Hana Baba

The Bay Area Muslim community includes at least 100, 000 people. There's a large Afghan community in the East Bay, a sizable South Asian population in the South Bay, and the Peninsula is home to large Arab American and Iranian American groups.

Historically, the Muslim community has voted Republican – until 2008 when they voted for President Obama. However, many say they are now disappointed by his presidency, especially in terms of issues like closing Guantanamo Bay, renewing the Patriot Act, and the continuing drone attacks in Pakistan.

As part of our ongoing series with New America Media exploring the ethnic vote, today we discuss how American Muslims may vote this year. We spoke with Javed Ali, editor-in-chief of Newark-based award-winning Muslim affairs publication, Illume Magazine.

The Pew Research Center says Asian Pacific Islander Americans are now the fastest-growing ethnic and immigrant group in the United States. Asian Americans as a whole also tend to be the most educated and prosperous. Almost half have college degrees. The US Census Bureau estimates that 450,000 of the country’s more than three million Filipinos live in the greater Bay Area.

Falafel — those crispy, filling fried balls of mashed beans, herbs and spices — is found in cafes and homes all over the Middle East and parts of Africa. It's like a common language shared among sometimes fractious nations.

But until recently, I always thought falafel was made one way — garbanzo beans, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro and cumin. (That's how my Sudanese mother taught me.) But it turns out there are many recipes out there, each with a flavor distinct to its region.

Note to listeners: This interview contains mature content. 

San Francisco’s premier literary festival, Litquake, is in its final days, with dozens of readings, performances, and author events all over San Francisco.