Americans engaged in their favourite pastime week. What does it mean for Arab and Muslim Americans, wonders Anayat Durani Voters enter the booths amidst a sluggish economy and 10 per cent unemployment. Democrats are bracing for defeat as several polls have predicted likely big wins for Republicans in Tuesday's election. The elections determined the fate of 435 congressional seats, 37 of 100 Senate seats and 37 of 50 governorships. The Republican Party took control of the US House of Representatives. Ignited by the Tea Party movement, Republicans plan to unravel the legislative changes put into place by Obama like healthcare reform. They vowed a budget crunch and tax cuts that will slice the deficit and create growth and jobs. Concerning the Middle East, "It is not likely to have much of an effect," said Matt Grossmann, assistant professor of political science at Michigan State University, adding that "the Republican leadership is at least as pro-Israel in foreign policy as is the Democratic leadership." However, Richard Kohn, professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said that if the Republicans take control of the House, as expected, and increase their numbers in the Senate, "it will be more difficult for the Obama administration to influence the Israeli government to restart serious negotiations with the Palestinian Authority towards a final settlement and a two- state solution to the conflict." He said without strong American leadership, progress in peace talks seems less likely. "The most uncertain relationship seems to be with Turkey, as that country moves gradually away from NATO and towards a more active role in the Middle East and a continued effort to join the EU," said Kohn. The US mid-term elections have seen some of the most vicious and racist attack ads in recent years. It began with claims that Obama was a closet Muslim and tapped into American anxieties about Muslims and their faith. One ad by the American Future Fund that attacks incumbent Iowa Democratic Congressman Bruce Braley begins with an image of the ruins of the World Trade Center. The voice- over then explains how Muslims have historically constructed mosques wherever they have military victories and now want to do the same at Ground Zero in Manhattan. "It's like the Japanese building at Pearl Harbour." And the ad continues, "But incredibly, Bruce Braley supports building a mosque at Ground Zero." Tea Party candidate Lou Ann Zelenik, running for the Senate in Nevada, made the bizarre accusation that Dearborn, Michigan and Frankford, Texas are implementing Sharia law: South Carolina State Senator Jake Knotts called Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley, who is of Indian descent "raghead", adding, "we got a raghead in Washington; we don't need one in South Carolina." Judson Philips, the founder of the Tea Party Nation, has urged members to get rid of Minnesota representative Keith Ellison because he's Muslim. Keith Ellison from Minnesota and Andre Carson from Indiana are currently the only Muslim American members of Congress. Thirty-nine Arab Americans are running for office in 16 states, according to the Arab- American Institute. Professor John White of the Catholic University of America thinks that the reason there is an increase in Islamophobia and racist ads in general is because the US is undergoing a major demographic change. "This year the number of Muslims will exceed the number of Jews in the US. By 2050, whites will be a minority," said White. "This produces a sense that the America we once knew -- think white, Judeo- Christian, married -- is passing away. Obama symbolises this by being the first African- American president." A poll by Zogby International showed a partisan divide when it comes to Muslims. It found that attitudes towards Muslims by Democrats was 54 per cent favourable, and by Republicans was only 12 per cent favourable. "Whether simply exploiting insecurity and fear of Arabs and Muslims in a crude effort to win votes -- tactics that worked so well for Republicans in the post-9/11 environment, or mixing these national security concerns with good old fashioned xenophobia, with a touch of Islamophobia, to infuse their supporters with intensity -- it's a dangerous game with worrisome consequences," said James Zogby. "The number of Muslim voters has increased steadily with each election cycle," said Edina Lekovic of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in a statement. The group said American Muslim votes will make a difference in the mid- term elections. Lekovic called the rise in American Muslim voters "a positive reflection of the rising level of political and civic participation within our community."
