presents a detailed picture of American Muslim voters, revealing their views on social issues and public policy. 

The survey was conducted last month through a phone poll of 804 Muslim registered voters.

86% of Muslim voters are registered to vote in the U.S. presidential election this year. 12% of the voters have not decided for whom to vote in this election. However, 72% of voters said they would vote for Hillary Clinton, while 4% said they would vote for the Republican candidate Donald Trump. Three percent will vote for the Green party Dr. Jill Stein, and 2% will vote for the Libertarian candidate Governor Gary johnson.

44% of the Muslim voters consider themselves moderates, 25% are liberals, and 11% conservative.

Though the proportion of 67% is still holding, it shows their preference for the Democratic Party, up one point in comparison with the 2012 presidential elections. The numbers of the poll are demonstrating a clear element of sympathy toward the Democratic Party, hence its candidate in the race.

American Arab pushes for voter empowerment. Building on the #YallaVote branding for Arab American get-out-the-vote efforts, the Arab American Institute has updated its campaign with “Ammu Sam” the brainchild of one design-savvy Arab American. Rawan Elbaba talks about the inspiration behind the new image which adorns t-shirts, totes and buttons for 2016.
American Arab pushes for voter empowerment. Building on the #YallaVote branding for Arab American get-out-the-vote efforts, the Arab American Institute has updated its campaign with “Ammu Sam” the brainchild of one design-savvy Arab American. Rawan Elbaba talks about the inspiration behind the new image which adorns t-shirts, totes and buttons for 2016.

A growing concern regarding the “hate” speech and xenophobic acts in America has increased in light of the Republican party candidate’s anti-Muslim/Arab message in his populist campaign. Indeed, 77% of the CAIR interviewees found these issues to be increasingly worrisome and important to them.

Yet the Arab and Muslim American voters held a “prophetic” hope in President Obama’s election in 2008, after years of humiliation and scornful policies of the Bush administration’s MENA foreign policy. Later, President Obama approached the Arab and Muslim in America and in MENA region through appeasement and rapprochement in his famous rhetorical speech to them from the podium of the prestigious Cairo University.

In 2009, President Obama made a genuine overture toward the Muslims in the MENA region, giving the first interview to a foreign press to an Arab TV network, meeting the Saudi King cordially in the G-20 summit in London, then giving a speech before the Turkish parliament.

This decision to address the Muslims and Arabs was due to the high tension between the U.S. administration and the Arab/Muslim community in the U.S., the public opinion in the Middle East and North Africa, and the tumultuous relations since the tragedy of 9-11, followed by the U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq.

This is the first time that a U.S. President has lived in a Muslim country, worked with the Muslim community, has Muslim father and relatives, and a Muslim middle-name (Hussein).

Nonetheless, Muslims and Arabs thought President Obama’s Cairo speech would change the dynamic in the region, and things would not continue “business as usual” for the Arab and Muslim skeptics. But the elite, civil society activities and the political parties’ opposition were already manifesting their disappointment.

The Arab elite have interpreted this choice as an explicit endorsement of the continuity of the Egyptian regime. In consequence, the locals did not expect too much from the speech, which was Obamanian, eloquent, well-delivered, and not challenging.

This hoped for challenge was what the elite and youth have been looking for for decades.

A year later, the entire region rose up against the Arab tyrants, demanding liberty, dignity and equal opportunity for all, pushing those tyrants to leave and let them live free. During the first months of the so-called Arab Spring,  MENA region saw a ray of hope, believing that the Baraka had come, making an end to “Joom-lookia,” a composed word of (joomhooria) or goomhooria in Egypt, republic and (moolkia) ownership.

It started in the most open country toward the West that has an old tradition of tolerance and openness vis-à-vis others. In Tunisia, a courageous young vegetable merchant sparked the Arab revolution of the decade, a real political and geopoliticalTunisiami.

Nonetheless, the point of President Obama’s speech at Cairo University and his policies in MENA have caused moral collateral damage and created troubled waters under a bridge that the majority of Muslim and Arab Americans and those in MENA have believed to pass through, a new policy based on mutual respect and understanding between America and its Muslims and Arabs and the people in MENA.

Muslim and Arab Americans are voting based on their own self-interest, even though the Democrat candidate, who was a hawkish voice in the U.S. Senate, does not hold positive legislative voting records related to MENA, as junior Senator of the state of New York. Later, as Secretary of State, Arab and Muslim analysts questioned her passive public diplomacy and policy towards the Arab uprisings.

Though, Arab and Muslims American voters are concerned about the education of their children, health care and the issue of terrorism as was stated in CAIR’s poll. They are not voting as a solid block because they are heterogenous ethnically, culturally, politically and socio-economically, even though they are culturally well integrated and emancipated, and politically involved and engaged.

This is why it’s difficult to believe that Muslim and Arab voters will have a direct impact on the election. In some swing states like Michigan and Virginia, they could help a favorable outcome for the Democratic candidate, but not much of a decisive say like the Latinos in Florida and Nevada.

As far as the race to the White house goes, Arab and Muslim voters are not that enthusiastic as shown in CAIR’s October poll of the American Muslim voters. Many of them, in particular the young, are disenchanted by President Obama’s MENA foreign policy, period. And a good margin is voting for the Green Party candidate ticket Dr. Jill Stein-Ajamu Baraka

After all, they are like the majority of their fellow Americans, not happy with the choices they’ve got.

So, two unpopular and polarized candidates, who have left the entire country divided more than ever: an anti-establishment candidate, who wants to end the American dynasty system of the Kennedys, the Bushes, and eventually the Clintons, and make America strong again. He did implode the Republican Party. On the other hand, a candidate, who wants to fight for the Americans — although she is fighting more for her political life.

The election of the 45th President of the United States is the closest one in decades, and Arab and Muslim voters really want the next American president to be strong and fight for all Americans and make America re-think its MENA foreign and defense policies.

newswire info
  • About
  • Latest Posts
Abdennour Toumi
Follow me:
Abdennour Toumi
Abdennour Toumi:
- France correspondent for The Arab Daily News.
- www.bareed-areej.com Editor-in-Chief
رئيس تحرير مجلة بريد الأريج
- Political consultant at IMPR a Think-Tank based in Ankara, Turkey.
- Member at the European Observatory for Arabic Language Teaching based in Paris, France.
- Affiliated with Sociology of Islam Journal and contributor at Middle East Studies / International Studies, Sociology of Islam and Muslim Societies Center, Portland State University in Portland, OR.

EDUCATION: Diplôme des Études Approfondies (DEA) in Political Science from Toulouse University I, France. Master’s degree in Law from Algiers University, Algeria.

Email im at: nourhty@gmail.com
Abdennour Toumi
Follow me:
Latest posts by Abdennour Toumi (see all)
  • The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Is the Neither-Peace-nor-Security As-sumption Dominating Again? - June 7, 2021
  • Algeria: “I Can See Clearly Now” - August 5, 2019
  • Majesty Mohammed VI and General Gaïd Salah Tear Down This Wall! - July 29, 2019

  • Tweet

SHARE ...
          
 
  
 
          
 
 Tweet 
Abdennour Toumi, American Arabs, Bloggers, Commentary, Editors Picks, Politics, US Arab Politics Tags:Arab Americans, Arabs, Barack Obama, DOnald Trump, election, Hillary Clinton, Muslims, president, voting

Post navigation

Previous Post: Cleveland Indians should change their name
Next Post: Behind the scenes: Middle East poetry

Related Posts

  • Dearborn schools fail to include Arab among superintendent finalists American Arabs
  • Dems Must Debate Israel’s WMD and Vanunu’s Human Rights American Arabs
  • What’s so racist about FX TV’s Tyrant? American Arabs
  • Chicagoland Muslims reject criticism from Carson, Trump at Eid gathering American Arabs
  • Mr. Trump: The Women’s March, Facebook, I AM Palestine #ThisAmerican @POTUS @realDonaldTrump American Arabs
  • The Squad VS Ethnocracy by Trump and Tribe Arab World

More Related Articles

Holy Land Principles Push Cisco On Fair Employment American Arabs
Ft. Wayne Arab store owner shot and killed American Arabs
Let’s Kill The Demons Of Geography & Politics Bloggers
American Muslims victimized long before Trump American Arabs
Illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel, a hotbed of fanaticism and hate. The land was taken from Christians and Muslims who owned land and homes and was used to build homes and farms for Jews only in the Israeli occupied territories. Photo courtesy of Maan News Obama gives Civil Rights in Israel a hard push Arab World
Vanunu Mordechai Israeli Nuclear Whistleblower Talks at Twitter and Wife Talks to Norway Arab World

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Ray Hanania's 4 times a week columns at https://RayHanania.com at Substack

Enter Your Email to Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns

  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • Photo courtesy of Journalist Abdennour Toumi
    France: Political Compromise vs Political Instability
    August 28, 2024
  • Zakia Restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia
    Arabs eat Middle East food like they are making love
    June 27, 2024
  • Zwar lamb kabob and kufta with white and yellow rice
    Zwar ranked the Best Middle East restaurant in Chicagoland suburbs
    June 8, 2024
  • Pictured: Rahm Emanuel, Afghan activist Salman Aftab who was co-chair of the Iftar dinner, and several non-Arab Muslim leaders. Also pictured is Ald. Joe Moore. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania for Arab News
    Comprehensive look at the failings of former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel
    January 18, 2024
  • NEWSWIRE
  • CAIR Logo. Council on American Islamic Relations
    CAIR Condemns MIT for banning Class President from Graduation Ceremony over Anti-Genocide speech
    June 1, 2025
  • Arab American community liaison Hassan Nijem, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Bolingbrook Mayor Mary Basta at the Arab American Heritage Month event hosted by Pappas’s office.
    Pappas honors Arab American business and community leaders for Heritage Month
    April 29, 2025
  • 04-28-25 Pappas Arab Heritage Month
    Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas recognizes Arab American Heritage Month by honoring business and community leaders
    April 27, 2025
  • Mike Ghouse
    Celebration of 500th Interfaith Marriage Ceremony
    February 14, 2025

Creative Commons License
All work on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

  • NEWS
  • US Senator Bernie Sanders
    Sanders: Trump Welcomes War Criminal to White House
    July 9, 2025
  • Al-Haq
    War crimes probe urged against two Israeli snipers who intentionally killed civilian women, children
    July 2, 2025
  • BOOK REVIEWS
  • Faisal Abbas Book Anecdotes
    Book Review: Arab author shares his anecdotes living in the United Kingdom
    October 22, 2024
  • Columnist Ray Hanania at the ADC Convention in Dearborn with the author Susan Abulhawa
    Book Review: Mornings in Jenin bySusan Abulhawa
    September 14, 2024
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • Television set and remote. Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
    MBC GROUP unveils MBCNOW, its brand-new groundbreaking entertainment service aggregator
    February 24, 2025
  • ArabCon 2024 Gala Program features Dr. Cornel West, Macklemore, and more
    September 6, 2024
  • New-iTunes-1400-x-1400-The-Ray-Hanania-Show-Podcast-Icon-300-x-300.jpg
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png
  • Podcast-iTunes-Logo-Chi-City-Hall-1985.jpg
  • powerpr300x300ad.jpg
  • terroristbookcover-300-x-300.jpg
Arab News Newspaper Logo
Read the Arab News, the leading English language newspaper in the MIddle East

Follow Ray Hanania at
Twitter
Facebook
TitkTok
BlueSky
RayHanania Columns

Click here to get information on The Ray Hanania Radio Show and its podcasts

Copyright © 2025 The Arab Daily News.

Powered by PressBook Premium theme