Kamala Harris seeks to win back the Arab vote
The manner and substance in which US President Joe Biden dealt with the military operation in Gaza is now shaping the future of Arab voters in North America.
In a context where presidential candidates will have to fight for every vote, the Arab and Muslim community, though small, may determine the winner of the election.
To this end, Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris has decided to have a campaign team that can help her regain their trust, including an Egyptian lawyer of American descent, Brenda Abdelall, and Nasrina Bargzie, an Afghan American lawyer, to handle communications with American Muslims.
The first step was taken on Thursday when he said at his conference that he was committed to achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and guaranteeing Gazans their right to dignity, security, freedom, and their universal and legitimate right to self-determination of peoples.
However, the exclusion of pro-Palestinian speakers was rejected by the Arab vote. Moreover, many activists in the Arab community blame Harris for being behind Biden's policies on the war in the Strip that has already left more than 40,000 dead.
This anger prompted associations such as ‘Muslim Women for Harris-Walz’ to withdraw their support for the Democratic campaign. In contrast, other organisations expressed their astonishment at the ‘compassion’ in his words towards the Palestinians.
Arab influence in Michigan
The importance of the Muslim vote stems from its location. While the US electoral system is very peculiar, and unfair to many, it results in states that, because of their population, become swing states that can swing the winner. One such state is Michigan. The state in the northeast of the country, where the 3 largest car companies in the country are located: Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler.
It is important to emphasise the importance of the industry, as voters in the north of the United States are guided by their pocketbooks, they are guided by the candidate who will bring them the most income and the least taxes.
Add to this the fact that one of the state's major cities, Dearborn, is home to the main Islamic Centre of America (the largest mosque in the country), and the impact it will have on the 5 November elections may be the greatest in the 50 states.
Arab influence is total within the state. With 55% of citizens of Arab descent in the city of Dearborn, it is the first Arab enclave in the US where most of its neighbours are of Muslim descent. The city not only has mosques, but the streets reflect Arab life, with restaurants, cultural centres, and museums abounding.
Historically described as a conservative state, the years of the wars against Islamic terrorism, especially after the 9/11 attacks, which marked a significant turning point in the Muslim vote and took millions of Arab lives along the way, have turned the northern state's voters around.
So much so that 2018 saw the election of the first Palestinian-American, Rashida Tlaib. Tlaib was followed by three other mayors also of Arab descent within the state, which is known within the country as one of the most racist. Added to this was Donald Trump's ban on the entry of people from Arab countries, which has swung the vote in the region towards the Democratic camp.
What does the Arab voter in Michigan want?
Often, politics during election campaigns is based on numerous promises that never end up being fulfilled. In an increasingly globalised world this has become even more so. Fulfilling the wishes of one group may mean contradicting those of another. Moreover, this generates two feelings in the voter: attachment or demand.
In the case of the Arab vote in the state of Michigan, it generates requirement, so getting it is a major challenge. As Democratic lawyer Sajoud Hammad confirmed: ‘Don't ask us to vote for the lesser of two evils. Crumbs are no longer enough for us.
This message reflects the Muslim voter in the northern United States. Such is the disappointment with the country's two main parties that Hammad pledged to give his vote to the Green Party, unless Harris can turn it around.
Years of deceit and lies have forged a voter with a great capacity for self-criticism that reflects the many occasions when they have been disappointed by the numerous incursions and defections of believers of the same faith on the other side of the world. If there is one thing that is clear, it is that the Arab vote is decisive, but it is impossible to predict exactly which way it will swing.
The fact that Trump did not start any wars during his term in office and initiated one of the most important peace agreements of recent times, the Abraham Accords, does not prevent his closeness to the Israeli government and the dozens of accusations against the Arab population, accusing them of being terrorists and even banning them from entering ‘the land of freedoms’, from giving the Muslim vote to Kamala Harris.
But there is still a long way to go. Remember that Trump can turn around the polls, which now give Harris as the winner, or else take the Capitol, which would not be the first time.