(MIAMI, FL, 10/28/04) - The Florida office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) today announced plans for a statewide 'Get Out the Muslim Vote' campaign that includes busing voters to early polls and using phone banks to increase voter turn-out.

CAIR-FL's campaign began with action alerts distributed to Florida Muslims urging them to cast their ballots in early voting. The Muslim civil rights and advocacy group has also designated this Friday, the day of Islamic communal prayer, as 'Get Out the Muslim Vote Day.'

Registered Muslim voters in Broward and Hillsborough counties will be bused from area mosques after Friday prayers to early polling stations.

Buses will be available at:

BROWARD COUNTY
Darul Uloom Institute, 7050 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines, FL
Caravan leaves on Friday, October 29, at 2:30 p.m.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
Islamic Society of Tampa Bay Area (ISTBA)
7326 E Sligh Ave., Tampa, FL
Bus leaves at Friday 10/29/04 at 2:30pm

Islamic Community of Tampa (ICT)
5910 E 130th Ave, Tampa
Bus leaves at Friday, October 29, at 2:30 p.m.

CAIR-FL is also planning phone bank operations in its Pembroke Pines and Tampa offices to encourage Muslim voter turn-out on November 2. Similar phone banks have been set up in Ohio, another battleground state. (To
volunteer for a phone bank shift, contact CAIR-FL at 813-514-1414 or 954-272-0490. E-mail: abedier@cair-florida.org [Tampa] or altaf@cair-florida.org [S. Florida])

'This is an historic first for the American Muslim community,' said Parvez Ahmed, Chairman of CAIR-FL. 'Our year-long efforts, from voter registration to voter education campaigns, are now culminating in a final push to get the maximum numbers of Muslims to the polls.' Ahmed said the Florida Muslim vote could be a key factor in the presidential election.

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 29 regional offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.