Rashida Tlaib Touts 'Opportunity' That 'Allah Has Given Us To Show the Power of Muslims in Georgia'

By Johnathan Jones December 14, 2020 at 5:08pm

Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan said Sunday she hopes “allah” will assist Georgia’s Muslims in being pivotal in defeating the state’s two GOP senators in next month’s runoffs.

Republican Senators Kelly Loefller and David Perdue are both in tight races to save their seats after both of their re-election bids ended with runoff elections which will be held on Jan. 5. Early voting for those races began on Monday.

But on Sunday, a day before the early voting, Tlaib and her fellow female Muslim in the House, Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, joined a remote “vote-a-thon” co-hosted by two Islamic Peach State organizations.

Speaking on a call with members of the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Georgia Muslim Voter Project, Tlaib celebrated the potential for Muslims to help Democrats take the GOP’s Senate majority, CNS News reported.

“I hope that you realize just the opportunity here that allah has given us to show the power of Muslims in Georgia,” Tlaib said on the call.

The Democrat went on to state that she hopes Muslim turnout will shock the political world.

“I want people to be like, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t even know Muslims are in Georgia,’” she said.

Tlaib signaled Muslims in the state would turn out to vote in “droves” for Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.

“I want to mash’allah be able to say, ‘Look at the voting in these precincts and guess what? It was the Muslim vote that delivered Georgia,’” Tlaib said. Mash’allah is Arabic for, “God has willed,” or “as God willing.”

Omar also addressed Georgia CAIR and Georgia Muslim Voter Project members. The Democrat, like Tlaib, expressed her desire to see Muslims help to deliver decisive victories for Ossoff and Warnock.

“I do hope that when the election is decided on January 5, and people are able to analyze who came out and voted, we will hear that the Muslims in Georgia were a big part of making the right decision in this historic election,” Omar said.

CNS News reported controversial Muslim activist and Women’s March co-founder Linda Sarsour also spoke on Sunday. Sarsour, like Tlaib and Omar, was optimistic Georgia’s Muslims can shape the Senate for years to come.

“You, the Muslim community in Georgia, by yourselves, can literally swing this entire election and send two Democrats to the U.S. Senate, which makes Kamala Harris the deciding vote,” she said during the event. “And you can actually alleviate harm and suffering on millions of immigrants in this country, particularly on the issue of immigration reform.”

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“Let history be made, and let the story be told: On January 5, 2021, it is the Muslim American community, the votes from the Muslim American community in Georgia, that literally helped us win back that Senate and put us back on the path towards winning justice for our community,” Sarsour added.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution estimated the number of Muslims living in Georgia in 2016 to be roughly 150,000. CAIR, meanwhile, estimated the number at closer to approximately 70,000 people.

Both Tlaib and Omar share the distinction of being the first Muslim female members of the House. The Democrats were elected in 2018, and re-elected last month in Michigan (Tlaib) and Minnesota (Omar).

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