I think it is a positive step by the White House administration to reach out to Muslims which Bush administration tried best to bran as extremists and terrorists. The financial hole into which United States and rest of the world is falling is a direct result of Bush administration’s wreckless and unjustified invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. US is spending billions of dollars on these invasions and still US is far from winning these wars.

Extremism only breeds extremism and this is what have been happening during the Bush administration. If Obama wants to change that, we should welcome that. However, I am posting links here to other bloggers to show how positively this step is being considered.

Obama seeks Muslims for White House posts
Muslims seek to further defile the White House
Obama seeks Muslims for White House posts
Obama seeks Muslims for White House posts
OBAMA SECRETELY VETS MUSLIMS FOR CABINET
The Enemy in the White house shows his true colors at last- A terrorist for terrorists
President Hussein Wants More Muslims in His Administration
BHO: In Search Of Moslems For His Administration
Muslims seeking greater influence

Bilqis has played for New Leadership Charter School in Springfield in full Muslim dress, with arms and legs covered under her uniform and wearing a head scarf (hijab).

Bilqis confidently rejects the questions out of ignorance. “When some people come at me with, ‘Oh, is that a tablecloth on your head?’ — it’s like, really, don’t,” Bilqis said. “If you’re going to have that kind of question, don’t ask me. But some people are truly honest in asking a question, like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to be rude, but why do you wear that?’ That’s the kind of question I’d rather answer.”

Bilqis is most brobably expected to become the first Muslim player in NCAA Division I history to take the basketball court in full dress when she starts her college career next fall on scholarship at Memphis. “My family tells me, ‘If you have to cry, cry and let it out,’ ” she says. “They say, ‘Call home, talk it out.’ ” Bilqis has already found a little bit of home in Memphis, locating a mosque five minutes from campus.

• Baptists, who constitute the largest non-Catholic Christian tradition, have increased their numbers by two million since 2001, but continue to decline as a proportion of the population.

Gallup defined as “thriving” those who said they’re currently on at least step seven of that ladder and expect to be on step eight or higher about five years from now. Muslim-Americans (41 per cent) were slightly less likely than Americans overall (46 per cent) to be thriving. Yet the proportion of Muslims thriving in the United States was among the highest of Western societies surveyed, Gallup found. For example, only eight per cent of Muslims in the United Kingdom and 23 per cent in France were thriving.

One exception: 49 per cent of Muslims were deemed thriving in Germany, which welcomed many immigrants from Turkey during labour shortages in the 1960s and 1970s. In predominantly Muslim countries, only in Saudi Arabia were more Muslims – 51 per cent – thriving than in America.

Gallup found only 11 per cent of Muslims thriving in Indonesia and Pakistan, 13 per cent in Egypt, in the high teens to 20 per cent in Bangladesh, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, and 24 per cent in Morocco. Gallup found the proportion “suffering’’ – answering zero to four on both ladder questions – ranging from 20 to 26 per cent in Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon and as high as 33 per cent in Jordan and 45 per cent in Pakistan.

In short, Muslim Americans look more like other Americans in their life outlook than they resemble Muslims in most predominantly Muslim nations. The Gallup study painted an uncommon portrait of Muslims in a US and global context by combining interviews with 946 Muslims from polling of more than 300,000 Americans throughout 2008 and comparing them to Gallup surveys in more than 140 other countries.

With Muslim-Americans probably making up only around 1 percent of the nation’s population, few sound surveys have targeted the group, despite interest after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.  In an essay for the Gallup report, Rep. Keith Ellison, a Democrat and the first Muslim elected to Congress, urged Muslim Americans to “step out of the shadows of your own world, and step forthrightly into a participatory America.’’ Ellison wrote:

“For too long _ and particularly after 9/11 – Muslims have withdrawn into their own mosque-defined communities, denying themselves their rightful place in the fabric of America.’’

“Being Muslim’ shouldn’t need to be explained, but rather be observed by how each of us lives our lives, and the values we espouse. However, defined we are by our religion, we are equally defined by our nationalism; we are Americans.’’

Results are subject to sampling error of plus or minus 4 per cent  for Muslim-Americans, 0.2 per cen for all Americans and varying ranges in other countries.

Source: The News

The survey also concluded that Muslims are now increasingly voting based on issues and not base their votes on party. This is a good sign for American Muslims and shows that Muslims are basing their vote on the issues and current situation and not just blindly on party.

American Muslims have to play a more active role in politics than ever before.  Supporting and getting involved in the election compaigns of their prefered candidate is necessary to make sure that their voices will be heard when required.

It is time for American Muslims not to waste their votes and cast them wisely.