Next week will mark the official opening of the Muslim Democratic Club of New York, the first club of its kind in the city.
The group formally announced its plan to open in an email message to supporters and the media, inviting them to a March 14 kick-off event in Manhattan. In the invitation, the organization describes itself as a “New York City-based organization of American Muslims” who are “dedicated to helping elect responsible Democrats to local office.”
Helping launch the group are a handful of political operatives including Ali Najmi, a former New York City Council staffer, and Umair Khan, a staffer for State Senator Kevin Parker, a Democrat from Brooklyn.
Linda Sarsour, a Palestinian-American from Brooklyn whose work on immigrants rights and voter outreach has been praised by the White House, is helping to organize the club.
In an email to me, Sarsour said there are “areas with high concentrations of Muslim Americans - South Brooklyn, parts of Queens, Bronx” and that “we believe that we can have significant influence on local races in those areas.”
“Our issues have been ignored for way too long,” she said. “We know the only way to show our political power is through votes and money. We needed a partisan arm for the community to do this work outside of our 9am - 5pm. We have so many American Muslim professionals in the finance, medicine, law, and other sects that we can engage.”
Muslims and Arab-Americans in New York’s political scene have grumbled about the mainstream New York-Democratic take on American policy in the Middle East and anti-terrorism efforts at home.
Sarsour said the club’s efforts will receive a boost from a mayoral candidate forum on May 5 focusing on issues important to “Arab, Muslim [and] South Asians. The event will take place at NYU and will be hosted by Errol Louis, the host of “The Road to City Hall” on NY1.
There is only one Muslim elected official in New York City at the moment: City Councilman Robert Jackson, who is running for Manhattan borough president.