This midterm election featured record numbers of Muslim candidates, running for offices ranging from local boards of education to the U.S. Congress. By itself, this is not cause for alarm; one can be a Muslim and a patriotic American at the same time. But several races show the growing clout of the Muslim Democratic Club of New York, the board of which features prominent Islamist activists such as Linda Sarsour, Debbie Almontaser, and former CAIR lobbyist Faiza Ali (who now is a director in the New York City Council Speaker’s office).
Two successful Muslim candidates in particular had heavy MDCNY support: Robert Jackson, newly-elected member of the New York State Senate, and Charles Fall, newly-elected member of the New York State Assembly.
Mr. Jackson had served on the NYC City Council for three terms (with significant CAIR campaign cash) before finally winning election to the State Senate, after multiple tries. He frequently attended forums and banquets held by MDCNY, which endorsed several of his earlier campaigns. While on the NYC city council, Jackson directed city discretionary funds to a nonprofit, Hugs for Harlem, run by Michael Green, an open supporter of the influential racist Louis Farrakhan; Green frequently posted anti-Semitic and anti-homosexual messages on the official Hugs for Harlem social media accounts. (It is worth noting that Sarsour and many other activists in her circles are open fans of Farrakhan as well.)
29-year-old Fall (hailing from Staten Island) was endorsed by MDCNY during this election, which is not surprising; from 2014 to 2016, Fall worked in the NYC mayor’s office as the “Citywide Islamic Liaison,” during which time he worked closely with MDCNY and Debbie Almontaser in particular.
Islamist Watch has previously noted the growing influence of Islamist groups with New York City Hall, which has resulted in city grant money going to Islamist groups such as CAIR, the Muslim American Society, and the Islamic Circle of North America (due in no small part, it seems, to Faiza Ali’s impact). But with the Muslim Democratic Club, Sarsour and her allies are able to translate their activism directly into political power. We will be carefully watching to see if the new Islamist-approved politicians work for the good of their communities, or of the Islamist influence-peddling complex.
