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We're used to seeing the two major preoccupations of U.S. foreign policy - China and the Islamic world - in relation to ourselves, but this Ramadan offered a stark reminder of how they interact with each other.

Ramadan is the Islamic holy month of fasting and prayer, during which Muslims are meant to reach out to the poorer members of their community.

However, Chinese authorities did their best to clamp down on Ramadan celebrations among several of its Muslim minority ethnic groups, particularly the Uighurs, a group of Turkic descent whose members make up the majority of the population of China's northwestern Xinjiang province.

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American Muslims have had a rough time during this election campaign. The suggestion that Barack Obama is a Muslim has formed part of a concerted smear campaign, as if being a Muslim was an insult to what it means to be an American. Here American Muslim playwright and author Wajahat Ali argues that we are witnessing the emergence of an engaged, diverse and progressive Muslim voting community - one that candidates will spurn at their peril.

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