The federal election demonstrated that Muslim votes do matter: A response to Ali Kadri - ABC Religion & Ethics
You can hear Ghaith Krayem discuss 'How powerful is the Muslim vote this election?' with Sami Shah, Dr Rachel Woodlock and Khaled Khalafalla on God Forbid on ABC Radio National.
The recent article by Ali Kadri raises a number of important questions about the way Australian Muslims can engage in politics. But as a co-founder and the national spokesperson of Muslim Votes Matter (MVM), I believe that Kadri's criticism of the organisation misses the essence of what it represents and why it managed to strike a deep chord within the community.
MVM is not a political party, and it doesn't pretend to be. It is a grassroots political advocacy and lobbying movement, built to address a vacuum that has long existed within the community — the absence of an organised, strategic Muslim political voice. In little more than fifteen months, MVM has grown from an idea into a nationwide movement, mobilising more than 1,000 volunteers to staff polling booths on election day.
Our mission has always been clear. MVM exists:
to increase political awareness and literacy within the Muslim community;
to increase political awareness and literacy within the Muslim community; to shift the public narrative around Muslim political mobilisation; and
to shift the public narrative around Muslim political mobilisation; and to translate that mobilisation into real-world influence.
We are proud of the progress made on these fronts. The fact that conversations about Muslim political agency are now happening both within the community and in mainstream media is itself a sign that we are moving the needle.
Contrary to claims that MVM lacks a policy agenda or clear demands, we have published our priorities for this term of federal parliament and sought written commitments from all major parties — to which the Australian Greens have responded positively. Our advocacy is driven not by protest or emotion, but by concrete goals grounded in community needs.
The critique that MVM prioritises anger over strategy, I believe, fundamentally misreads our work. Yes, there is anger — righteous anger at a killing of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza, and at what many Muslims consider to be the inaction or silence of political leaders. But that anger has been channelled into coordinated action.
The federal election was a tactical moment within a larger, long-term strategy. It allowed us to demonstrate that not only can the Muslim community mobilise, it can also affect electoral outcomes in key seats — such as Calwell in Melbourne's outer-west, and Banks in south-west Sydney. They are tangible results of focused political organising, that point to a future in which Muslim Australians are no longer taken for granted politically.
Some commentators have expressed concern that MVM's approach may alienate allies or reinforce identity politics. But political organising around shared identity and interests are, and have always been, a feature of Australian political life. Whether unions, environmental groups or faith-based movements, all communities have the right to advocate for their interests. Muslim Australians are no exception. Rather than fracture the Australian community, MVM has brought together people who have long been marginalised and thereby created space for a more inclusive political conversation.
Needless to say, we are not naïve about the road ahead. Political advocacy inevitably invites backlash, and success will bring attempts at co-option or dilution. But we are prepared. MVM was never about just one election — it was about building a sustained presence, a movement that can engage, pressure and negotiate with power, while staying accountable to its base.
For too long, Australian Muslim political engagement has focused on relationships — often relationships that have delivered little more than photo opportunities or empty statements. MVM wants to shift the focus to outcomes. Relationships will always matter, but they must serve the larger goal of delivering meaningful change for our community.
As we move forward, MVM will continue to evolve, learn and deepen its influence. For now, however, we can be confident that the era of the politically invisible Muslim voter is over. MVM has helped awaken a new political consciousness among Muslims, and it would be risky for the political establishment to ignore it.
We welcome critical engagement with our work, but we ask that it be grounded in facts. Ali Kadri claims, for example, that Muslim Votes Matter:
urged people to preference Labor last on how-to-vote cards. In some electorates, Labor was placed behind parties that have long opposed multiculturalism and even Muslim communities themselves.
This is not true. MVM preferenced the ALP ahead of the Coalition in 146 out of 150 seats, and in no seat across the whole country did we place the ALP last on the ballot.
The real story of MVM is not one of protest versus policy, but of a movement finding its footing, testing its power and opening a new chapter in Australian political life — one where Muslim voices are truly heard and hard to ignore.
Ghaith Krayem is the national spokesperson of Muslim Votes Matter.
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