US Muslims prefer Kerry over Bush: Survey

According to a survey American Muslims, including those of South Asian origin, prefer Democratic candidate John Kerry over President Bush.

American Muslims, including those of South Asian origin, prefer Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry over incumbent President George W Bush, says a new survey.

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The survey was conducted by the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which claims to be the largest Islamic civil liberties group in the US.

According to the survey, 54 per cent of American Muslims said they would vote for Kerry and 26 per cent said they would choose citizen advocate Ralph Nader who is running as an independent supported by the Reform Party.

A sizable 14 per cent of Muslim voters said they are still undecided.

Interestingly, a majority of those responding (55 per cent) said they had voted for Bush in the 2000 election.

Despite Bush's attempts immediately following 9/11 to visit a mosque and stem the tide of anti-Muslim sentiment around the nation, the community has felt discriminated, largely due to the new homeland security regulations that target Muslims from South Asian and Middle Eastern countries and that have resulted in the incarceration of mostly Muslims for immigration infractions.

Several reports from various civil rights organisations have pointed to rising hate crimes against Muslims as well as solitary confinement and other severe prison conditions some Muslims have had to bear.

According to CAIR, in its survey of 1,161 individuals taken this month, the two largest ethnic groups listed were South Asian (37 per cent) and those from an Arabic-speaking background (28 per cent).

Almost all the respondents said they are registered to vote or plan to vote in November, CAIR said in a release.

Some 34 per cent of respondents said the Democratic Party best represents American Muslim interests, closely followed by the Green Party at 24 per cent. Almost one-quarter (22 per cent) of the respondents said no party reflected their views.

On other issues, only 11 per cent of respondents said they are better off now than they were four years ago. Forty-five per cent said they experienced some form of anti-Muslim discrimination or bias in the past year and 87 percent felt less secure since the invasion of Iraq.

Regardless of all these negative experiences, 81 per cent said they feel free to practice their faith in America.

When asked to list the most important domestic issue they will use to determine a presidential choice, almost 40 per cent of respondents cited civil rights, followed by the economy at 25 per cent. More than 90 per cent said American policy in the Middle East is the most important international issue.

Muslims from 43 states responded to the survey, with the most responses coming from California (17 per cent), Texas (eight per cent), Virginia (eight per cent), New York (four per cent), Florida (four per cent), Illinois (seven per cent), Michigan (five per cent), Ohio (five per cent), Maryland (five per cent) and New Jersey (four per cent).

Thirty-five per cent of respondents said they visit a mosque once a week while a similar number go to mosques more frequently. Six per cent said they do not go to a mosque at all.

All figures were based on responses provided by eligible Muslim voters. Surveys were faxed and e-mailed to Muslim individuals and organisations nationwide.

"This survey shows that presidential candidates will have to address issues of importance to Muslims if they wish to garner and maintain support in the Islamic community," said CAIR executive director Nihad Awad. He added that Muslims may be swing voters in politically important states such as Michigan, Ohio and Florida.

CAIR has 28 regional offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.