WASHINGTON — Republican outreach efforts to the American-Muslim community during recent years have yielded considerable fruit that is not likely to be undercut by the war in Iraq, according to the GOP activist most closely identified with that outreach, Grover Norquist.

The reason, Norquist said in an interview with the Forward, is that ethnic and religious minority groups are usually less likely to vote on foreign policy issues than they are on values.

Norquist compared Muslims to Orthodox Jews, saying both groups feel more comfortable with the Republican Party “because the Democratic Party is aggressively secular and does not like people of faith.” It is on that basis, Norquist said, that the Republican Party approaches ethnic and religious minorities. “You do not, however, approach them on foreign policy issues,” he said.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Because of this approach, he said, President Bush polled strongly among Arab Americans and Muslim Americans in 2000. “Bush did well with Muslim Americans, maybe less so with Arab Americans,” Norquist said, even though he “campaigned on the issue of moving the American embassy to Jerusalem.” By the same token, he said, “we will do better [than the Democrats] with the Orthodox Jewish vote, and that will have nothing to do with who runs Hebron.”

Norquist, who heads Americans for Tax Reform, a coalition of conservative groups that advocates tax relief, is considered close to the White House. In his view, the president and his advisors did not have electoral considerations in mind when they decided to invade Afghanistan or to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime.

“I assure you no one in the White House is even thinking about this stuff,” he said. “They would be irritated if anyone would suggest that this goes into their thinking, and it doesn’t.”

Norquist conceded, however, that Bush is likely to lose some Arab and Muslim support if the war in Iraq evolves into a protracted siege of Baghdad. “If everything goes to hell, then of course,” Norquist said. “But look, two years from now — who the heck knows.”

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount