Source: The Daily Californian

http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=15498

On June 21, 2004 The Daily Californian reported, "The American Muslim Alliance Youth Think Tank met this weekend at UC Berkeley’s Wheeler Hall to rally the Muslim-youth vote, which speakers said is often ignored by candidates. In the last presidential election, much of the Muslim community voted as a bloc, sending their votes to President Bush. Bush’s public stance against the 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, also known as the Secret Evidence Act, which allowed the government to use “secret” evidence against a suspect in cases regarding national security, earned him the Muslim vote in 2000... An estimated 78 percent of Muslim voters cast a Republican ballot, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. But this year, with the controversy surrounding the war in Iraq and the U.S.A. Patriot Act, it is unclear where the votes will fall. Currently, 57 percent of eligible Muslims are registered to vote, according to the Muslim Electorate Council of America. Conference speakers attributed the low voter turnout to a deep ideological divide in the Muslim community. Many Muslims consider the U.S. justice and electoral systems to be unjust, said UC Berkeley lecturer Dr. Hatem Bazian, and do not want to participate in them.