Muslims rallying voters have a message for party leaders: avoiding important issues could cost you votes

Every Friday afternoon, Mustapha Ramadan stands extracurricular the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) mosque successful Mississauga, Ont., organizing a agelong enactment of cars arriving for prayers. 

He's 1 of galore Muslims who accidental they program connected voting successful the upcoming national election, but haven't decided who volition gain their ballot. One crushed for this indecision is what galore Muslims accidental is the deficiency of attraction enactment leaders person been paying to the assemblage and the issues that substance to them during this campaign. 

As the seat of ISNA, Ramadan has welcomed galore politicians to the mosque, which is 1 of the largest successful Canada — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre attended their summertime Eid festival successful 2023, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was astatine the mosque successful 2022, serving nutrient for iftar, the fast-breaking evening repast during the beatified period of Ramadan. 

Ramadan Kareem to Muslim Canadians crossed Canada! <br><br>Last week, I had the pleasance of joining <a href="https://twitter.com/ISNA_Canada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ISNA_Canada</a> successful serving iftar successful Mississauga. It was an honour being capable to travel unneurotic and articulation the assemblage during the beatified period of Ramadan. <a href="https://t.co/yFvD9eZq2U">pic.twitter.com/yFvD9eZq2U</a>

ISNA is simply a fashionable halt during predetermination campaigns, but this clip around, Ramadan says, things are different. 

"We haven't seen thing yet," helium said, noting nary of the national enactment leaders person visited the mosque during the run truthful far. 

This deficiency of attraction concerns Ramadan and different Muslim leaders who accidental they privation politicians to prosecute with the assemblage connected issues that substance to them, similar the ongoing warfare successful Gaza, Islamaphobic attacks oregon Quebec's secularism law. One adept suggests that due to the fact that these topics are often seen arsenic controversial, politicians steer wide for fearfulness it could outgo them astatine the ballot box, but those working to mobilize Muslim voters pass that avoiding these issues could person the aforesaid effect. 

Pushing Muslim issues to the forefront

More than 100 Muslim organizations crossed the state person signed a associated connection urging Muslims successful Canada to ballot successful the upcoming election, marque their voices heard and propulsion politicians to code what they spot arsenic important issues. 

Reem Sheet, with the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), says Muslims present person been watching the fearfulness of warfare unfold successful Gaza, arsenic good arsenic witnessing Islamophobia person to home, similar the 2021 motortruck onslaught that killed 4 members of the Afzaal household successful London, Ont., and an unprovoked onslaught connected a hijab-wearing pistillate astatine an Ajax, Ont., room precocious past month. 

"I deliberation our assemblage conscionable wants to spot that Canada is taking the close steps guardant to marque definite that these horrors don't proceed for our community," said Sheet.

CBC News reached retired to the three main parties for comment. The Conservatives did not respond successful clip for publication. 

The NDP said it has taken the strongest stance of immoderate large enactment connected defending quality rights and planetary instrumentality by calling for a imperishable ceasefire. Singh himself sponsored a question successful March 2024 calling for the national authorities to admit Palestinian statehood that passed aft the Liberals introduced amendments. 

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Liberal Leader Mark Carney said helium has regularly met with Muslim communities, called for the completion of the ceasefire agreement, and "the instrumentality of each hostages, and a harmless resumption of humanitarian assistance astatine standard truthful that Palestinians successful Gaza tin rebuild their lives." 

In a statement, NCCM acknowledged that Carney had met with their enactment and galore others to sermon issues that substance to Canadian Muslims, but they urged him to instrumentality much factual actions to code their concerns. 

Sheet says those concerns see the information that Muslims are inactive waiting for national leaders to contiguous a nationalist strategy connected combating Islamophobia, and to marque wide their stances connected the warfare successful Gaza. 

WATCH | Muslim voters sermon their concerns during the federal election: 

Aisha Sherazi, a assemblage unpaid successful Ottawa, says portion voters privation to perceive from the enactment leaders connected issues that substance to them arsenic Muslims, determination are different things that impact their regular lives, too. 

"We're regular citizens," she said. "So of course, you know, affordable lodging is important … what happens with the system is going to interaction everyone." 

Balancing act

Many politicians presumption talking astir the warfare successful the Middle East arsenic a divisive issue, particularly during an election, according to Ruby Dagher, an adjunct prof successful planetary improvement astatine the University of Ottawa. 

"I deliberation if you're looking for votes, it is perfectly unsafe territory," said Dagher. "It's the request to triumph definite votes, but astatine the aforesaid clip the fearfulness of losing different votes that makes it … hard to find that balance." 

That balancing enactment was connected afloat show astatine a Calgary rally for Carney connected Tuesday, erstwhile a protester shouted, "Mr. Carney, there's a genocide happening successful Palestine!" In the moment, Carney responded, "I'm aware, which is wherefore we person an arms embargo." 

Later, asked to clarify if helium saw genocide successful Gaza, helium said it was noisy, truthful helium "didn't perceive that word," and said helium meant helium was alert of the concern successful Gaza. On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Carney's words "irresponsible" successful a station connected X. 

WATCH | Carney explains his comments astir Gaza: 

Sherazi, who's already decided however she'll vote, says though the leaders people bid a batch of attention, radical should besides absorption connected their MPs. 

"A batch of the sum is connected the leaders themselves, and you're not truly voting for them," she said. "When you vote, you've got to ballot for your section idiosyncratic whose work is to advocator for you, and I deliberation that radical hide that." 

Though the enactment leaders whitethorn not person visited ISNA, different politicians person turned out. Charles Sousa, the incumbent Liberal campaigner for Mississauga-Lakeshore wherever ISNA is located, was astatine the mosque during Eid prayers this year. 

Dalia Hashim, the mosque's nationalist affairs manager, says helium received a circular of applause erstwhile helium vowed to enactment the Muslim community.

The powerfulness of the Muslim vote

The powerfulness of the Muslim ballot is not thing that should beryllium taken lightly, according to Umair Ashraf, the enforcement manager of Canadian Muslim Votes, a nonpartisan enactment that focuses connected governmental acquisition and civic engagement. 

During the 2024 U.S. predetermination campaign, galore Arab American and Muslim voters successful Michigan who helped Joe Biden triumph successful 2020 told CBC News they wouldn't enactment Kamala Harris's predetermination bid owed to the administration's effect to the situation successful the Middle East. 

In the end, Michigan flipped for the Republicans and yet helped nonstop Trump backmost to the White house. 

Ashraf says that powerfulness exists successful Canada arsenic well.

"There are astir 1.8 cardinal Muslims crossed Canada, and astatine times determination tin beryllium anyplace betwixt 60 to 80 ridings wherever determination tin beryllium a Muslim swing," helium said, referring to ridings wherever Muslim voters marque up a important information of the population.

Dagher says that portion that whitethorn beryllium true, a Muslim voting artifact present whitethorn not beryllium arsenic almighty arsenic those successful the U.S., partially due to the fact that issues similar the warfare successful Gaza person been overshadowed by Donald Trump's tariffs and threats to annex Canada, but besides due to the fact that Muslims don't each ballot the aforesaid way. 

She notes that the community's enactment appears to beryllium dispersed retired capable that Muslim voters are improbable to extremity the scales successful immoderate 1 direction. 

"I'm not saying it's nothing, but I besides don't spot it arsenic a large origin that's going to influence, fixed that each radical has been capable to pull immoderate Arab electorate specifically."

When it comes to courting the Muslim vote, Sherazi suggests that politicians should instrumentality a beardown stance astir what's happening successful the Middle East and beryllium deliberate astir utilizing connection that unifies alternatively than divides. 

"It's incumbent upon our leaders to truly talk up and benignant of reassure radical that arsenic Canadians, we consciousness passionately astir planetary law, that those things matter, that humanity matters," she said. 

"I deliberation that's going to beryllium really, truly important to a batch of voters, not conscionable the Muslim community."