Excerpt:
The 2012 election was a victory for Muslim Americans in the sense that 85 percent of Muslims voted for the winner, President Barack Obama. However, this election also revealed that although Muslims are voting, they are not organized to the degree in which their own issues reach a level of national prominence. Muslim Americans haven't reached the point where they can advocate for policies that benefit themselves.
This year, minority groups went to the polls and made a difference. Efforts from the Obama campaign markedly reached out to Latinos and women. National organizing efforts brought together Asian Americans politically through groups such as APIAVote. The African American community stood behind the president in his re-election bid as Black leaders spoke up and organized.
Yet the Muslim community fell behind. The challenges go beyond external anti-Muslim sentiment that can be seen in political rhetoric, hate crimes and media biases. There are immense hurdles within the community itself that Muslims need to overcome in order to become an influential political entity in this country.