Regardless of which levers get pulled on Nov. 2, Usman Ghori said he believes the most important thing for people to have is a strong feeling for one candidate and then act on it by voting.

"Personally, I think this election is very tense," he said. "There's a lot at stake with the war on terrorism."

With the invasion of Iraq resulting in a decline in the international reputation of the United States, Ghori (sophomore-international politics) said the big question on the minds of most Americans is whether it will get better or worse if George W. Bush is ousted.

He said he believes things can only improve. Which is why, come Election Day, Ghori will be pulling the lever for John Kerry.

"I think if Bush wins, our international reputation is going to go down," he said. "We're strong and everything, militarily and economically, but it's going to cause more problems in the long run if he wins."

As the former event coordinator of Penn State's Muslim Student Association, Ghori has seen his share of anti-Muslim sentiments following Sept. 11 and the invasion of Iraq.

The group has hosted a number of programs to clear up any misconceptions people might have about Islam.

"People were asking, 'how come your religion condones blowing stuff up?' " Ghori said.

He said the goal of these programs was not to preach but to draw a separation between religion and politics, as well as a distinction between religious fanaticism and terrorism.

"There's political violence everywhere," Ghori said. "Sometimes religion gets used as a tool, but it happens everywhere."

Ghori said many people were surprised at how similar their respective religions are. They found the main difference was in practice rather than principle beliefs. Respect for human life is a common theme with most religions, including Islam.

Aside from the backlash he expects from abroad in the event of Bush's re-election, Ghori said those at home could be vulnerable to further restriction of civil liberties, such as the current administration's opposition to gay marriage.

He said he feels these issues have come so intensely under fire that even if Kerry has not made up his mind on them yet, Kerry should still receive
a warm reception among voters.

"If Kerry wins, no matter if he changes these policies or not, I think people are going to have a different impression of the government," he said.

Voting for Kerry just to get rid of Bush, he said, is not a good reason.

"If Kerry's just running on the fact that 'I'm not Bush,' we still wouldn't know what to expect from him," he said.

On the other hand, he added, "We know what to expect from Bush."

For anyone who is unsatisfied with the way Americans are perceived abroad or treated at home, Ghori stressed that it is definitely important for people to vote for a change from the current administration, especially minorities who are concerned their rights are being compromised.

"This election is very important," he said.

"And it's extremely important that everyone takes advantage of that gift we have to vote."