Associated Press
Muslim community leaders from several swing states pledged to withdraw support for U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday at a conference in suburban Detroit, citing his refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Democrats in Michigan have warned the White House that Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war could cost him enough support within the Arab American community to sway the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.
Leaders from Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania gathered behind a lectern that read “Abandon Biden, ceasefire now” in Dearborn, Michigan, the city with the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States.
The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza on Saturday updated the death toll in the Israel-Hamas war to 15,200 Palestinians, roughly two-thirds of them women and minors. Some 1,200 Israelis have been killed, most during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas that triggered the war.
Biden’s unwillingness to call for a ceasefire has damaged his relationship with the American Muslim community beyond repair, according to Minneapolis-based Jaylani Hussein, who helped organize the conference.
“Families and children are being wiped out with our tax dollars,” Hussein said. “What we are witnessing today is the tragedy upon tragedy.”
Hussein, who is Muslim, told The Associated Press: “The anger in our community is beyond belief. One of the things that made us even more angry is the fact that most of us actually voted for President Biden. I even had one incident where a religious leader asked me, ‘How do I get my 2020 ballot so I can destroy it?” he said.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates previously said the Biden administration has pushed for humanitarian pauses in the fighting to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, adding that “fighting against the poison of antisemitism and standing up for Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself have always been core values for President Biden.”
Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania were critical components of the “blue wall” of states that Biden returned to the Democratic column, helping him win the White House in 2020. About 3.45 million Americans identify as Muslim, or 1.1% of the country’s population, and the demographic tends to lean Democratic, according to Pew Research Center.
But leaders said Saturday that the community’s support for Biden has vanished as more Palestinian men, women and children are killed in Gaza.
“We are not powerless as American Muslims. We are powerful. We don’t only have the money, but we have the actual votes. And we will use that vote to save this nation from itself,” Hussein said at the conference.
The Muslim community leaders’ condemnation of Biden does not indicate support for former President Donald Trump, the clear front-runner in the Republican Primary, Hussein clarified.
“We don’t have two options. We have many options. And we’re going to exercise that,” he said.
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
14 comments
SteveHC
December 3, 2023 at 12:29 pm
“ ‘We don’t have two options. We have many options. And we’re going to exercise that,’ he said.” – Yeah, right… *dumb * comment. Realistically they currently have NO options for the Presidency beyond Biden and Trump, so if they pull support of Biden best of luck to them under Trump for under him they’ll find themselves saying “bye-bye” to some of their bretheren living in the USA under perhaps questionable circumstances and who thus should expect deportation while the rest of us ignore their cries of “unfairness”.
marcus
December 3, 2023 at 12:29 pm
Biden does need to go. However, we can thank obama for allowing the demographics to chance in these states. Look at the hundreds of thousands of somali’s who elected IIhan Omar.
Ocean Joe
December 3, 2023 at 1:01 pm
Here’s a highly unpolitically correct idea:
We take all Jews, Christian Palestinians and Druze from Israel who want to come here and Muslims agree to leave both the US and Europe.
Being nonreligious, and old, I’m worn out with decades of terrorism directed against the US and Europe and Jews by the so-called religion of peace. No need to address excesses by Christianity.
Alternatively, if we are to condemn Israel, let all nonindigenous people living in the US go back to wherever we came from. An equally ridiculous idea. But that is what Arabs want of Israel.
What is happening in Gaza is the horrible, predictable, desired result of Hamas leadership who have sacrificed their own people as a tool in their battle for a freedom they might have won through peaceful means.
Let Arab-Americans elect Trump and see what happens. Their Persian buddies won’t be happy but Iranian Americans will.
Richard C. Russell
December 3, 2023 at 2:18 pm
F… em! Anyone or any group that aligns with Hamas, or any Islamic Facist group should be immediately sent directly to Allah. They are the lowest form of barbaric animals!
rick whitaker
December 3, 2023 at 3:23 pm
richard russell, nice christian comment. please tell me where jesus said anything close to what you just said.
Richard C Russell
December 4, 2023 at 2:31 pm
Judge not, lest ye be judged-I profess to be an American, one who volunteered for combat for a Democrap’s (LBJ’s) administration, because I believed in America and what it stands for. Unfortunately, the Democrap in the WH at the time was as corrupt as Biden. Ricky boy, I hope you have memorized the Koran, for they will test you and if you fail, hang onto your head.
rick whitaker
December 4, 2023 at 6:55 pm
richard russell, my comment to you was to profile hypocrisy, not because i believe in that crap. i despise christianity and Islam. religion is for people that believe in fairy tales. i judge what and whoever i choose. i judge you to be a redneck, am i right. i joined the navy because i didn’t want to be drafted into the army. the amphibious group i was in turned out to be just as dangerous as i thought the army was going to be. i loved the gi bill money. i went to college and tech school on government money. lbj is one of my favorite people. your maga cultist comments are a glaring sign of hatred and ignorance. did you not use your gi bill money? what you imply america stands for is a fascist ideology touted by trump, desantis, and others. me being a vietnam war vet does not mean i agreed with the war. btw, you spelled fascist wrong in your post.
rick whitaker
December 3, 2023 at 2:24 pm
marcus, NO, biden does not need to go. “obama allowing the demographics to change”, that makes no sense unless you are facististic. with time things change, what’s the mystery.
James Wilson
December 3, 2023 at 2:45 pm
Just because Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump are antisemitic does not mean they like Muslims.
My Take
December 3, 2023 at 3:17 pm
It is a bit complicated for an American goy to sort out.
Gaza is one aspect, but on the West Bank it is the WaffenIDF and the SSettlers who are the murderous barbarians now.
marcus
December 3, 2023 at 3:52 pm
Rick, educate yourself. Obama allowed hundreds of thousands of somalies to come in. Most settled in Omars district. . How else could an undereducated racist like her get elected in a mid western state? Now we have 3rd worlders electing congressional reps.
What as biden done besides stumble over his teleprompter, trip over air, gas light us about “secure” borders. tell us inflation has come down, driven up the costs of all consumer goods, and brought us to the brink of WW III.
Life was good with Trump. We were energy independent, there were no raging wars, inflation was under control, and we could afford housing and groceries. Go cry in your oatmeal if the truth hurts.
rick whitaker
December 3, 2023 at 4:56 pm
marcus, you are extremely inane. my erudition (look it up ) is not to be judged by a maga cultist like you. you called omar undereducated. she has a bachelor degree and maybe a masters, do you? you are a maga cultist, so you parrot what trump says. i am not going to school you on all the errors in your post because as a maga cultist, you are not capable of critical thought . you and your inane rant are beneath me. you do not know fact from fallacy, that’s dangerous.
My Take
December 4, 2023 at 7:23 pm
If our Arab-American fellow citizens help get Trump elected, they will have unintentionally given Hamas a great finàl victory.
My Take
December 4, 2023 at 8:24 pm
Trump-I was a disgrace but doesn’t really matter.
It is the horror he openly promises for Trump-II.
And worse, the government the far-rightest Republicans have actively bbeing planned (to be installed after firing >50,000 experienced and many highly trained federal employees).
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