As the US response to the Israel-Hamas war and conflict in the Middle East looms over the White House election, many US Muslim voters, most of whom supported President Joe Biden four years ago, are weighing their voting decisions. It’s bothering me.
Many people are angry about America’s support for Israel and feel ignored, and some are calling for the Democratic Party’s rejection by supporting a third-party option in the presidential election. As some people warn against Donald Trump becoming president again, others are wondering how to express their anger through the ballot box.
Such decisions could weigh even more heavily for voters in battleground states like Georgia, which Biden won by fewer than 12,000 votes in 2020.
Shafina Kabani, executive director of the Georgia Muslim Voter Project, said that when it comes to voting, “reactions are mixed and not as completely aligned with one political party as they have been in the past.” “Our community is grieving, grieving, grieving, angry and confused.”
Burhani, who is Malaysian-American, ultimately voted for Kamala Harris, but she said it was more of a vote against Trump than in support of the Democratic vice president. “It was very painful. It was very painful. It was very sad.” Burhani is the spokesperson for the recently launched campaign No Peace No Peach, which calls for a halt to arms shipments to Israel. It asked that votes for Harris be withheld unless these demands were met. The group ultimately encouraged voters to “keep Palestine in mind at the ballot box and vote according to your conscience.” She said some others may not be inclined to vote for Harris and will instead support the Green Party’s Jill Stein.
Among them was Latifa Awad, who has relatives in Gaza and said she wanted to send a message that “our voices matter” by voting for Stein.
“People are like, ‘If you don’t vote for Kamala, you’re voting for Trump,'” she said. But he added: “They both support Israel.”
Jahanzeb Jabbar said he voted for Trump in 2020 and will support him again this year.
“If Mr. Trump had become president and something like this had happened, I would not have voted for him,” he said. “If the Democrats had taken a very strong stance on ceasefire and halting military aid to Israel, my vote would have been ready.”
He said he sees Trump as a “better option” for peace and said the Republican candidate is a good consensus builder. Mr. Jabbar warned that the situation would worsen under the Trump administration, after Israeli military strikes in Gaza have already killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. It rejects the warning and questions the Israeli military offensive in Gaza that has already killed more than 43,000 Palestinians.
The war was sparked by an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages.
In 2020, about two-thirds of Muslim voters nationwide supported Mr. Biden, while about one-third supported Mr. Trump, according to AP VoteCast. Biden’s support has left many feeling betrayed or even guilty.
“They’re watching the officials they voted for fund a war that’s essentially killing their families and friends.” Habani said. At the same time, community members recalled President Trump’s entry ban that affected travelers from several Muslim-majority countries during his presidency, and expressed their concerns about his return to office. She said she was warning him. Biden rescinded the ban.
Habani said some Muslims are also concerned about issues such as maternal mortality rates, health care affordability and gun safety in Georgia’s black communities.
She said many people are unsure whether they want to vote. She and others are urging people not to overlook down-ballot races.
Nationally, some religious leaders support various sides of the argument.
A letter signed by a group of imams and other leaders urges American Muslims to reject what they say is a “false binary” and vote for a third party in the presidential election. urged them to issue a statement.
“We will not get our hands dirty by voting for or supporting an administration that has brought so much bloodshed to our brothers and sisters,” the group said, stressing that this is not an endorsement of President Trump. He also criticized President Trump.
Another imam group said the benefits of supporting Harris “far outweigh the harms of other options.”
“It is morally and strategically wrong to knowingly restore someone like Donald Trump to office, whether by voting for him directly or for a third-party candidate,” the letter said. It is a failure.”
In the battleground state of Michigan, Trump won significant support from Muslims, including two mayors, even though many other leaders were negative about him.
Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump have been jockeying for dominance among Arab and Muslim American voters and Jewish voters, particularly in close races in Michigan and Pennsylvania. While Muslims in the racially and ethnically diverse U.S. make up a small portion of the overall electorate, community activists say they are becoming increasingly popular, especially in key battleground states with large Muslim populations. We hope that by activating this, we will bring about changes in close matches.
