WASHINGTON / NEW YORK, Oct 28: “Get out and vote on Nov 4,” says a one-minute televised message by a Muslim umbrella organisation, the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections.

The message reminded American Muslims that they “can make a difference in this upcoming election, especially in battleground states”.

The message does not say whether Muslims should vote for Mr Obama or Mr McCain. It just urges them to exercise their right to elect the next US president.

“We encourage Muslim voters to vote for candidates who support issues on civil liberties and human rights, reviving the economy, world peace, the environment, education, universal healthcare, and who can build a national consensus on an immigration policy in the 21st century,” the message adds.

“Each election cycle America’s Muslims become better organised and more savvy about asserting our voice into our nation’s electoral dialogue,” says another Muslim umbrella organisation, the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

While Muslim organisations avoid taking sides, voters do not. At a recent gathering in Springfield, Virginia, an overwhelming majority of Muslims said they would vote for Democrat Barack Obama. “We do not trust the Republican Party,” said Ammar Hasan, 25. “Their policies are dangerous for the Muslims and for Americans.”

But some Pakistani Muslims were reluctant to vote for Mr Obama. “He wants to invade Pakistan,” said Khan Mohammed when asked why he opposed the Democratic candidate.

But the Muslim distrust of the Republican Party is so strong that during a recent state election in Virginia many refused to vote for a Muslim candidate although he lost to his Democratic rival only by a few hundred votes. There were hundreds of Muslims voters in his constituency but many voted for his Democratic rival or did not participate.

Another Muslim nominated by the Democratic Party in a nearby Maryland district won.

But can the Muslims be as effective in the presidential election? Muslim advocacy groups, such as AMT, say they can. Others say that they are too few to matter.

Estimates of Muslim population in the United States vary from 1.1 million to 6 to 7 million. CAIR says that there are 6 to 7 million Muslims in the US, about 2.2 per cent of national population.

American Jewish Committee estimates that there are 1.9 million Muslims, about 0.6 per cent. In 2005, Encyclopaedia Britannica noted that there were 4.7 million Muslims in the US, roughly 1.5 per cent of national population.

A recent survey of those who attend mosques, showed that 33 per cent of them were South Asians, 30 pc African-Americans, 25 pc Arabs, 3.4 pc Africans, 2.1 pc Europeans, 1.6 pc White Americans, 1.3 pc Southeast Asians, 1.2 pc Caribbean, 1.1 pc Turkish, 0.7 pc Iranians and 0. 6 pc Hispanics and Latinos.

This week, CAIR also conducted a survey of 1000 American Muslim registered voters. The survey indicates that American Muslim voters are concentrated in 12 states: California, 20 per cent; Illinois, 8.9 pc; New York, 8.6 pc; Texas, 7 pc; New Jersey, 6.8 pc; Michigan, 6.7 pc; Florida, 6.4 pc; Virginia, 6.3 pc; Maryland, 3.1 pc; Ohio, 3 pc; Pennsylvania, 2.9 pc; and Minnesota, 2.8 pc. All other states and the District of Columbia are home to 17.5 per cent of this segment of American voters.

The survey showed that 89 per cent Muslim voters vote regularly; 86 pc celebrate the American independence day; 64 pc fly the US flag; 42 pc volunteer for institutions serving the public (compared to 29 pc nationwide in 2005).

About 47 per cent Muslims voters are in the 35-54 age group; another 20 per cent are in the 25-34 age group.

As many as 62 per cent have obtained a bachelor degree or higher, double the comparable national figure for registered voters. About 50 pc are professionals. Forty-three pc have a household income of $50,000 or higher. Seventy-eight pc are married. Of those, 83 pc have one or more children.

It is difficult to say what motivates a community with such a diverse social and ethnic back ground but the American Muslim Taskforce describes the objectives of the American-Muslim voters as: 1) becoming full partners in the defence, development and prosperity of our homeland, the United States, 2) defending civil and human rights of all, 3) mainstreaming the American Muslim community, and 4) developing alliances with like-minded fellow Americans on a wide variety of social, political, economic and moral issues.

A group of Muslim leaders has said that majority of American Muslims would vote for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. But they decided not to openly issue any strong statement of support for Mr Obama.

Addressing a press conference, leaders of the so-called American Muslim Alliance said on Monday they have decided to ask their congregations to vote for Senator Obama but it would up to the individuals to vote in accordance with their conscience.

Most Muslim Imams and leaders believed that any overt expression of support from a Muslim group for Obama was likely to hurt rather than help his bid for the White House.Many refused to give out their identity on record in order not to offend any Republican sensitivity.

The leading Muslim organisations and groups have been requested by Obama supporters not to declare their support to the Democratic candidate openly as they fear it would be used to decry the senator as a Muslim which was unacceptable to many Jewish and extremist organisations.