Washington, DC – Regardless of touting her unwavering assist for Israel because the nation wages struggle in Gaza and Lebanon, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is making an attempt to garner assist in Arab and Muslim communities in the US earlier than elections subsequent month.
In latest weeks, the US vp and her crew have held conferences with Arab and Muslim “group leaders” whereas receiving endorsements from Muslim people and teams aligned together with her Democratic Social gathering.
However many advocates argue that so long as Harris maintains her pledge to proceed to arm Israel and refuses to distance herself from President Joe Biden’s unconditional support for the US ally, nothing will assist her standing with Arab and Muslim voters.
Furthermore, critics have slammed the non-public conferences by Harris and her high nationwide safety adviser with handpicked attendees – whose identities are sometimes not made public – as not consultant of the communities her marketing campaign says it’s hoping to win over.
“Such teams and faceless people are mere tokens for the Democratic Social gathering, paraded by Harris’s marketing campaign to verify off a field beneficial by an algorithm — a technique she maintained campaigning on trends and memes moderately than impactful coverage,” Laura Albast, a Palestinian American activist within the Washington, DC, space, informed Al Jazeera.
She mentioned the notion that voters would approve US-backed atrocities in Gaza and Lebanon as a result of the individual shaking Harris’s hand appeared like them was “madness”.
Conferences
Harris’s push to succeed in out to Arab and Muslim voters comes as Israel’s army assaults on Gaza and Lebanon are escalating, heightening anger and anxiety in these communities simply weeks earlier than the November 5 elections.
For months, group members have urged the vp to interrupt from Biden and put situations on US army help to Israel to strain the nation to finish its onslaught on the Gaza Strip.
However Harris has rebuffed these calls. In August, her campaign rejected pleas to permit a Palestinian American speaker on the Democratic Nationwide Conference in Chicago.
And this week, she joined Biden on a name with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wherein the US administration expressed “ironclad” assist for Israel.
Harris met with Arab and Muslim advocates in Flint, north of Detroit, Michigan – a key battleground state with sizeable Arab communities – on Sunday. Days earlier, her high nationwide safety adviser held an identical assembly nearly.
Hussein Dabajeh, a Lebanese American political advisor within the Detroit space, decried the shortage of transparency round such conferences.
He mentioned the Harris marketing campaign is “afraid” to have an open dialogue with representatives of the group, so it’s reverting to behind-closed-doors discussions to seem like it’s listening to Arab and Muslim Individuals.
He confused that the principle viewers for these conferences shouldn’t be Arabs and Muslims however the broader voters because the Democratic Social gathering is making an attempt to painting its candidate as inclusive and caring.
“It’s a gathering simply to verify off the headline. There’s no precise substance behind it,” Dabajeh informed Al Jazeera.
“It’s unlucky that the folks assembly with them consider after one 12 months of our folks getting massacred that these pretend conferences are nonetheless going to do it.”
The Biden administration and marketing campaign – earlier than he dropped out of the presidential race – additionally held similar meetings that failed to enhance his standing amongst Arab and Muslim Individuals or quell the outrage over his assist for the struggle on Gaza.
The US offers Israel a minimum of $3.8bn in army help yearly, and the Biden administration has authorised $14bn in additional help to its ally to assist fund the continued struggle.
‘Crucial occasions’
One group that did attend the Flint assembly is Emgage, a Muslim American political advocacy group.
“Emgage Motion known as on Vice President Harris to do every little thing in her energy, ought to she win, to finish the struggle and reset US coverage within the area,” the group mentioned in an announcement.
“Emgage Motion additionally reiterated the group and the Muslim group’s disappointment within the dealing with of the disaster that has endangered the properly being of our communities at dwelling and is now widening to a broader regional struggle.”
Deputy Wayne County Government Assad Turfe, who misplaced relations throughout Israel’s 2006 struggle in Lebanon, additionally attended the assembly.
“I met with Vice President Harris and shared this deeply private loss. I emphasised that we want her management now to assist deliver an finish to the violence,” he wrote in a social media publish. “I hope that her administration will take this name severely and act swiftly to deliver the much-needed reduction and motion that all of us hope for.”
He mentioned he introduced up the problems of displaced folks in Lebanon, the necessity for evacuating US citizens trapped within the nation and instant humanitarian help.
“In these important occasions, we might not all agree on technique, however we should nonetheless work collectively and advocate to finish this struggle and supply reduction to the folks of Lebanon and Gaza NOW! We should push for motion that not solely saves lives however restores hope and dignity to those that are struggling,” Turfe mentioned.
Harris endorsement
Emgage raised many eyebrows late final month when it introduced it was endorsing Harris’s bid for the White Home – days into Israel’s devastating bombing campaign in Lebanon, which has already destroyed giant elements of the nation.
The group, which just about solely endorses Democrats and is led by figures who’ve labored in Democratic administrations, argued that the endorsement is rooted in stopping the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, from profitable.
“This endorsement shouldn’t be an settlement with Vice President Harris on all points, however moderately, an sincere steering to our voters relating to the tough selection they confront on the poll field,” it mentioned in a statement.
Emgage additionally praised the Biden-Harris administration for appointing Muslim Individuals to federal jobs.
However because the struggle rages in Gaza and folks flee southern Lebanon amid a relentless Israeli bombardment supported by the Biden-Harris administration, some advocates see the nod of assist for the vp not solely as misguided but in addition insulting.
Suehaila Amen, a group advocate in Michigan, had a scathing message for Emgage: “I’m disgusted by the truth that none of you’ve any dignity or honour, that the mass slaughter of Muslims on a worldwide scale isn’t sufficient so that you can maintain your head up excessive.”
Michigan is dwelling to a big Lebanese American inhabitants, tens of hundreds of whom hail from Lebanon’s southern villages and towns which were largely depopulated and decimated by the Israeli offensive
Emgage and two of its representatives didn’t return Al Jazeera’s repeated requests for touch upon the criticism of the group’s place.
Amer Zahr, a Palestinian American activist and comic, known as the Emgage endorsement of Harris a “spit within the face of our group”.
“Emgage has introduced that, so far as they’re involved, no quantity of massacred Arab youngsters is sufficient to abandon the Biden-Harris administration,” Zahr informed Al Jazeera.
“In accordance with Emgage, genocide is excusable to be able to keep loyal to the Democratic ticket. Their assertion brazenly and proudly states that securing federal appointments trumps repeated vetoes of ceasefire resolutions, proud declarations of Zionism and tens of hundreds of Arab our bodies underneath the rubble.”
Harris’s place
Individually from the Emgage endorsement, 25 Muslim imams and group figures – largely from Georgia and the Washington, DC, space – penned a joint assertion final week backing the vp.
Within the endorsement – first reported by NBC Information – they credited Harris for talking out in opposition to “the devastating lack of life in Gaza and the unfolding humanitarian disaster” . However the authors averted any point out of the vp’s assist for the Israeli offensive, which they described as a “genocide”.
“When the struggle in Gaza started, she traveled and met with regional leaders and made clear that the US would pursue a two-state answer, and what reconstruction of Gaza would seem like, she additionally made clear that worldwide humanitarian legislation should be revered,” the assertion mentioned.
A number of Biden administration officers have decried the struggling in Gaza.
For instance, Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned he sees his “personal youngsters” within the eyes of Palestinian youngsters enduring displacement and bombardment.
Nonetheless, in accordance with latest US media reports, Blinken defied assessments by varied US officers when he licensed that Israel was not blocking humanitarian help to Gaza – a call that allowed the US to proceed to switch arms to its ally.
And like Blinken, when speaking about Palestinian ache, Harris makes use of passive voice in regards to the atrocities in Gaza and avoids assigning duty to Israel.
Furthermore, Harris typically stresses that her assist for Israel is “unwavering”. She has been a part of an administration that has overseen unconditional assist for the brutal struggle on Gaza, and just lately, she welcomed Israeli escalation in Lebanon.
When requested just lately what she would have accomplished otherwise from Biden, Harris mentioned “not a factor that involves thoughts”, stressing that she has been a part of the decision-making course of on the White Home on most vital points.
The Biden-Harris administration has vetoed three proposals on the United Nations Safety Council that might have known as for a ceasefire in Gaza.
This week, Harris described Iran – not Russia or China – as America’s “biggest adversary”, a place that additional aligns her with the Netanyahu authorities.
‘Political agenda’
Given Harris’s document and the equally staunch assist for Israel of her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, in addition to his anti-immigrant rhetoric, many Arab and Muslim voters really feel pissed off with the two-party political system within the US.
On Monday, the Abandon Harris marketing campaign, a Michigan-based Muslim group that claims it goals to carry the Democratic administration “accountable for the Gaza genocide”, endorsed Inexperienced Social gathering candidate Jill Stein for president.
“Our motion stays devoted to making sure that the American folks, particularly the Muslim-American group, acknowledge the duty we share in standing up in opposition to oppression and utilizing all our energy to cease genocide — wherever it might come up,” the group mentioned in an announcement.
“On the precipice of the election, we promote Jill Stein.”
Abandon Harris Marketing campaign Endorses Jill Stein and Butch Ware for 2024 Presidential Election
“The trail to justice is lengthy, painful, and tough, however it’s ours to pave and observe.” pic.twitter.com/XgZv5OUB1m
— Abandon Harris (@Abandonbiden24) October 7, 2024
Stein has nearly no probability of profitable the presidency, however she has seen a surge of assist in Arab and Muslim communities, in accordance with latest polls, partially because of her advocacy for Palestinian rights.
Trump has additionally seen his numbers improve in Arab and Muslim communities, and final month, he was endorsed by the Yemeni American mayor of Hamtramck, a Muslim-majority metropolis in southeast Michigan.
Because the election nears, latest campaigning has sparked debates in regards to the illustration and priorities of Arab and Muslim communities within the US, whose members share comparable cultures and spiritual practices however will not be a monolith.
“We unequivocally condemn these from our group who proceed to take advantage of the blood of Arab people for his or her political agenda,” the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee mentioned in an announcement on Sunday.
“This contains people and organizations from our group which are in lock-step with the Democratic and Republican events, placing social gathering over group, politics over justice, and overlooking a genocide for entry.”
