As the Democratic national convention (DNC) approached last month, the elevation of Kamala Harris to vice president candidacy stirred ambiguous speculation among pro-Palestinian groups. They perceived what Representative Pramila Jayapal labeled as an ‘opening’ with Harris, hinting at a possible shift in U.S. policy in the midst of Israel’s conflict with Gaza. Their optimism, however, came apart at the seams when the convention denied a Palestinian representative’s address on the main stage, and Harris openly endorsed arms support for Israel.
Such unapologetically hawkish mannerism from Harris has expedited suspicions that Harris will hold on to Biden’s policies concerning Israel. As a result, there’s a fracture appearing within the fold, with some groups still making efforts to tip Harris towards a more peaceful stance. Additionally, in light of the impending threat of a Trump administration, some have chosen to stand by Harris through the election, regardless of her stance.
An organization known as Muslim Women for Harris-Walz, which was formed to back Harris in August, disbanded in the wake of DNC. This decision was taken as they morally disagreed with Harris’s stance. Despite the disbandment, the group made a flip-flop stating that the ‘stakes were too high for Muslim women’ in the upcoming election, leading them to reconsider their decision to withdraw support.
Muslim Women for Harris-Walz, in a statement to the Guardian, reported receiving a surge of support from Muslim and Arab Americans urging the organization not to give up on the candidacy, despite wanting a change in US’s policy towards Gaza conflict. The group affirmed its advocacy for Muslim Women for Harris-Walz, expressing that it was the responsibility of the Muslim community to stand for what is right and oppose what is wrong.
Not all observers agreed with this standpoint, however. Tarek Khalil, a board member for American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) in its Chicago chapter, expressed bewilderment over the turnaround in support of Muslim Women for Harris-Walz to the Democratic nominee. According to Khalil, if the reason behind the initial disbandment was the unacceptable role this administration plays in enabling the ongoing genocide, the underlying truth hasn’t changed.
Khalil also maintained that the Palestine solidarity movement still criticizes Harris and the broader Democratic party due to the absence of policy change with regard to Israel from the Biden administration. Their issues lie with the policies of the existing administration. Khalil argued that merely having Harris at the helm of the ticket didn’t induce any new vision, agenda, or policy reform, but rather offered a different voice echoing identical views.
He dubbed the Democratic party’s platform as feigned morality. He pointed out the disparity between the party’s declared goals of combating poverty and homelessness, making health care a human right, advocating affordable housing, and the realities unfolding in Gaza due to US funding and weaponry.
Khalil added that if Trump were to be re-elected, then AMP would unfortunately lack a concrete contingency plan. AMP would then focus on grassroots organization, advocacy, and education, intensify their efforts if required, and remain patient while following their existing path.
The weight of the Muslim American and Arab American vote in the forthcoming election, particularly in the swing states, cannot be underestimated. In the previous election, Biden, who won Michigan by merely 154,000 votes, owes a lot to the state’s 278,000-strong Arab American population. In Georgia, Biden’s margin of victory was only 11,800 votes, where the Arab American community constitutes at least 57,000 individuals.
During the Democratic primaries this year, there was a significant wave of dissent, with more than 700,000 voters resorting to ‘uncommitted’ ballots in an ominous sign against Biden’s Middle East policy. Following the Michigan campaign where 100,000 voters marked their ballots uncommitted, the Uncommitted National Movement has fanned out across two dozen states since then.
In the wake of the convention, a survey of roughly 1,200 Muslim American voters found an equal split in their support for Harris and Green party candidate Jill Stein, both polling at 29%. Ghada Elnajjar, a Muslim and Palestinian American organizer based in Georgia, is yet to decide which candidate she’ll support.
Initially hopeful that a Harris administration could invoke a fresh stance towards the Gaza conflict, Elnajjar has since been disillusioned by Harris’s approach that seemingly replicates Biden’s stance. Elnajjar underlined that without a unique policy against the Israeli aggression from Harris who is supposed to establish herself distinct from the current administration, it doesn’t change how she’ll approach her decision.
A significant event at the DNC that resulted in a major blow to Elnajjar and likeminded voters was the denial of a speaking slot to Ruwa Romman, the first Muslim woman elected to the Georgia house of representatives. This refusal was deeply disappointing for many voters who saw this as a missed opportunity to show them that the Democratic party genuinely valued their votes.
Romman noticed a setback in efforts following the DNC, with those previously ambivalent or optimistic about Harris now indicating that they may not vote for the top of the ticket, or even turn to the third party. Stating that elections are usually determined by close margins, the widespread perception that Harris and Biden take Muslim vote for granted could very well have profound consequences on the election outcome.