The US can choose the first Muslim senator: What does that mean?

Mehmet Oz, a TV personality and retired surgeon of Turkish origin, ran in Pennsylvania against Democrat Governor John Fetterman in a race that could decide the fate of the US Senate for the next two years, reports Al Jazeera.

While many American Muslims have welcomed Oz's candidacy, his candidacy has failed to generate prior support in Muslim-American communities. Oz is the first Muslim candidate for the Grand Party Senate.

All politics is more important to us here than anything else. Identity is good, but if a candidate does not comply with our values and principles, there is no point in supporting someone like this”, said Nagy Latifa, a Palestinian resident of Allentown, Pennsylvania, who promotes civic engagement in the community.

Oz, who describes himself as a liberal “mysliman”, has discussed his identity only when asked.

And unlike Muslim congressmen Rasida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, for example, he has not focused on issues that especially attract Muslim Americans to his campaign, including protection for Palestinian rights and the fight against Islamophobia.

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Oz's association with Trump and past comments about the “Sheriat Act” have drawn reproofs from Muslim-American activists.

Asked by “Real America's Voice”, a conservative media network, in May whether or not it agrees with former Republican candidate for president Ben Carson that Islam does not match the US Constitution, Oz said: “We do not want the government of Sheriat in America. I am a liberal Muslim”.

He continued: “I don't want any of these religious fanatics to play a role in American society and I would work aggressively to block them”.

Sheriati is a code of Muslim ethics interpreted differently among various Muslim groups.

Following the September 11th attacks in 2001, anti-Muslim activists began promoting groundless theories that Muslim immigrants want to impose the U.S. Sheriat law on claims rights lawyers say are motivated by Islamobia with the aim of promoting fear of Muslims, Telegrafi submits.

“Southern mesazh Law Center”, which tracks hate groups, describes pushing against Sheriat as the “continual right extreme-right”

Ahmet Tekelioglu, executive director of the Philadelphia branch of the Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR), said Oz's comments reflect a misinterpretation of the Sheriat law, which is <x1estemblemmatic of an overall political culture in America” that perpetuates bias against Muslims.

He said some people in the Muslim community are excited about Oz's Muslim and Turkish background; some are sceptical of him because of his links with right-wing populism, and others are looking at details and shades on each candidate' platform.

Oz's campaign team failed to respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment.

US Muslims

Muslims in the United States make up about 1 percent of the total population, according to a survey by the 2017 Pew Research Center.

While Muslim-American voters often stress that their communities are not monolily, Muslim voters have mostly embraced the Democratic Party in decades since 11 September, while republican officials increasingly engaged in rhetoric and anti-Muslim politics.

Former President Donald Trump, who is expected to again target the presidency in 2024, promised to stop all Muslims from entering the US during his first presidential campaign and, as president, imposed a travel ban on several predominantly Muslim countries.

In this election cycle in Pennsylvania, Oz is competing alongside a republican candidate for governor, who once shared an article warning against Muslim candidates for office, which he described as a dangerous “trend”.

All four Muslims selected in Congress have ever been Democrats.

In general, our communities want to hear more. They want politicians to evaluate diversity, not to buy a white Christian nationalist discurs. They want politicians to continue talking to them, not just to show up for photoopsions”, Tekelioglu said.

Latifa, Palestinian-American activist, said that while Muslim Americans feel alienated from the Republican National Party, many Muslim communities, including in Allentown, have good relations with local GOP officials.

He said he has been trying for months to contact Oz's campaign to make the candidate discuss issues with members of the community without benefit.

I personally have made numerous efforts using all my ties to the Republicans in the local community and elected officials and activists so that Dr Oz can either come and meet with the leaders of the Muslim community or come visit a mosque and tell us who he is. So we can look him in the eye and see where he's staying”, Latifa told Al Jazeera.

Oz Political Attitudes

For major issues, Oz has largely adopted Republican standard policy, including the pledge to ban <x0-migration illegal” and support state restrictions on abortion. He has also raised questions about the validity of the 2020 vote, as Trump continues to claim falsely that elections have been stolen.

Oz is a staunch supporter of Israel, calling the country a beloved “ales” and pledging to be his partner in the Senate. Latifa said Oz's stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is “incompatible with Muslim values” against oppression.

However, conservative activists have highlighted the historic nature of Oz's candidacy after the Republican Party appointed a record number of different candidates this year, and some voters say Oz's candidacy is an innovative moment for Muslim Americans.

Mehmet Birtek, a 44-year-old resident in Alburtis near Allentown, said he is excited to see someone with the same name as he on the ballot. It's a good feeling. It's amazing. I'm very happy”, he told Al Jazeera.

Birtek is a former Democrat, but said he switched parties because Democratic Party officials increasingly advanced liberal social policies, especially in public schools.

Republicans have drawn themselves against discussions about gender sexuality and identity in schools, finding allies in some Muslim communities that tend to be more conservative for social issues.

Birtek said he hopes Oz can pave the way for more Muslims to join the Republican Party. It will make a big difference for the Muslim community, I believe, in the Republican Party and that's the beginning of”.