Conference in Detroit warns Biden backing Israel will cost him the Muslim vote

“Ceasefire now, Biden!” read a sign during a gathering of American Muslim community leaders that took place over the weekend in a Detroit suburb.

At a meeting on Saturday in Dearborn, the city with the largest population of Arab Americans in the US and a component of the Detroit metropolitan region, leaders from Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania convened.

Jaylani Hussein, a Minneapolis resident, discussed the general outrage among Muslims about US backing for Israel’s invasion of Gaza. “Our tax resources are being used to destroy families and children.

It’s unbelievable how angry people are in our neighborhood. The fact that the majority of us supported President Biden in the election is among the factors that infuriated us even more.

Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan were vital parts of the “blue wall” of states that Joe Biden won back to the Democratic Party, which helped him win the presidency in 2020.

However, the loss of Muslim votes in these battleground states might be catastrophic, perhaps giving the Republicans the presidency.

There was a shift in attitude at the Detroit conference that was similar to that observed in some Labour-held seats in Britain: historically Democratic-voting Muslim populations were not ready to back a president who approved Israel’s mass slaughter of civilians in Gaza.

As American Muslims, we are not helpless. We have strength. In addition to the cash, we also possess the real votes. “We don’t have two options; we have many, and we’re going to exercise that,” Mr. Hussein said, clarifying that he was not endorsing Republicans. “And we will use that vote to save this nation from itself.”

US Muslims Vow to Abandon Biden in 2024 Due to Concerns Over Stance in the Israel-Gaza War

Muslim American leaders in six key states promised on Saturday to mobilize their constituents against Joe Biden’s reelection campaign because of his unwavering support for Israel’s Gaza War.

The #AbandonBiden movement started when Muslim Americans in Minnesota asked that Biden declare a ceasefire by October 31. Since then, it has expanded to Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

The group sent a statement to US news outlet Axios explaining that “this #AbandonBiden 2024 conference is set against the backdrop of the upcoming 2024 presidential election and the decision to withdraw support for President Biden due to his unwillingness to call for a ceasefire and protect innocents in Palestine and Israel.”

The significant Muslim and Arab American populations’ opposition may make it difficult for the president to win the Electoral College in the next election.
A body known as “electors” selects the US president and vice president; these individuals are often selected by the state’s political parties.

“There aren’t two choices for us. When questioned about Biden alternatives, Jaylani Hussein, director of the Minnesota branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), stated, “We have many options,” during a press conference in Dearborn, Michigan.

Although the Democrats and Republicans control most aspects of US politics, independent candidates are also eligible to run for president.

Cornel West, a prominent black philosopher and former Harvard professor who is running as an independent, has denounced Israel’s colonization of Palestine and urged for a ceasefire in Gaza. Another candidate running on the Green Party platform, Jill Stein, has advocated for a ceasefire in Gaza. She ran for office in both 2012 and 2016.

However, independent candidates with less finance have a lower probability of winning an election than those from the two major parties due to the flood of private donations into the US political system.

Israeli and US officials have rejected calls for an end to hostilities permanently. US Vice President Kamala Harris reiterated Joe Biden’s assertion on Saturday that Israel has the right to self-defense.

Since October 7, at least 15,207 Palestinians have lost their lives in Gaza. The official death toll in Israel is about 1,200.

As of November 23, Israeli assaults have destroyed almost half of Gaza’s houses, according to the most recent figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Palestinian administration, and the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

After a seven-day ceasefire, Israel resumed its bombing of Gaza on Friday, focusing on refugee camps and overloading the few surviving hospitals. In the last 24 hours, the Israeli bombing has killed at least 700 Palestinians.

“Not Trump”

Muslim Americans stated that they considered depriving Biden of a vote as their last opportunity to influence US policy, but they did not anticipate that former President Donald Trump would treat their group any differently if reelected.

He declared, “We’re not supporting Trump,” and stated the Muslim community will determine how to conduct interviews with potential candidates.

Though it’s unclear if Muslim voters will abandon Biden in large numbers, marginal changes in support would matter in places where Biden won by close majorities in 2020.

According to a recent study, Biden’s support among Arab Americans has significantly decreased, from a sizable majority in 2020 to only 17%.

This change might be particularly significant in areas like Michigan, where the Arab American Institute reports that 2.8 percentage points of the vote went to Biden, and where 5 percent of the electorate is Arab American.

According to public opinion surveys, the majority of Americans support ending Israel’s conflict in the besieged region.