Founder: Council on American-Islamic Relations /CAIR/ to Choose Clinton

Executive Director and Founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Nihad Awad said today that Democratic party nominee Hillary Clinton was the preferred choice for American Muslims, adding that CAIR had always stuck with Democratic candidates in presidential elections. 
Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), he noted that there were 1.2 million Muslim Americans registered to vote in the current elections. He added that the election's developments have put America's Muslim community under the spotlight. Awad referred to hostile remarks made by Republican candidate Donald Trump as presenting a challenge for the Muslim community who will to confront such views and ultimately dispel them. 
He stressed that Muslim voters will have a big say in this elections, due to their presence in key states such as Ohio, Florida, Nevada, Virginia and Pennsylvania. The council held a poll which showed that 86% of Muslim Americans intend to vote in the upcoming elections. Some 72% of those polled said they intend to vote for Clinton and 4% for Trump. The remaining 24% were undecided. 
On why Muslim voters chose Clinton, Awad said that they usually lean towards the Democratic Party because it promoted equal rights for women and minorities. It was also the more active party in terms of civil rights. 
He highlighted that American media has been providing bigger coverage for Muslim voters in this elections, which reflects the community's growing influence in the US. 
He said that a Clinton presidency will mean a continuation of Obama's policies towards the Middle-East, but with more opportunities to advance relations with Muslim countries. Clinton would also look to resume Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations, due to the credibility she has with Israeli officials. 
On the Syrian crisis, Awad said that the US administration did not handle the issue as strongly and that's why the situation became very complicated in Syria. He expected the new administration to prioritize resolving the crisis in Syria to put an end to the humanitarian suffering and the unsettling of the Middle-East. 
CAIR's founder acknowledged that hostility against the Muslim community was on the rise. He cited the Republican party's promotion of Islamophobia and rising attacks on Muslims as demonstrations of that. In response to these developments, Awad said, CAIR was looking to mobilize Muslim voters to take part in the November 8 elections. He stressed that CAIR is also focusing on Senate and House elections and not just the presidential ones. 
Awad warned that Trump will maintain his hostile rhetoric against Muslims even if he doesn't win the elections, which requires Muslims to be a more active part in society to defend their civil and economic rights. 
On the possibility of having the first woman president, CAIR's founder said that it has been long enough and the time was right now to change that.

Source: QNA