Harris campaign intensifies its efforts to mobilize Muslims to vote for her policy
Washington- In recent days, the campaign of American Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has intensified its efforts to attract and mobilize Muslim voters to vote for her in the presidential elections scheduled for next November 5.
Yesterday, Thursday, Harris's representative and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who was hosted by the “Imag” organization, which is active in the field of political rights for Muslims in the United States, participated in a virtual event on the Internet under the title “One Million Muslim Voices Forum.”
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, and a number of representatives of American Muslims and their leaders, spoke at the event. More than 300 people participated in it, which indicates the decline in American Muslims’ support for the Democratic candidate, as more than 3,000 of them participated in a similar event in the 2020 elections.
Angry voters
Phil Gordon, Harris' national security adviser, also met with American Muslim and Arab leaders last Wednesday, as her presidential campaign seeks to win back voters angry at American support for Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
In the virtual meeting, he said the administration supports a ceasefire in Gaza, diplomacy in Lebanon and stability in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the vice president's office said.
In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Wael Al-Zayat, head of the Image Foundation, told Al Jazeera Net that Muslim voters will play a decisive role in these elections, and Walz's presence sends a clear signal regarding the Harris campaign's commitment to the American Muslim community. Adding that his organization is committed to mobilizing Muslims to vote, especially in swing states, by conducting vote counting and running digital advertisements between now and the election date.
The organization stressed in a statement before the event that “Wals’ participation indicates the importance of Muslim voters, as more than two million of them are expected to participate in the 2024 elections. This is the first time that a Democratic candidate for vice president has directly engaged with the American Muslim community on this scale.” Before decisive elections.
Walz was joined by former House Rep. Andy Levin of Michigan, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Rep. Ro Khanna of California, and Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.
The best of the bad
By praying for Muslims around the world, and reciting verses from the Holy Qur’an, she began the “One Million Muslim Voices” event, in which the “IMAG” organization supported the election of Kamala Harris for the presidency. Wael Al-Zayat, the organization's director, introduced Walz, who expressed his sympathy for how American Muslims feel about the innocent victims in Gaza and Lebanon.
However, Walz reiterated his country's goals regarding the recent developments, and stressed that Harris seeks to secure Israel, release detainees, establish a ceasefire, and bring humanitarian and relief aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip. “We realize that your hearts are broken,” he said. “We will do everything in our power to stop the fighting.”
He emphasized Harris' record and her “commitment to the rule of law,” and her opposition to the policies of her Republican rival, Donald Trump, that reject the entry of Muslims from some countries into the United States, and how Harris met the mother of the Palestinian-American child, Wadih Al-Fayoumi, who was killed in a hate crime after the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza. The most prominent “dangers” posed by Trump’s election to America’s Muslims. He called on Muslims to go out and collect votes to vote for Harris, and to organize door-knocking campaigns and collect donations.
For his part, Senator Chris Van Hollen stressed Harris's record of “respecting the rule of law,” including pressure for Washington's allies to adhere to international humanitarian and American law regarding the use of weapons and adherence to human rights.
A number of speakers stressed that Muslims must choose between “two bad alternatives, but voting for Trump is disastrous for Muslims, Palestinians, and the American people alike,” in their assessment.
At the conclusion of the event, Muhammad Jula, Director General of the organization, addressed American Muslims and expressed the difficulty of making the decision to support Harris, and that he realized that many did not welcome her. However, he said that they recommend it, which they reached after heated and long discussions.
The importance of the Muslim voice
It is not known with certainty the number of Muslims in the United States, and who among them has the right to vote, but expert estimates indicate that there are no less than 5 million Americans, including about a million voters distributed in all states.
The Muslim vote – especially with voter registration efforts – may play an important role in a number of swing states in which large numbers of Muslim Americans are concentrated, such as Michigan, which President Joe Biden won in the 2020 elections by a narrow margin, as well as the case in Pennsylvania and Georgia.
According to Jim Zogby, director of the Arab American Institute, the state has more than 200,000 Arab and Muslim voters, and their support is crucial to Harris’ victory. At the same time, studies by the Pew Research Center indicate that only 13% of Muslims consider themselves Republicans, while 20% of them see themselves as independents, and 66% of them see themselves as Democrats.
Throughout the history of American presidential campaigns, Muslims have participated and donated a lot of money in their individual capacities, whether belonging to the Republican or Democratic Party. Never before has a national committee been formed to bring together Islamic Voice and Money to play a public role in supporting a candidate for the White House. This is what the “Imag” organization did starting with the 2020 elections, in which it supported the then Democratic candidate, Joe Biden.
As Arab and Muslim voters remain angry with Democrats and Muslim Americans feel disappointed by Harris and her party's continued support for Israel, her support rates among them have declined. The Arab American Institute issued an opinion poll showing that former President Trump leads Harris by 4 points among Arab American voters. Historically, Democrats have enjoyed a comfortable margin of close to 65%, compared to 36% for Republicans.
The Israeli incursions into Lebanon over the past week also made the electoral calculations “more complex” because Lebanese Americans constitute the largest portion of Arab voters in Michigan, according to Representative Levin. While a recent poll conducted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations found that nearly one in three American Muslim voters – surveyed – plan to vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
It is noteworthy that President Joe Biden previously won most of the Muslim and Arab votes in 2020, but their support for the Democrats declined sharply as the year approached since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza. Muslim activists say that Harris did little to stop this aggression against Gaza and Lebanon.