In the late twentieth century, Muslim Americans began to more openly express an interest in participating in the American political process.  In the mid 1990’s, two non-partisan political organizations, the American Muslim Caucus and the American Muslim Alliance, were formed in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.  Both strived to encourage the Muslim community to exercise their civic duties and participate in the political system.  

After September 11, 2001, many Muslims shied away from public activism, as negative generalizations and suspicion of Muslims rose across the nation.  It was a dark time for everyone.  As prejudice and stereotypes flooded the media, leaders in the Muslim community realized that it was important to dispel the negativity, reemerge to perform their civic duties and promote Muslims in a positive way.

As President and President-Elect of the American Muslim Caucus, Dr. Inayat Lalani and Aftab Siddiqui organized a great initiative aimed to unite Muslim Americans and urge them to become active citizens and register to vote.  Along with other Muslim organizations and community members, they raised $30,000.00 to finance the Ballot Box Barbeque.  On June 10, 2002, approximately ten thousand people converged on Texas Stadium for this event and 2,500 new voters were registered!  Inspired and empowered, many Muslim Americans found their civic voice. 

In 2003, Lalani and Siddiqui organized a Civil Rights Conference in which Martin Luther King, III was the keynote speaker.   The success of this conference was followed by two more held in 2004 and 2005.  These events helped show Muslim Americans that they are not alone in the struggle for civil rights and that they have the support of their fellow citizens in post-9/11 America.

While some members of the Muslim community began contributing to the Republican Party, increasingly more Muslims seemed to be leaning toward the Democratic Party.  Already active in the Democratic Party, Lalani, Siddiqui, and Syed Fayyaz Hassan recognized the need to unify the community’s political efforts toward the Democratic Party.  Dr. Lalani proposed and facilitated a new organization.  In 2002 the Muslim Democratic Caucus of Texas was formed.  Founding members of the Muslim Democratic Caucus of Texas (MDCT) include Dr. Inayat and Mrs. Salma Lalani, Dr. Zakir and Mrs. Sarwat Hussain, Aftab Siddiqui, and Syed Hassan.  Past MDCT Presidents are Dr. Lalani, Sarwat Hussain, and Syed Hassan. 

Many members of the MDCT have participated as delegates to every Texas State Democratic Convention since 2002.    MDCT has also had national delegates elected to participate in the Democratic National Conventions in 2004 and 2008.

At the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, representing the Democratic Party, and the Director of the Obama Campaign officially welcomed the Muslim Democrats.  MDCT hosted a booth that was visited by hundreds and placed Muslim Democrats from Texas on the national map.  MDCT also held a successful caucus meeting which was attended by all Muslim national delegates from across the country and was broadcast by international media.  After a long journey, the Muslim Democratic Caucus of Texas had arrived! Today, Texas Muslim Democrats are recognized as a critical group able to tip the scales towards Democratic candidates.