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since Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:04:17.
City Councilman Chuck Turner Reaches Out to Roxbury Muslims
Boston–May 12, 2007–TMO attended a Rainbow Caucus meeting at City Councilman Charles Turner's office in Roxbury. Viewed as more of a spiritual leader than a politician, the Councilman is fondly addressed as "Chuck" by his supporters. The Rainbow Caucus focuses on minority inclusion in the Green Rainbow Party (GRP).
The Green Rainbow Party of Massachusetts unified the Green Party and the Rainbow Coalition in 2002. Traditionally, the Greens advocate for the environment while the Rainbow Coalition focuses on issues of social justice for urban people of color. Most of the meeting dealt with internal issues. Toward the end of the meeting someone suggested that GRP might be able to expand their minority support base by specifically addressing issues of concern to local Muslims.
GRP has taken reasonable positions on matters of foreign concern, calling for "the end of all American military and economic aid to Israel" and rejecting US intervention in Sudan.
GRP has not yet addressed local Muslims' biggest headache: the coordinated media and legal campaign against the Roxbury mosque.
Chuck Turner told TMO, "It wasn't our major concern."
Relatively wealthy Muslim immigrants tended to vote Republican until 2004. Then they switched to Democrat even though Democrats like Hilary Clinton returned some Muslim campaign contributions.
Turner explained to TMO that Muslims want to be in the elite class, but it's time to face reality.
"Arabs and Pakistanis are the Negroes of the world," Turner said.
Rainbow Coalition leaders first conceived of the Roxbury Mosque in 1989. The primarily African American Muslim Council of Boston (MCB) was to manage the project but due to lack of funds passed control of the project to the predominantly Arab Islamic Society of Boston (ISB). The new Arab leadership tended to ignore the local community. They made no special effort to hire local African American construction workers.
In 2003 when anti-mosque articles began to appear in the Boston Herald, the ISB pursued a policy of apologizing to the Boston Jewish community instead of apologizing to its friends in the African American community. The whole conflict has been a good learning experience for the ISB.
GRP activist Mike Heichman told TMO, "Chuck Turner was very eager to work with the Muslim community."
The stage is set for greater participation of Massachusetts Muslim Americans in the Rainbow Caucus. Muslim voters could potentially replace unfriendly Democrats and Republicans through the Green Rainbow Party.
