With less than a year left until the presidential election, the Muslim and Arab communities in the United States seem to be moving away from Joe Biden, for whom they voted by a wide margin in 2020. Large majorities of voters criticized the position of the administration of the Democratic president regarding Israel and the war in Gaza. Despite repeated calls during the demonstrations to support Palestine, Joe Biden did not call for a ceasefire and continued to give unwavering support to the Jewish state.
For Maya, the decision was made. In 2024, he will not vote for Joe Biden. However, in 2020, this American of Palestinian origin and his entire family volunteered for the Democratic candidate’s campaign against Donald Trump.
But for him, the current war in Gaza has changed everything: “Their policies, their unwavering support for Israel, for me, is un-American and contrary to our American values. Our taxes should not fund the apartheid regime.” Maya is not alone in this opinion.
Call for ceasefire
According to a recent poll, less than 17% of Arab or Muslim voters still support Joe Biden. In 2020, this number will be 65%. “No ceasefire, no vote,” is a warning repeated everywhere in pro-Palestine demonstrations, such as here in Manhattan. With his keffiyeh around his neck, Joey is furious with Joe Biden’s handling of the situation.
The young man of Lebanese origin did not mince his words: “The way they treat us, that’s what they think of us. stop voting for anyone who does not protect the equality of all. And I lost my whole family.” His family lives in Pennsylvania, an important state where every vote counts.
“He won’t get our votes”
Ali’s vote was not for Joe Biden either. The Iraqi-American criticized the statements of the President and members of his administration: “You only have to see what the spokesman of the White House said. He compared the demonstrations in favor of Palestine and human rights to the far right supremacist protesters in Charlottesville. It’s a very dangerous comparison when you claim to want to fight Islamophobia. To me, it’s crazy and it’s just despicable.”
Like many others, Ali intends to vote for Cornel West, who is running as an independent candidate: “No one will change my mind about voting for Joe Biden. Never. And this is a real movement within the Arab and Muslim community.” .
“He won’t get our votes,” said Palestinian representative Rashida Tlaib, a representative of Michigan, a state with a large Arab and Muslim population that Joe Biden won by a narrow margin. margin in 2020, recently said.
