The American Muslim vote will be important this presidential election. It may be the deciding factor for a swing state like Florida. Yahoo! has even included Khizr and Ghazala Khan as two of the sixteen people that have shaped the 2016 presidential election.
While it is understandable why one may be completely frustrated with this presidential cycle and decide not to vote, it’s imperative to keep the bigger picture in mind.
The Democratic and Republican candidates both have the highest unfavorable ratings in American history. Having said that, one of them will be the next POTUS. Let’s face it- there is no chance for a third party candidate this late in the game and the statistics show it. Here are three oft-repeated reasons why some opt not to vote this year:
1. “The lesser of two evils is still evil”.
2. “I can’t vote because it would mean that I’m consenting to evil.”
3 The Vote for #Nobody2016 Campaign.
The lesser of two evils is still evil
The idea behind the statement is that evil should be avoided at all costs, even if it is a lesser evil. However, the subject deserves further analysis. Ibn ul-Qayyim categorizes the eradication of evil into four levels:
1. Evil is removed and replaced with something better.
2. Evil is reduced even if it is not completely removed.
3. Evil is replaced with a similar one.
4. And evil is replaced by a greater evil
He continues to state that the first two levels are legislated, the third is a matter of ijtihad– scholarly effort of deduction, and the fourth is prohibited.
There’s no question that the lesser of two evils is still evil, but allowing a greater evil to come to fruition is a sin. A candidate that takes advantage of divisiveness, lacks intimate knowledge of government, is perceived as bringing global chaos, bans a whole faith, and insults women can take this country and the world into a very dark place. There’s no doubt, that is the greater evil.
Dealing with evils is not black and white, but requires thought and analysis. Ibn Taymiyah describes some of its scenarios,
“Therefore, it is not allowed to push away a smaller evil in exchange for a greater evil. It is also not allowed to deflect the lesser harm by acquiring the greater of the two harms.
The Shari`ah has come to ensure the attainment and maintenance of what is beneficial, and to disable corruption and reduce it as much as possible. It seeks to promote the better of two good options in the case both are not able to be acquired, and to repel the worse of two evils if both are not able to be repelled.”
I can’t vote because it would mean that I’m consenting to evil
When faced with two evils where one of them will materialize no matter what, the Muslim is mandated to repel the greater evil by choosing the lesser one. If not, the person will be responsible for allowing the greater evil to exist and the harm it would cause to the thousands.
Choosing the lesser evil does not necessarily mean that one approves of those evils. It is a necessary choice because one of those evils is inevitable.
In the 13th century, the Tatars used to violently kill innocent Muslims and kidnap their children. One day, Ibn Taymiyah was walking with his friends and one of them started to forbid the Tatars from drinking wine. Ibn Taymiyah interceded and told his friend,
“Drinking wine prevents them from killing people, kidnapping children, and taking people’s wealth. So let them be.”
Ibn Taymiyah was not condoning their wine drinking but was allowing the lesser evil to exist because it repelled a greater one.
The Vote for #Nobody2016 Campaign
Frustrated with the candidates, some are suggesting to abstain from voting all together. If the election is dependent on the body politic as a whole, everyone’s performance or lack thereof has an impact on selecting a candidate.
Voting for nobody is a passive vote for somebody. The absence of votes for one candidate is leverage for the other candidate.
How would a non-voter feel if a greater evil came about that could have been avoided if they actually voted?
The primaries clearly show us the effect of low voter turnout with only 28.5% of eligible voters voting- we ended up with the two most unfavorable candidates in history.
An election has to do with our future and our children’s future. We can not afford to remain silent and passive.