Michigan’s Arab and Muslim communities made history last week by voting for the right candidate in the Democratic primaries.

In most east Dearborn precincts, which have a high concentration of Arab voters, Senator Bernie Sanders beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 2-1. Sanders also won in Dearborn Heights, home to a large Arab population. Despite Tuesday’s results, which put Clinton back on track to win the nomination after Michigan’s upset, we should celebrate our choice.

Arab Americans’ support for the senator from Vermont did not go unnoticed. National and international media covered the election results in Dearborn, highlighting the growing influence of the Arab vote.

Major outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, Huffington Post, Vox, Haaretz and the Intercept, discussed Arab Americans’ decision to favor Sanders.

The results sent several important messages.

The Arab vote matters and can be decisive

A fraction of Michigan’s Arabs live in Dearborn. The high concentration of voters in the east side of the city could serve as a litmus test for Arab Americans’ political mood each election cycle. Sanders won the state by fewer than 20,000 votes. One could safely say that Arab and Muslim Americans made that difference.

The community will reward politicians who speak to its issues

Sanders made it a point to address Arab and Muslim Americans’ issues, especially Islamophobia. He visited Dearborn twice and met with community leaders the day before the elections. To be fair, his democratic opponent has also condemned bigotry in the past. But unlike Sanders, Clinton has not specifically campaigned for the Arab vote.

Arab and Muslim Americans are not anti-Semitic 

Corporate media commentators were shocked by the fact that Arab Americans favored Sanders. When The Arab American News endorsed Sanders, we noted: “Sanders is a Jewish American. This newspaper and the community at large do not have a bias against anyone’s ethnic or religious affiliation. Ideas are what matters.”

There is no inherent animosity between Arabs and Jews. Arab voters demonstrated that fact when they enthusiastically chose the proud son of Jewish Polish immigrants. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is political. Zionist groups should stop accusations of anti-Semitism every time an Arab American criticizes Israel’s human rights abuses.

Sanders’ platform became stronger after the Michigan surprise 

Sanders’ Michigan victory gave momentum to his uncompromising message on the need for equality, economic reforms and affordable healthcare and education. Whether Sanders wins the nomination or not, his ideas are resonating with the American people, including his Democratic opponent, who has been adopting some of his policies and rationale on the wealth and income gap.

Long road ahead

As Arab Americans celebrate their contributions to Sanders’ historic victory in Michigan, we cannot ignore the fact that Arab turnout could have and should have been higher.

The turnout in most east Dearborn precincts lingered between 20 and 25 percent. The overall turnout in the city was 34 percent. The east side brought down the overall average. More than 50 percent of registered voters showed up to the polls in some west side precincts.

We have witnessed what our vote can do. It can give us a voice both locally and nationally. The election season is far from over. Those who did not vote in March should vote in the August primaries, when Dearborn will choose a state representative candidate for each political party. In November the nation will choose a new president and Dearborn will elect a new judge and three school board members.

Each and every one of us has a responsibility to not only vote but to urge our friends and relatives to cast their ballots as well.

If you are not registered to vote or know anybody who is not, get on it now. The registration deadline for the August primary is July 5.

There is too much at stake for our community to be passive.