(ATLANTA, GA – 11/23/2020) – The Georgia chapter on the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Georgia), the Georgia Muslim Voter Project (GAMVP), IMAN Atlanta, and several Georgia mosques today announced the formation of Muslims for Georgia — a non-partisan coalition dedicated to maximizing turnout among the state’s registered Muslim voters in the upcoming Senate run-off election and future elections.
Georgia is home to an estimated 150,000 Americans Muslims, including at least 71,000 registered Muslim voters. In the run-up to the November general election, CAIR-Georgia and the Georgia Muslim Voter Project launched the CAIR 2 Vote initiative, which helped lead to record-breaking numbers of Georgia voter turnout.
According to multiple national surveys, well over 80 percent of Muslim voters nationwide turned out to vote in the general election.
SEE: CAIR Exit Poll Shows American Muslims Vote in Record Numbers
Now that the nation’s focus has turned to Georgia for the January 5, 2021 Senate runoffs, Muslim organizations and faith-based leaders have formed the Muslims for Georgia coalition to further mobilize and engage Muslim voters.
The Muslims for Georgia coalition plans to educate and mobilize Muslim voters by registering as many Muslims as possible by the December 7 deadline, highlighting and amplifying the work of coalition partners, share informative webinars, resources, and graphics, and providing critical updates on the political process.
In a statement, Umer Rupani, the Executive Director of the Georgia Muslim Voter Project said:
“We are excited to create this joint platform with CAIR-Georgia to give voices to community members and locally driven organizations so that we can collectively serve their needs. If the Muslim community ever needed proof that our voices matter in the political process, the result of the presidential election serves as proof. Georgia Muslim voters played a decisive role in the general election, and we expect them to play a decisive role in the Senate election as well.”
Murtaza Khwaja, Legal and Policy Director for CAIR Georgia, added, “CAIR-Georgia is proud to stand alongside so many of our community partners in the formation of this coalition. As we saw with the historic turnout in the November general election, the Georgia Muslim community’s voice matters. Muslims for Georgia plans to ensure that Georgia Muslims are heard not only in this runoff but in future elections across our state.”
Washington, D.C.-based CAIR launched a number of initiatives to mobilize American Muslim voters and protect voters’ rights for the recent elections.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
GAMVP is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to elevating the Georgia Muslim voice through the power of civic engagement.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR-Georgia Legal and Policy Director Murtaza Khwaja, 404-432-8847, [email protected]; GAMVP Executive Director Umer Rupani, [email protected]