DEARBORN: Discontent with the stance of both major political parties on the Middle East crisis, a majority of Arab and Muslim American voters are rallying behind Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
Protests organized by the “Abandon Harris” campaign have gained momentum in cities like Dearborn, Michigan, expressing dissatisfaction with both Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, over their support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon.
In Dearborn, protesters chanted slogans like, “Trump and Harris, you can’t hide, no votes for genocide.” The Abandon Harris campaign, which advocates for voting outside the two-party system, has endorsed Stein, reflecting a growing sentiment among Arabs and Muslims who feel alienated from both major parties over the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.
“She exemplifies our position against genocide,” Hassan Abdel Salam, co-founder of the Abandon Harris campaign told Al Jazeera. He criticized both Trump and Harris for continuing to support Israel’s military operations in Gaza killing more than 43,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 7, 2023. For supporters, Stein’s candidacy is more than symbolic; it’s a stand against what they see as bipartisan alignment on issues affecting Palestinians.
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The Abandon Harris campaign has also received support from the American Arab and Muslim Political Action Committee (AMPAC) in Dearborn. In a statement last month, AMPAC endorsed Stein, stating, “After extensive dialogue with both the Harris and Trump campaigns, we found no commitment to addressing the urgent concerns of our community, particularly the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon.”
Both Trump and Harris emphasize their support for Israel, with Harris’s campaign releasing advertisements targeting Arab American voters in Michigan. In one ad, Deputy Wayne County Executive Assad Turfe warns that a vote for a third-party candidate like Stein could inadvertently aid Trump, but Stein’s supporters reject this argument.
Amer Zahr, a Palestinian American comedian and activist, told Al Jazeera that many Arab Americans drawn to Stein might not vote at all if forced to choose between the two major candidates, or could even back Trump in protest.
Stein, who has campaigned on issues of peace and justice, refuted the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) claim that a vote for her is a vote for Trump, calling it a “fear campaign and smear campaign.” She has accused the Democratic Party of targeting her rather than addressing voters’ concerns, particularly over the Gaza conflict.
For many Arab and Muslim American voters, foreign policy, especially toward Israel and Palestine, has become their primary concern.
