Pakistani Americans are finally coming of age politically in 2020. For the longest time, Pakistani Americans have stayed on the sidelines of US politics, preferring to be model immigrants and shying away from the spotlight. Those with a political itch have engaged in politics back home in Pakistan rather than enter the arena in their adopted homeland. These tectonic plates are finally shifting in this election cycle.
One could presume that Pakistani Americans would vote only for Biden but there are meaningful exceptions that are not being understood within and outside the community. Take Sajid Tarar, a Pakistani American who serves as the Chairman of Muslims for Trump. “My wife was worried no Pakistani family would marry our three daughters because of my public support of Trump,” shares Tarar. “Within the community, voting for Trump feels like breaking your Nikkah.”
The premise of Tarar’s vote and support for Trump is rooted in anti-establishment sentiment as well as the idea that Trump has started no new wars in Muslim countries. Some Pakistani American supporters of Trump argue that he has been good for Muslims outside the United States, withdrawing US troops from Muslim countries and challenging a US establishment that is otherwise comfortable with starting new conflicts. Other Pakistani Americans, particularly the most successful business types, laud the way Trump has managed the economy and will keep taxes down, unlike Biden, who they fear will raise taxes.
The counter punch to this argument comes from people like Shahid Ahmed Khan, a prominent Pakistani American democrat, who says he has raised nearly a million dollars for the Biden campaign. “Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric and policies against Muslims are the reason Pakistani Americans are coming out in large numbers to vote for Biden,” claims Khan. In my conversation with Khan, he shared an anecdote of a dinner he had with Jill & Joe Biden, in which Joe shared he had read the Quran seven times, with a pencil in hand. Today, Biden has promised to revoke Trump’s ‘Muslim ban’ on his first day in office.
Incidentally, Pakistani Americans have historically leaned towards the Republican party, primarily due to shared conservative values (anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, low taxes). Some folks like Shahid Ahmed Khan argue that the Pakistani American love affair with the Republican party is a one-way street. That Pakistani Americans voted for the Republican party, but the party did little in return for them. In either case, the Pakistan American love affair with the Republican party began to thaw in the Bush Presidency, after the Iraq War. And today, with the emergence of a young, second generation wave of Pakistani Americans that is more liberal, this dynamic is accelerating, especially because of Trump.
“The only thing both Pakistani American Trump and Biden supporters can agree on is the need for more Pakistani Americans to get engaged with politics on both sides of the aisle. They argue that several Indian Americans have high profile roles in government and politics, while Pakistanis are virtually unrepresented. They also argue if a Somali American and Palestinian American can become members of congress, why can’t a Pakistani American? Both Sajid Tarar and Shahid Ahmed Khan want more Pakistani Americans to become seriously involved in fund raising for political candidates, which gives them access into the corridors of power.
While there is still a long way to go, Pakistani Americans are more charged in this election than they have ever been before. Pakistani American Hollywood star Kumail Nanjiani and New York Times columnist Wajahat Ali have attended virtual townhalls with the community, canvassing support for Biden. Several Pakistani Americans are volunteering and making calls within their communities to get out the vote for Biden, including one who has left his job only to dedicate himself full time to defeating Trump at the ballot box.
One important nuance to mention is that the Pakistani American community isn’t voting based on which candidate is better for Pakistan or even Kashmir for that matter. It’s convenient that most of them are voting for Biden who is perhaps marginally better than Trump on India’s human rights abuses. However, their votes are driven not by their Pakistani identity but by their American identity.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 1st, 2020.
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