Prepared by: Kais Al‐Momani Nour Dados Marion Maddox Amanda Wise C

CASE STUDY: ENGAGE – GET OUT AND VOTE CAMPAIGN

INITIATIVE DETAILS

ENGAGE describes itself as a not for profit company working towards enhancing the active engagement of British Muslim communities in British national life, particularly in the fields of politics and the media. Its stated goal is to promote greater media awareness, political participation and civic engagement among British Muslims. ENGAGE aims to achieve this by:

ƒ Training Muslims to effectively respond to derogatory and inflammatory news stories through

providing media resources and training

ƒ Organising forums for journalists to interact with local Muslim communities ensuring greater access to the Muslim grass roots

ƒ Working with other Muslim and non Muslim organisations to ensure Islamophobia is regarded as socially unacceptable as anti‐Semitism and other forms of racism and xenophobia

ƒ Highlighting the work of journalists and other public figures that undermine social cohesion in Britain and foment anti‐Muslim prejudice

ƒ Encouraging voter registration and civic participation in British Muslim communities

ƒ Providing information and commentary on aspects of British politics that relate to British Muslim interests. For example, the implications of the conservative‐Liberal Democrat coalition, or information on voting patterns of key MPs representing British Muslim electorates, and information on key legislative debates and issues.

ƒ Provides information on how to lobby MPs, including contact details.

For the UK elections held on 6 May 2010, ENGAGE launched a campaign entitled “Get Out and Vote!” It included a YouTube clip with Muslim scholars explaining why Muslims should vote; links to fatwahs and khutbahs on why Muslims should take part in elections; and practical tips for promoting engagement. A checklist for organising hustings, for example, included lining up party representatives well in advance, having voter registration and party membership materials (for all parties) available on the spot and arranging quick and appropriate media follow‐up.

British Muslims, but also to wider society’, posting their answers online. The areas canvassed were:

Training sessions for volunteers to encourage Muslim voting were supplemented by an online toolkit, offering such suggestions as when and how to distribute leaflets at a mosque, doorknocking and offering lifts to polling stations in Muslim areas on election day and tips for media contact.

SUCCESSES

The total number of Muslim MPs doubled in the 2010 election, bringing the total to eight, including, for the first time, three Muslim women. Labor finished with six Muslim representatives, the other two being Conservatives. The available information does not allow us to gauge the extent to which these improvements were attributable to ENGAGE; however, we note that new Muslim candidates were particularly successful in electorates where the ‘Get Out and Vote’ campaign was most active. Numbers of Muslim candidates also increased, with Muslims representing more than one major party in several electorates. In addition to noting Muslim successes, the ‘Get Out and Vote’ website also hailed the lower‐than‐expected vote for the British National Party, which ran a consistent and outspoken anti‐Muslim campaign.
‘Get Out and Vote’ attracted coverage not only in Asian and mainstream UK media, but also overseas. ENGAGE’s online resources included statements from Canadian and US Muslim leaders; in turn, its success may inspire similar campaigns elsewhere.

Figure 6: Poster from the Get Out and Vote campaign, UK 2010

CHALLENGES

‘Get Out and Vote’ devoted considerable online effort to addressing reasons why Muslims might be discouraged from voting. It specifically addressed fears that voting might be haram, but also worked to counter voter apathy. In addition to linking to fatwahs, khutbahs and YouTube statements from religious authorities, the website also featured articles addressed to an imaginary Muslim who thinks:

So I get it. Honestly. I know voting is Islamically the right thing to do. It is not haram, let alone kufr. I even know that not bothering to vote is stupid, as it will amplify the votes of others, and some of

these votes will be going to parties pushing anti‐Muslim agendas. But despite my ‘getting’ these key

points, I’m still stuck. Why? Because I’m not sure as to which candidate I should be voting for.
I know of course this is my choice to make. I know, in theory, I should study the policies of both the candidate as well as the party they represent and then decide which one appeals most.
But I am a typical British Muslim who lacks the time and inclination for all this hard work. If truth be told politics is actually very boring, and I would rather watch paint dry than read a party manifesto.
The UK Parliament’s first‐past‐the‐post electoral system is notoriously difficult for minority candidates, which can lead to voter apathy among groups who expect their vote to have little impact. ‘Get Out and Vote’ worked to minimise this effect, first by emphasising the fact that the UK’s Muslim voters tend to be concentrated in certain electorates (its highlighted list of ‘Top 50’ Muslim constituencies) and second through its range of voter education and ‘direct action’ strategies (eg offering lifts to polling places on election day).
The wide range of online resources and detailed level of analysis in the ‘Top 50’ electorates has considerable financial implications for any attempt to reproduce the program in Australia.

CONCLUSION

The UK 2010 elections occurred in the midst of considerable anti‐Muslim sentiment, both in the UK and across Europe, with the Swedish minaret decision and the French and Belgian moves to ban the niqab gaining substantial coverage in the UK campaign. That, despite this, the number of Muslim members in the House of Commons doubled, with Muslim representatives in both major parties, suggests that ‘Get Out and Vote’ was part of a successful mobilisation effort.
Further analysis will be needed to determine with any certainty the campaign’s effect on Muslim voter turnout and on the election result.
One might suppose that Australia, with compulsory voting, would have less need for a voter mobilisation campaign like ‘Get Out and Vote’. However, our research has underlined the extent of non‐participation by recent migrants, including Muslims, in Australia. Australian non‐voting strategies include failing to present at a polling place, claiming an exemption, deliberate informal voting, donkey voting or voting for a candidate not expected to win. Each of these could be addressed using the range of strategies demonstrated by ‘Get Out and Vote’.
Moreover, ‘Get Out and Vote’ encourages other forms of participation than voting, including volunteering, joining a party, hosting a meet‐the‐candidates forum and writing media releases. Our research has demonstrated the powerlessness which many Australian Muslims experience in relation to their capacity to make a difference on these fronts, but also the extraordinary results which some have been able to achieve once they gain the skills to undertake such activities. A campaign along the lines of ‘Get Out and Vote’ might well assist in mobilising Australian Muslims who are reluctant to take part in a structured leadership program but would like to have a greater say in Australian politics.

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