Washington, DC – Regardless of touting her unwavering help for Israel because the nation wages struggle in Gaza and Lebanon, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is making an attempt to garner help in Arab and Muslim communities in the USA earlier than elections subsequent month.
In current weeks, the US vice chairman and her workforce have held conferences with Arab and Muslim “neighborhood leaders” whereas receiving endorsements from Muslim people and teams aligned together with her Democratic Occasion.
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 help 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 prime 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 Occasion, paraded by Harris’s marketing campaign to examine off a field really helpful by an algorithm — a method she maintained campaigning on developments and memes relatively 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 particular person shaking Harris’s hand seemed like them was “madness”.
Conferences
Harris’s push to achieve out to Arab and Muslim voters comes as Israel’s army assaults on Gaza and Lebanon are escalating, heightening anger and nervousness in these communities simply weeks earlier than the November 5 elections.
For months, neighborhood members have urged the vice chairman to interrupt from Biden and put situations on US army help to Israel to stress the nation to finish its onslaught on the Gaza Strip.
However Harris has rebuffed these calls. In August, her marketing 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” help 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 prime nationwide safety adviser held an analogous assembly just about.
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 neighborhood, so it’s reverting to behind-closed-doors discussions to seem like it’s listening to Arab and Muslim People.
He harassed that the principle viewers for these conferences is just not Arabs and Muslims however the broader voters because the Democratic Occasion is making an attempt to painting its candidate as inclusive and caring.
“It’s a gathering simply to examine off the headline. There’s no precise substance behind it,” Dabajeh informed Al Jazeera.
“It’s unlucky that the folks assembly with them imagine 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 comparable conferences that failed to enhance his standing amongst Arab and Muslim People or quell the outrage over his help for the struggle on Gaza.
The US supplies Israel not less than $3.8bn in army help yearly, and the Biden administration has authorised $14bn in additional help to its ally to assist fund the continuing struggle.
‘Crucial instances’
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 all the things in her energy, ought to she win, to finish the struggle and reset US coverage within the area,” the group mentioned in a press release.
“Emgage Motion additionally reiterated the group and the Muslim neighborhood’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 members of the family 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 carry an finish to the violence,” he wrote in a social media publish. “I hope that her administration will take this name critically and act swiftly to carry the much-needed aid 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 residents trapped within the nation and quick humanitarian help.
“In these crucial instances, we could not all agree on technique, however we should nonetheless work collectively and advocate to finish this struggle and supply aid 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 marketing campaign in Lebanon, which has already destroyed giant elements of the nation.
The group, which nearly completely 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 successful.
“This endorsement is just not an settlement with Vice President Harris on all points, however relatively, an trustworthy steerage to our voters concerning the troublesome selection they confront on the poll field,” it mentioned in a assertion.
Emgage additionally praised the Biden-Harris administration for appointing Muslim People to federal jobs.
However because the struggle rages in Gaza and other people flee southern Lebanon amid a relentless Israeli bombardment supported by the Biden-Harris administration, some advocates see the nod of help for the vice chairman not solely as misguided but in addition insulting.
Suehaila Amen, a neighborhood advocate in Michigan, had a scathing message for Emgage: “I’m disgusted by the truth that none of you might have 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 1000’s of whom hail from Lebanon’s southern villages and cities which have been 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 neighborhood”.
“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 so as 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 1000’s of Arab our bodies beneath the rubble.”
Harris’s place
Individually from the Emgage endorsement, 25 Muslim imams and neighborhood figures – principally from Georgia and the Washington, DC, space – penned a joint assertion final week backing the vice chairman.
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 prevented any point out of the vice chairman’s help 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 resolution, and what reconstruction of Gaza would appear to be, she additionally made clear that worldwide humanitarian legislation have to 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 keeping with current US media reviews, Blinken defied assessments by varied US officers when he licensed that Israel was not blocking humanitarian help to Gaza – a choice 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 concerning the atrocities in Gaza and avoids assigning duty to Israel.
Furthermore, Harris typically stresses that her help for Israel is “unwavering”. She has been a part of an administration that has overseen unconditional help for the brutal struggle on Gaza, and lately, she welcomed Israeli escalation in Lebanon.
When requested lately what she would have accomplished in another way 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 necessary points.
The Biden-Harris administration has vetoed three proposals on the United Nations Safety Council that may have known as for a ceasefire in Gaza.
This week, Harris described Iran – not Russia or China – as America’s “best adversary”, a place that additional aligns her with the Netanyahu authorities.
‘Political agenda’
Given Harris’s document and the equally staunch help for Israel of her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, in addition to his anti-immigrant rhetoric, many Arab and Muslim voters really feel annoyed 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 Occasion candidate Jill Stein for president.
“Our motion stays devoted to making sure that the American folks, particularly the Muslim-American neighborhood, 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 a press release.
“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 troublesome, however it’s ours to pave and comply with.” pic.twitter.com/XgZv5OUB1m
— Abandon Harris (@Abandonbiden24) October 7, 2024
Stein has just about no probability of successful the presidency, however she has seen a surge of help in Arab and Muslim communities, in keeping with current polls, partly as a consequence of her advocacy for Palestinian rights.
Trump has additionally seen his numbers enhance 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, current campaigning has sparked debates concerning the illustration and priorities of Arab and Muslim communities within the US, whose members share comparable cultures and non secular practices however aren’t a monolith.
“We unequivocally condemn these from our neighborhood who proceed to take advantage of the blood of Arab folks for his or her political agenda,” the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee mentioned in a press release on Sunday.
“This contains people and organizations from our neighborhood which might be in lock-step with the Democratic and Republican events, placing celebration over neighborhood, politics over justice, and overlooking a genocide for entry.”
