Muslims for Trump speak up amid criticism
Chicago Tribune July 20.2016
To elude reprimands from his Muslim brethren, Waqas Khan, of Effingham, hasn't bought a baseball cap, bumper sticker or T-shirt advertising Donald J. Trump for president. Until now, he has preferred to keep his politics private.
Meanwhile, Raja Adnan Sadiq, of Champaign, has a garage full of signs touting Trump's slogan, "Make America Great Again," in hopes of persuading other Muslims to look beyond the Republican candidate's anti-Islam rhetoric. He had wished he could have cast his vote as one of Illinois' delegates for Trump at this week's Republican National Convention but lost that bid in the March primary.
As most of the chosen delegates convene in Cleveland this week to crown Trump the 2016 Republican presidential candidate, some politically conservative Muslims throughout Illinois are affirming the party's choice, despite inflammatory remarks about their faith.
"There's no training to become a president. It's on-the-job training," said Talat Rashid, 62, of Bolingbrook, who admires Trump even more after meeting him in person during a fundraiser last week in Chicago.
"Everybody has to learn the ropes. I don't care who they are," said Rashid, founder of the Association of Pakistani Americans of Bolingbrook. "Sometimes you make a slip of the tongue. Now ... he has to be very careful on what he says."
Since announcing his run for the presidency, Trump has proposed that the government register and track Muslims in the U.S., bar some foreign Muslims from entering the country, monitor mosques and kill the loved ones of terrorists.
Some Muslim supporters insist his comments have been taken out of context. Others believe he has sparked a necessary national conversation about radical Islam. And then there are those who think alienating the Muslim community was a misguided move, but that his straight talk about immigration, health care and the economy outweighs his blunders.
Saba Ahmed, president and founder of the Republican Muslim Coalition, chalks up Trump's offensive rhetoric as nothing more than political bluster with no basis in reality.
"I know it's illegal and unconstitutional and it will never be enacted, so I tend to ignore it," said Ahmed, who is at the Cleveland convention, adding that Trump's business background and stance on the economy is more worthy of her attention.
A January survey of 2,000 registered Muslim voters in six states, including Illinois, showed more than 7 percent intended to vote for Trump in their state primaries, third only to Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, but more than all of the other Republican candidates combined. The survey, conducted by the Council on American Islamic Relations in states with the highest Muslim populations, also showed Islamophobia, health care and the economy to be priorities for Muslims at the polls.
I look at it not as a Muslim, more as an American. I look at a guy like Donald Trump and say: 'I'm willing to take a chance.' — Naveed Sadiq, Trump supporter
Ahmed, who said she has met a number of Muslims at the convention, said she's already seen a slight uptick in that level of support among Muslims and remains hopeful that the campaign will do what it takes to attract more. She insists the way American Muslims can combat Islamophobia and ignorance is to engage with politics, not to turn their backs.
"We do have our concerns because of the anti-Islamic rhetoric and the Muslim ban, but at the same time we are influenced by security concerns and we all want to see America safer," Ahmed said. "We want to see American leadership return."
Khan, 34, a physician, admires Trump for acknowledging that radical Islam is not a fringe group around the world, even if it is rare in the U.S. Trump's rhetoric has forced people to distinguish between peaceful Muslims and radical extremists, he said.
He also doesn't have a problem with barring refugees from what he calls "high-risk countries," as long as they're not barred based on their religion. American citizenship, which has taken him 10 years to earn, should not be taken for granted, said Khan, who expects to take his oath next month and vote for the first time in November.
"It's one of the most prestigious things in the whole world," said Khan, who on a whim jumped on a plane to Cleveland to witness history. "You not only have to vet these people properly, but also what skills are they bringing into this country."
Sadiq, 38, of Champaign, agrees. His late father, a physician and die-hard Republican who emigrated from Pakistan in 1968, urged his three sons to follow in his footsteps. They did. All three became doctors and Republicans.
His oldest brother Naveed, who lives in Danville, said what really drives his support for Trump are the prospects of health care reform and upward mobility for people who earn it. He sees too many working-class patients navigating insurance restrictions and deductibles to determine the quality of their care. But suddenly he sees a new energy among them that he hasn't seen since Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter in 1980, the first presidential election the 45-year-old can remember.
"For some reason Donald Trump has conjured up an excitement among people — common everyday people who never cared before," he said.
Trump also has energized opponents.
Malik Mujahid, the organizer of a Democratic political action committee for Muslims, said the committee has expanded its efforts into Illinois for the first time this year, with the goal of registering Muslims to vote and keeping the American dream alive.
"I don't want America to be bankrupted and reconstructed just like (Trump's) businesses," Mujahid said. "I'd like for the American dream to expand."
"Some of the people going for Trump really believe he can do a better job on ISIS, but they're not seeing he has no experience in that area," he said. "His macho talk is giving them some level of confidence."
Rashid, who said his wife and two grown children plan to vote for Hillary Clinton, hopes the Republican candidate will tone down his talk by sticking to a teleprompter.
Naveed Sadiq hopes people stop accusing Trump of "Muslim bashing." He doesn't believe the candidate's comments are intended for all Muslims and doesn't want those accusations to get in the way of electing a president who can jump-start the economy and give average Americans hope.
"I look at it not as a Muslim, more as an American," he said. "I look at a guy like Donald Trump and say: 'I'm willing to take a chance.'"
Chicago Tribune July 20.2016
To elude reprimands from his Muslim brethren, Waqas Khan, of Effingham, hasn't bought a baseball cap, bumper sticker or T-shirt advertising Donald J. Trump for president. Until now, he has preferred to keep his politics private.
Meanwhile, Raja Adnan Sadiq, of Champaign, has a garage full of signs touting Trump's slogan, "Make America Great Again," in hopes of persuading other Muslims to look beyond the Republican candidate's anti-Islam rhetoric. He had wished he could have cast his vote as one of Illinois' delegates for Trump at this week's Republican National Convention but lost that bid in the March primary.
As most of the chosen delegates convene in Cleveland this week to crown Trump the 2016 Republican presidential candidate, some politically conservative Muslims throughout Illinois are affirming the party's choice, despite inflammatory remarks about their faith.
"There's no training to become a president. It's on-the-job training," said Talat Rashid, 62, of Bolingbrook, who admires Trump even more after meeting him in person during a fundraiser last week in Chicago.
"Everybody has to learn the ropes. I don't care who they are," said Rashid, founder of the Association of Pakistani Americans of Bolingbrook. "Sometimes you make a slip of the tongue. Now ... he has to be very careful on what he says."
Since announcing his run for the presidency, Trump has proposed that the government register and track Muslims in the U.S., bar some foreign Muslims from entering the country, monitor mosques and kill the loved ones of terrorists.
Some Muslim supporters insist his comments have been taken out of context. Others believe he has sparked a necessary national conversation about radical Islam. And then there are those who think alienating the Muslim community was a misguided move, but that his straight talk about immigration, health care and the economy outweighs his blunders.
Saba Ahmed, president and founder of the Republican Muslim Coalition, chalks up Trump's offensive rhetoric as nothing more than political bluster with no basis in reality.
"I know it's illegal and unconstitutional and it will never be enacted, so I tend to ignore it," said Ahmed, who is at the Cleveland convention, adding that Trump's business background and stance on the economy is more worthy of her attention.
A January survey of 2,000 registered Muslim voters in six states, including Illinois, showed more than 7 percent intended to vote for Trump in their state primaries, third only to Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, but more than all of the other Republican candidates combined. The survey, conducted by the Council on American Islamic Relations in states with the highest Muslim populations, also showed Islamophobia, health care and the economy to be priorities for Muslims at the polls.
I look at it not as a Muslim, more as an American. I look at a guy like Donald Trump and say: 'I'm willing to take a chance.' — Naveed Sadiq, Trump supporter
Ahmed, who said she has met a number of Muslims at the convention, said she's already seen a slight uptick in that level of support among Muslims and remains hopeful that the campaign will do what it takes to attract more. She insists the way American Muslims can combat Islamophobia and ignorance is to engage with politics, not to turn their backs.
"We do have our concerns because of the anti-Islamic rhetoric and the Muslim ban, but at the same time we are influenced by security concerns and we all want to see America safer," Ahmed said. "We want to see American leadership return."
Khan, 34, a physician, admires Trump for acknowledging that radical Islam is not a fringe group around the world, even if it is rare in the U.S. Trump's rhetoric has forced people to distinguish between peaceful Muslims and radical extremists, he said.
He also doesn't have a problem with barring refugees from what he calls "high-risk countries," as long as they're not barred based on their religion. American citizenship, which has taken him 10 years to earn, should not be taken for granted, said Khan, who expects to take his oath next month and vote for the first time in November.
"It's one of the most prestigious things in the whole world," said Khan, who on a whim jumped on a plane to Cleveland to witness history. "You not only have to vet these people properly, but also what skills are they bringing into this country."
Sadiq, 38, of Champaign, agrees. His late father, a physician and die-hard Republican who emigrated from Pakistan in 1968, urged his three sons to follow in his footsteps. They did. All three became doctors and Republicans.
His oldest brother Naveed, who lives in Danville, said what really drives his support for Trump are the prospects of health care reform and upward mobility for people who earn it. He sees too many working-class patients navigating insurance restrictions and deductibles to determine the quality of their care. But suddenly he sees a new energy among them that he hasn't seen since Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter in 1980, the first presidential election the 45-year-old can remember.
"For some reason Donald Trump has conjured up an excitement among people — common everyday people who never cared before," he said.
Trump also has energized opponents.
Malik Mujahid, the organizer of a Democratic political action committee for Muslims, said the committee has expanded its efforts into Illinois for the first time this year, with the goal of registering Muslims to vote and keeping the American dream alive.
"I don't want America to be bankrupted and reconstructed just like (Trump's) businesses," Mujahid said. "I'd like for the American dream to expand."
"Some of the people going for Trump really believe he can do a better job on ISIS, but they're not seeing he has no experience in that area," he said. "His macho talk is giving them some level of confidence."
Rashid, who said his wife and two grown children plan to vote for Hillary Clinton, hopes the Republican candidate will tone down his talk by sticking to a teleprompter.
Naveed Sadiq hopes people stop accusing Trump of "Muslim bashing." He doesn't believe the candidate's comments are intended for all Muslims and doesn't want those accusations to get in the way of electing a president who can jump-start the economy and give average Americans hope.
"I look at it not as a Muslim, more as an American," he said. "I look at a guy like Donald Trump and say: 'I'm willing to take a chance.'"
