SMFNews: Muslim Leaders Urge Turnout as Mosques Brace for Election Day
As Election Day nears, American Muslim leaders are urging their communities to vote in the Nov. 3 midterm elections while tightening security at mosques, after a national Muslim advocacy group rated the threat of physical attacks against Muslims “Elevated” and voters in several states reported intimidation at the polls.
In an Oct. 30 security bulletin, the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) said that as Election Day approaches, it is “concerned about the safety and security of mosques and Muslim voters.” In Minnesota, imams told MPR News they have added bulletproof windows, cameras, guards and police training, and are urging Muslims not to let fear keep them from the polls.
Why MPAC raised its threat level
MPAC’s Center for Security, Technology, and Policy based its assessment on two recent cases. On Oct. 27, a mosque in San Diego was placed on lockdown after police were told that a woman who was possibly armed was heading there; she was detained for a mental health evaluation. MPAC said it found anti-Muslim replies to the police department’s post about the lockdown on X, including one that read “Burn it down,” which it reported and which was removed.
In Michigan, MPAC said, a man associated with an online group tied to activist Jake Lang posted an Oct. 13 video of himself driving past a mosque with the caption “Little Preview.” A commenter wrote that it was “time for patriots to start roasting marshmallows,” a remark MPAC said could suggest arson. The group said it notified the mosque and local law enforcement. MPAC’s tracker lists 40 reported threats and attacks against Muslims and Islamic institutions in the U.S. this year, and the group notes that most hate crimes against Muslims are never reported.
In an October report, “Targeting the Muslim Vote”, MPAC warned of provocateurs holding anti-Muslim rallies and surveilling polling stations and mosques, especially in Michigan. It identified Michigan, Minnesota, California, Texas, Illinois and Georgia as at-risk states.
Intimidation reported at the polls
On Oct. 15, the first day of early voting in North Carolina, a man allegedly entered the 50-foot buffer zone outside the Surry County Board of Elections office in Dobson, told a woman she was “not a Christian,” made a remark about her losing her head to Islam and made a throat-slash gesture, according to court records reported by WFDD and the Mount Airy News. Walter Harris III, a former county commission candidate, was charged with disorderly conduct and disturbing an election official. The allegations have not been proven in court.
The North Carolina chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NC) welcomed the charges. “We commend the swift response in addressing this unacceptable behavior,” said Al Rieder, the chapter’s community engagement manager. “Voter intimidation undermines our democratic process and will not be tolerated.”
The North Carolina case follows complaints in Lewiston, Maine, where Muslim voters said they were filmed and followed during early voting, and felony charges in Minneapolis against two activists who visited polling places in burqas during Minnesota’s August primary.
Minnesota mosques add security, urge turnout
Since 2016, FBI data show anti-Muslim hate crimes in Minnesota have risen during midterm and presidential election years, a pattern seen nationally for hate crimes overall, MPR News reported. The FBI has recorded 12 anti-Islamic hate crime incidents in the state so far this year, two of them at mosques. CAIR’s Minnesota chapter, which logged 693 complaints in 2025, up 96% from 353 in 2024, held a safety-planning meeting last month for imams and clergy of other faiths.
Abdulahi Farah, an imam in Bloomington whose mosque was firebombed in 2017, said it has since invested in bulletproof windows, cameras and security guards, and police have trained staff to deal with threats. “I think the worst thing is when people turn away from the mosques because they’re afraid,” he told MPR News. Hudhayfa Suhail, an imam in Lakeville, said many incidents go unreported because communities “don’t want to scare” members or discourage attendance at programs.
Jawad Islam, a leader at a mosque in Blaine, said his biggest fear is that Muslims will stay home. “That the propaganda will get to them and the fear will get to them and they will stay home,” he said. “Every vote matters. Your voice matters. And if you don’t vote, then your voice will never be heard.”
Strong intent to vote
A CAIR survey of registered Muslim voters, released Oct. 28, found that 81% of respondents say they will definitely vote and another 9% say they probably will. Among respondents who did not vote in the 2022 midterms, 74% said they now definitely intend to vote, and 80% of all respondents said anti-Muslim sentiment has increased. The survey, conducted Oct. 16–25 among 861 Muslim respondents, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points; CAIR notes that stated intentions are not a forecast of turnout. CAIR estimates there are more than 3 million registered Muslim voters in the U.S.
Know your rights on Election Day
In Michigan, the U.S. Justice Department has told Detroit, East Lansing, Flint, Grand Rapids, Hamtramck, Lansing and Warren that federal monitors will be at polling places on Election Day, CBS Detroit reported. The Michigan attorney general’s office said such monitors are a standard part of the process and that, like any poll watcher, they “cannot speak with voters, touch election equipment or ballots, or interfere with the administration of the election.”
MPAC advises voters not to engage with provocateurs, to document and report suspicious activity, to learn their state’s protections against voter intimidation and to go to the polls with members of their community. It urges mosques that serve as polling stations to review how staff will respond to disruptions, including how to verify officials’ credentials, and to coordinate in advance with local police, the FBI and fire departments. Its election security page collects these resources.
CAIR’s nonpartisan Muslims.Vote campaign offers tools to check registration and find polling places, along with guidance on voter rights and safety. CAIR-NC encourages anyone who experiences or witnesses intimidation at the polls to document it and report it immediately to local election officials, law enforcement or civil rights organizations. The nonpartisan Election Protection hotline is 866-OUR-VOTE.
Why it matters
The warnings come as Muslim voters say they plan to turn out in large numbers. Community leaders interviewed by MPR News said their message is the same regardless of whom people support: vote. For mosques, the task this week is to stay open and welcoming while keeping worshippers and voters safe.
“Voting is a civic duty and a trust. No one should have to choose between their safety and their voice. We urge every eligible American Muslim to vote tomorrow, to go with family and neighbors, and to report any intimidation they see,” said Rahat Husain, executive director of the Shia Muslim Foundation.
Sources: MPR News (Nov. 2, 2026); MPAC security bulletin (Oct. 30, 2026); MPAC, “Targeting the Muslim Vote” (October 2026); WFDD (Oct. 20, 2026); Mount Airy News; CAIR-NC (Oct. 20, 2026); CAIR and CAIR Action survey (Oct. 28, 2026); CBS Detroit; Michigan Department of Attorney General (Oct. 22, 2026); Muslims.Vote.
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