The 2006 survey profile reported that American Muslims are young, highly educated, professional, middle class, family oriented, and religiously diverse. The survey found that there was no clear majority in party membership: 42% said they considered themselves Democrats; 17% said they were Republicans; 28% said they did not belong to any party.

The survey also showed that Muslim voters believe anti-Americanism in the Muslim world is a serious problem, one that can only benefit from the unique perspective and input of American Muslims.

In the current election cycle, CAIR says, Muslims still are evaluating the candidates. Saylor disclosed that a new soon-to-be-released CAIR survey indicates that almost half of Muslim voters remain undecided about their choice for president.

But Samer Shehata, professor of Arab Politics at Georgetown University, thinks that American Muslims, like many other U.S. voters, will eventually make their choices. He believes that “Muslim voters will turn out in large numbers on election day – possibly more than at any other time in the nation’s history, and with enthusiasm.”

He says he expects that a large percentage of American-Muslims are supporters of Obama for several reasons: First, the majority of American-Muslims are African-American; second, Obama is viewed as more fair and balanced when it comes to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict than Hilary Clinton, for example; third, Obama was against the Iraq war from the very beginning, unlike Hilary Clinton despite her spin.”

Omid Safi, professor of Islamic studies at the University of North Carolina, and one of the founders of the Progressive Muslim movement in the U.S. and Canada, says candidates’ reticence to talk to Muslim voters is matched by a profound distrust of politicians by members of this community.

He told us, “All the candidates talk about Muslims, but very few talk with Muslims.” If they did, he added, they would discover that “all the same issues of education, environment, economy, healthcare, etc., that affect all Americans also affect American Muslims.”

He says, “None of the Republicans get serious attention from American Muslims. And as for the Democrats, it is remarkable how little interest Hillary Clinton generates, mainly because many Muslims do not trust her ethics. She has done everything in her power to antagonize Muslims by embracing ardently pro-Israel positions.  There is great interest in Obama among many American Muslims.”

Prof. Safi decries what he sees as a “Jesus litmus test” for political candidates this year. “Even Hillary and Obama think they have to prove themselves faithful Christians,” he says.

“The issue is not whether they are Christians or what kind of Christians. The issue is what kind of country we are, what kind of country we want to be. Candidates should not be running to be the Christian president of America. They should want to be the President of the United States of America," he says.

He adds, “There is a profound disgust with the erosion of civil liberties, policies of rampant militarism, systematic corruption, and arrogance that the Bush administration has displayed.” The result, he says, is that “in 2000 the majority of American Muslims voted for Bush, and eight years later his support would probably be in the single digits among the same community.”

Samar Jarrrah, the Palestinian-born American author of "Arab Voices Speak to American Hearts," strikes a more optimistic note. She believes that candidates will eventually acknowledge the American Muslim community and that the political influence of that community will grow over time.

She told us, “It is an uphill battle, but it will never be as tough as it was for the Jews, black Americans, and women. Our interests as American Muslims are intertwined with millions of Americans who care for the constitution, justice as well as fairness in foreign policy.” She believes the time will come when candidates will stop feeling that “endorsing a Muslim group is a kiss of death.”

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