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Identity, Attitudes, and the Voting Behavior of Mosque-Attending Muslim-Americans in the 2000 and 2004 Presidential Elections

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2011

Dennis Patterson ,
Gamal Gasim  and
Jangsup Choi
Dennis Patterson*
Affiliation:
Texas Tech University
Gamal Gasim*
Affiliation:
Grand Valley State University
Jangsup Choi*
Affiliation:
Texas Tech University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Dennis Patterson or Jangsup Choi, TexasTech University, 2500 Broadway, Lubbock, TX 79409. E-mail: dennis.patterson@ttu.edu; or to Gamal Gasim, Grand Valley State University, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI 49401. E-mail: gasimg@gvsu.edu
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Dennis Patterson or Jangsup Choi, TexasTech University, 2500 Broadway, Lubbock, TX 79409. E-mail: dennis.patterson@ttu.edu; or to Gamal Gasim, Grand Valley State University, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI 49401. E-mail: gasimg@gvsu.edu
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Dennis Patterson or Jangsup Choi, TexasTech University, 2500 Broadway, Lubbock, TX 79409. E-mail: dennis.patterson@ttu.edu; or to Gamal Gasim, Grand Valley State University, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI 49401. E-mail: gasimg@gvsu.edu
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Abstract

In a post-September 11 world, no religious group in the United States has become more important yet remains more misunderstood than Muslim-Americans. This is particularly true with respect to the manner in which religious and political attitudes influence Muslim-Americans’ political behavior. This article addresses this issue by using data gathered from surveys taken in 70 mosques throughout the United States. With these data, this article maps the political and religious attitudes and behavior of mosque-attending Muslim-Americans and then analyzes the voting behavior of these respondents in the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections. It will show that the cultural and religious traditions of Islam have resulted in most mosque-attending Muslim-Americans being social conservatives and, as a result, report having voted for Bush in 2000. It will also show that increasingly negative perceptions of the manner in which the United States war in Iraq has affected Muslims living American led many to switch loyalties and cast their ballots for Kerry in 2004.

Type
Articles
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , August 2011 , pp. 289 - 311
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2011

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