October 17, 2014

The Importance of an American Muslim Report Card

Our elected leaders are sent to Washington to represent the interest of their constituents. How they vote have profound implications on our everyday lives as citizens and American Muslims. Knowledge of what our representatives do is essential to making informed decisions that could impact the American Muslim community’s future. MPAC hopes to provide a brief look on each leader and how well they align with MPAC’s views, so American Muslim voters can also take that into account when making decisions on November 4th, 2014.

About the Paper

MPAC’s first-ever Congressional Report Card grades our elected officials in the House and Senate on their voting behavior during the 113th session. They were scored on how closely they aligned with MPAC on key issues of national security, human rights, surveillance, and Middle East foreign policy.

This Congress had the least amount of activity in the history of the United States. While the 113th session was defined by inaction and gridlock antics, there were a few crucial pieces of legislation that helped provide a guideline to their behavior and attitudes towards the concerns of American Muslim constituents.

The report card contains an overview of MPAC’s position on each issue, as well as bills and resolutions introduced pertinent to each.

Recommendations

This report card is a helpful tool to in starting to learn how members of Congress affect the American Muslim community. American Muslims should be civically engaged, and in order to be civically engaged we must be informed.

We encourage readers who find this report card helpful and informative to take the next step and become leaders by voting, hosting an I Am Change workshop, and contacting your representative to have your voice heard.