The 2016 presidential race has been an interesting one — one candidate is a social Democrat and another is an ex-reality show host — and has often centered on discussion concerning the Muslim community.
During prayers at the Islamic Center of Bloomington on Friday, several Muslims gave their opinions on the presidential race and immigration policies.
Several members in the congregation said their preference lies with Bernie Sanders.
“He seems like an honest person, which is a breath of fresh air,” Dawood Maidi said.
Matthew Niemi, who supports Sanders, said he feels as though this election could change the perception and policies of political parties in the future. The election could be a turning point in American politics, he said.
“There are struggles going on in both parties about what the party is going to be like in the future,” Niemi said.
Chabane Maidi struggles to feel represented by the candidates running for president this year, he said.
“That’s a shame,” he said. “It makes it difficult to feel like I am a part of that democratic process.”
Essam Alsarhani is from Saudi Arabia. He has been in the United States for about four years working toward a master’s degree and doctorate from IU. Even though Alsarhani is not eligible to vote, he shared his thoughts about the election.
Alsarhani said he likes Sanders because he represents the interests of America’s youth.
“When you combine knowledge and youth, this is how you lead any country,” Alsarhani said.
Rachid Maidi has a different perspective from most of the congregation. He said he intends to vote for Donald Trump.
While he said he thinks Sanders is a good man, he doesn’t believe he is capable of paying for what he promises. Sanders has yet to show how he plans to accomplish his goals, Rachid said.
Both Trump and Sanders have touched on the lobbyism present in politics, which Rachid said he has always complained about. But Trump’s ideas are those of a business man, and his policies will bring money to the U.S. if implemented, Rachid said.
“The point is Trump is trying to protect this country from being abused and taken advantage of,” Rachid said. “Everybody takes us for suckers.”
The biggest issue for Chabane is the lack of concern for foreign conflict, he said. He said U.S. involvement outside of its own borders has produced problems both directly and indirectly.
“The problem of war is very important to me,” Chabane said. “I feel like none of the candidates are expressing any discontent about war to any adequate degree.”
Referencing immigration, and specifically Donald Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims, Niemi said he sometimes fears for his wife, who wears a hijab. People around the world aren’t that different, and there would be fewer problems if everyone realized that, he said.
“It’s annoying and kind of worrying,” Niemi said. “Just getting to know people in different cultures, you get to realize, yeah, they’re different in some ways, but at the end of the day, they’re not all crazy animals or anything.”
A small group of people committing a crime or doing something wrong cannot represent an entire community, Alsarhani said.
“If you want to kick anybody out of any place, just think ‘why?’” Alsarhani said.
Alsarhani compared the way of thinking toward Muslims to the Ku Klux Klan and Christianity. The KKK doesn’t represent all of Christianity in the same way that radical Islamic groups don’t represent all of Islam, he said.
Rachid said while he didn’t necessarily agree with Trump on his policies concerning Muslims, he does support Trump’s ideas regarding illegal immigrants. Nobody is above the law, and Trump is just trying to abide by it, he said.
Trump wants to cut all of the loose ends destroying the country, and Rachid supports that, he said.
“I don’t see him as a racist,” Rachid said. “I see him upholding the law.”
