Muslim Leaders Threaten to Withdraw Support for Biden Over Gaza

Muslim community leaders from several swing states gathered in suburban Detroit to pledge their withdrawal of support for President Joe Biden due to his refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Muslim community leaders from several swing states gathered in suburban Detroit on Saturday, threatening to withdraw their support for U.S. President Joe Biden. Their primary grievance was Biden's refusal to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Biden's Handling of Israel-Hamas War Could Cost Him Support

Democrats in Michigan have warned the White House that Biden's handling of the conflict could cost him enough support within the Arab American community to sway the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

Leaders from Several States Gather to Condemn Biden

Leaders from Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania gathered behind a lectern that read "Abandon Biden, ceasefire now" in Dearborn, Michigan. Dearborn is the city with the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States.

Palestinians and Israelis Killed in Conflict

According to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, more than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, roughly two-thirds of them women and minors. Around 1,200 Israelis have been killed, mostly during a Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the war.

Biden's Refusal to Call for Ceasefire Damages Relationship with Muslim Community

Jaylani Hussein, a Minneapolis-based organizer of the conference, believes that Biden's unwillingness to call for a ceasefire has damaged his relationship with the American Muslim community beyond repair.

Families and children are being wiped out with our tax dollars,

Hussein said.

What we are witnessing today is the tragedy upon tragedy.

Hussein, who is Muslim, told The Associated Press that the anger in the community is beyond belief. He mentioned an incident where a religious leader asked him how to get their 2020 ballot to destroy it.

Muslim Support for Biden Vanishes as Palestinian Casualties Mount

Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania were critical components of the "blue wall" of states that Biden returned to the Democratic column, helping him win the White House in 2020. About 3.45 million Americans identify as Muslim, or 1.1% of the country's population, and the demographic tends to lean Democratic, according to the Pew Research Center.

However, leaders said on Saturday that the community's support for Biden has vanished as more Palestinian men, women, and children are killed in Gaza.

We are not powerless as American Muslims. We are powerful. We don't only have the money, but we have the actual votes. And we will use that vote to save this nation from itself,

Hussein said at the conference.

Hussein clarified that the Muslim community leaders' condemnation of Biden does not indicate support for former President Donald Trump, the clear front-runner in the Republican primary.

We don't have two options. We have many options. And we're going to exercise that,

he said.