'Likely young voters' greatly misled 

By Rory Ryan
The Highland County Press

A recent poll – reported on our website – found that almost half of likely young U.S. voters, 43 percent of them, view Islamic Sharia law positively. The poll was conducted by Rasmussen Reports and a nonprofit organization, Our Republic, on Sept. 20. The results were released just a few weeks ahead of the Nov. 3 election. 

The demographic of likely voters between the ages of 18 and 24 hold a different view than the majority of voters polled of all ages, 57%, who hold a negative view. (Thank goodness.)

In response to the findings, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said, “Sharia law is incompatible with our Constitution and has no place in America. But it's on the rise.” Roy and U.S. Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, launched the Sharia Free America Caucus. Roy has introduced several bills related to Sharia law and other Islamic-related issues, which have gone nowhere in Congress. (Not surprisingly.)

Meanwhile, two U.S. states now have statewide holidays for Islam. California officially recognized Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as state holidays when Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2017 (AB 2017) into law on Sept. 28, 2026. California is the second U.S. state to enact statewide holiday recognition for both Islamic holidays, following Washington state in 2025. This is pure political partisan pandering.

Nonie Darwish, an Egyptian-American author, writer, founder of the Arabs for Israel movement, and director of Former Muslims United is an outspoken critic of Islam.
 
The Southern Poverty Law Center has described her as an anti-Arab and anti-Muslim activist. 

That's laughable. 

Earlier this year, the SPLC was indicted with 11 counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama Northern Division filed two forfeiture actions to recover alleged proceeds of the organization’s fraud scheme. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case with assistance from the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.

“The SPLC is manufacturing racism to justify its existence,” said then-Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Using donor money to allegedly profit off Klansmen cannot go unchecked. This Department of Justice will hold the SPLC and every other fraudulent organization operating with the same deceptive playbook accountable." (Source: https://www.justice.gov/)

Nonie Darwish believes Islam is an authoritarian ideology that is attempting to impose on the world the norms of seventh-century culture of the Arabian Peninsula. She writes that Islam is a "sinister force" that must be resisted and contained. She writes that it is hard to "comprehend that an entire religion and its culture believes God orders the killing of unbelievers." She claims that Islam and Sharia form a retrograde ideology that adds greatly to the world's stock of misery.

Further, she claims the Qur'an is a text that is "violent, incendiary and disrespectful" and says that brutalization of women, the persecution of homosexuals, honor killings, the beheading of apostates and the stoning of adulterers come directly out of Islamic texts.

In her book "Now They Call Me Infidel," Darwish calls upon America to impose stricter immigration laws especially on Muslim and Arab immigrants, endorse assimilation and stop "multiculturalism and cultural relativism."

She has also called for non-Muslim Americans to be wary of interfaith marriages particularly those where Muslims marry Jewish or Christian women. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/)

Those "likely young U.S. voters" also look upon socialism favorable, according to similar polls. That's unfortunate and says a lot about their upbringing and education.

For the most part, any average citizen who has or is living in a socialist country doesn't enjoy it.

State-planned socialism – from Russia to Cuba, Venezuela, or anywhere else – has not succeeded in producing longterm economic prosperity or individual political freedom. Economic records point to chronic food and other shortages, frequent power outages, theft of resources, economic collapses and authoritarian controls. 

This year, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, and CAIR Action announced the release of the 2026 Directory of Elected Muslim Officials, identifying a record-breaking 255 Muslim elected officials serving across 26 states and at nearly every level of government.

The new figures represent a significant milestone for American Muslim civic and political participation and demonstrate the expanding presence of Muslim public servants in communities nationwide.

In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said: “This record-breaking number represents far more than a statistic. It reflects an American Muslim community that is increasingly engaged, organized and committed to serving our nation. From Congress and state legislatures to city councils, school boards and local governments, Muslim Americans are stepping forward to serve their neighbors and strengthen our democracy. At a time of heightened anti-Muslim rhetoric, these public servants send a powerful message that American Muslims will continue to participate freely and fearlessly in the civic life of our nation.”

CAIR’s stated mission is "to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims."

The U.S. Muslim population was approximately 1.5 million to 2 million in 2000. It has grown to an estimated 5.5 million today. Islam is the third-largest religion in the United States (1.6%) after Christianity (67%) and Judaism (2.4%). In 2017, 20 U.S. states reported Islam to be the largest non-Christian religion.

That's interesting. And telling.

The Pew Research Center says "Muslim women have more children than Christian women globally, and the total number of Muslim births is projected to surpass Christian births around 2035. Babies born to Muslims will begin to outnumber Christian births by 2035; people with no religion face a birth dearth."

"You have the watches, we have the time" is a famous quote widely attributed to a Taliban commander during the U.S. and NATO occupation of Afghanistan, used to describe the asymmetry of patience.

Indeed.

For those "likely young U.S. voters" who favor Sharia law and/or socialism, be careful what you wish for. Like many others before you, you will not enjoy it.

Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press, Highland County's only locally owned and operated newspaper.