Get Out the Vote Campaign underway in Muslim community

A Get Out the Vote campaign is underway across the country to encourage Canadian Muslims to vote in the federal elections on Monday.

“Our teams across the country have been working hard this jumaa to ensure that the Canadian Muslim Community is ready to Get Out The Vote,” said The Canadian Muslim Vote (TCMV), a national advocacy group.

"’My vote won't make a difference’"- you may have heard this over and over again, it's not true. In fact, TCMV has done a lot of work to make sure everyone knows it's not true. The Muslim community is in a unique position to significantly affect the results of this election.”

The Canadian-Muslim Vote is a national, non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots organization that aims to increase civic engagement of Canadian Muslims through community outreach and education.

According to the group, “since 2015, TCMV reached 2.5 million touchpoints to the Muslim community through all the campaigns including various events, social media, phone calls, and door knocking.”

The group has released infographics showing ridings where the number of potential Muslim voters is greater than the projected margin of victory.

They have also put together a short, easy to navigate page summarizing each of the political parties’ positions on some of the most important issues.

Canadian Muslim leaders have also been encouraging community members to get out and vote on Monday.

"Le Centre Islamique de l'Outaouais (CIO) encourage all of you to vote and encourages others to do the same,” said Imam Ahmed Limame of Le Centre Islamique de l'Outaouais (CIO) in a Facebook video. “Regardless of your party affiliation or who you think is the best candidate, it is our sacred duty to participate in the democratic process.”

“If we vote in elections and make our voice heard, we signal to all politicians that we are engaged, that we observe them and that we expect results from them,” Imam Limame noted.

“I’d like to emphasize that voters should look for candidates who are faithfully pro-justice, equality, and freedom for all,” wrote Imam Dr. Wael Shehab, Imam of Masjid Toronto, in an article. “Ethical voting in free elections is one of the essential steps towards freedom, justice, and change to the better.”

“Every voter shoulders the responsibility of reforming his or her country; everyone should therefore vote for the most qualified and eligible candidates,” added Dr. Shehab.