Over the past few months and recent years, there have been articles about growing Muslim support for the Republican Party.
There was increased support for Republicans by Muslims in 2022 elections:
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/why-muslim-americans-voted-republican-2022-midterm-elections
Article excerpt:
“The Democratic Party doesn’t align mwith our Islamic values. Even the Muslim candidates and the Muslims who have been elected are very liberal,” Habiba told Middle East Eye.
The young Arab American from New York says she voted Democrat in the 2018 election but changed her party to Republican just last year.
“I felt like I was compromising my beliefs. And sometimes I still feel like I am doing that because honestly, the Republicans don’t completely represent Muslims either. They are just more conservative. I think that is who we should be voting for until we find better candidates that truly represent us.”
There is increased outreach by Republicans to Muslims:
https://www.semafor.com/article/06/13/2023/the-gops-new-muslim-outreach
And there are Christians and Muslims standing by side across the US to oppose LGBT inclusivity.
https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2022/10/13/gop-unites-conservative-muslims-dearborn-michigan
What has changed, that there is movement by Muslims towards the GOP tent and away from democrats?
Quite simply, liberal democrats have won the culture wars, and we liberals are now the biggest gorilla in the room.
Back in the beginning of the Obama era, it was the case that LGBT rights in America were still far from solidified, and it was the case that Republicans displayed a lot of hatred towards all Muslim people.
Today, gay marriage is the law of the land. Per the Supreme Court, Kim Davis is compelled to issue gay marriage licenses, and she went to jail for refusing to.
Even a majority of Republicans support same sex marriage, according to Gallup polling. 55% in 2021; I wonder how high it is today.
Republicans, realizing that they lost the culture wars to the enormous LGBT + allies ‘gorilla’, is recruiting Muslims to their side because the enemy of their enemy is their friend, and they are no longer the biggest gorilla in the room.
Muslims, realizing that most democrats value LGBT tolerance more than religious freedom, have begun to turn towards the Republican Party. They realize that the LGBT + allies gorilla is larger than the Republican anti-Muslim gorilla. They also realize that Muslim values are not aligned with LGBT tolerance and inclusiveness.
Whereas before LGBTs, liberals and Muslims aligned to take take down the giant Republican bigotry gorilla, now the bigots align to take down the enormous LGBT + allies gorilla.
The enemy of your enemy is your friend. But when your enemy is defeated (GOP culture war loss), a new gorilla rises in its place (LGBT tolerance).
Questions for Discussion:
1. How significant is the impact of the cultural shift around LGBT rights on Muslims’ shifting support towards the Republican Party?
2. What are some specific policy positions or outreach efforts by the Republican Party that have attracted Muslim support in recent years?
3. How has the Democratic Party’s emphasis on LGBT inclusivity and related policies influenced Muslims’ perception of their alignment with the party, and what are the key factors driving their shift towards the GOP?
