c. 1996 Religion News Service

SAN DIEGO _ Elisia Abrams and Syed R. Mahmood have little in common. Abrams is an 18-year-old Jewish college student from Rockville, Md., while Mahmood is a 52-year-old Muslim marketing consultant living in Union City, Calif.

Despite their vastly different life experiences, there are two things they have in common: Both are Republicans in San Diego this week for the party’s national convention and both are uncomfortable with what they see as the growing influence of conservative Christians within the GOP.

Abrams, an economic conservative who supports abortion rights, said it was “hard (during last week’s party platform hearings) to listen to the Christian Coalition constantly saying what’s moral and what God wants. It worries me. I believe differently.”

Mahmood, who described himself as both economically and socially conservative, said he felt even before the platform hearings that conservative Christians are “often not welcoming of people who are different from themselves, like Muslims.” He is opposed to abortion, but Mahmood was made uneasy by the zeal with which anti-abortion Republicans, citing their Christian convictions, successfully kept tolerance language on abortion out of the main body of the party platform.

“Muslims are very sensitive to being outsiders in America,” said Mahmood, who was born in Pakistan. “When Republicans show intolerance for people who are also Republicans it puts us off.”

Jews and Muslims are, to be sure, minorities in a nation that is overwhelmingly Christian. And within the ranks of both communities, Republicans are also minorities.

In 1992, 80 percent of the traditionally Democratic Jewish vote went to President Clinton and he is expected to also do well this year because of his strong support for both abortion rights, which are backed by most Jewish voters, and Israel.

No one knows precisely how the ethnically and culturally diverse Muslim community votes. Despite their rapid growth _ American Muslims now number between 3 million and 6 million _ political pollsters have yet to pay attention to their voting habits. However, community leaders say most Muslim voters cast their ballots for Democrats.

Still, Republicans have reason to court both communities.

The 5.6 million-member Jewish community is growing increasing conservative as Jews grow more affluent and increasingly see themselves as accepted members of the American mainstream. That makes Jews ripe for Republican conversion.

“High taxes and the crime issue are driving Jews toward the Republican Party,” said Rosalie Zalis, a Jewish activist from Los Angeles who works for Republican California Gov. Pete Wilson.

Muslims, meanwhile, practice a deeply conservative faith that stresses traditional values, self-reliance and opposition to abortion _ all of which are in line with Republican Party policies.

“I’m a Republican because it is a party that believes in Judeo-Christian values, which we do, too,” said Iftekhar A. Hai, a Pakistani-born Muslim from San Francisco.

Jewish and Muslim political leaders interviewed in San Diego this week said the perception that conservative Christians have growing power within the Republican Party could hurt GOP chances of picking up additional votes this November in both communities, despite the convention’s rhetorical emphasis on inclusiveness.

Conservative Christian Republican activists, however, say Jews and Muslims are as welcome as anyone else in the party.

“Our message is, `please don’t feel uncomfortable,”’ said Mike Russell, chief spokesman for the Christian Coalition. “We’re working hard to say the party and the coalition are open to everyone, regardless of your faith or ethnicity or race.”

Phyllis Schlafly, chairwoman of the Republican National Coalition for Life, said “there has been nothing oppressively Christian about this convention. I don’t know what the problem is. They just have to realize this country is a Christian majority.”

Some Jewish and Muslim Republicans in San Diego agreed.

Orthodox Rabbi Aryeh Spero, who supported Pat Buchanan for the Republican presidential nomination before switching to Bob Dole, was one.

“Jews have to work on themselves not to be paranoid,” said Spero, who lives in Canton, Ohio.

“Muslims are new to this country and it takes time to be accepted,”Mohammed Usman said.”But I think Muslims are gradually being accepted in the Republican Party by evangelical Christians and everyone else.”

As evidence of that, Usman cited House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s inclusion of mosques in his speech Tuesday night (Aug. 13) when he spoke of the importance to the nation of houses of worship.

“That’s a big step forward,”said Usman, of San Diego, who represented the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations at the Republican gathering. “It’s a first for us to be mentioned in prime time at a Republican National Convention.

Jack Kemp’s selection as Dole’s vice presidential running mate has prompted Jewish Republicans to say that will give the GOP ticket additional allure to Jewish voters. Kemp is a staunch supporter of Israel, and at a reception hosted by Jewish groups Monday (Aug. 12) in San Diego, the former New York congressman prompted loud cheers when he said he felt like he was among “mishpocha,” which means family in both Yiddish and Hebrew.

Republican Rep. Benjamin Gilman of New York, who is Jewish, is among those saying Kemp’s selection should help in November. But, added Gilman, who was among the GOP moderates who wanted tolerance language on abortion in the main body of the party platform, “some Jewish voters might also be steered away from Dole and Kemp because of the intolerance of conservative Christian activists.

“In the end, it could be a wash,” he said. “That would be a shame.”

MJP END RIFKIN