File: Zionism is one of president Biden’s primary commitments. His father reportedly told him, “If Israel didn’t exist, we’d have to invent it.” On October 8, Biden proclaimed during his visit to Israel : ‘I am a Zionist’. Biden is being blamed for blindly supporting and encouraging Israel in its war against Gaza and Lebanon instead of pushing for de-escalation in the conflict. Biden would lose Arab and Muslim votes over its war handling, a White House official was quoted as saying. Many in the Arab American community blame Biden’s weakness as a leader for the defeat of Kamala Harris by Donald Trump
In the November 2020 election, Biden received 68.8% in Dearborn while Trump received 29.9%. Arab and Muslim American voters interviewed Tuesday at polling sites said they were disappointed with the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s attacks and also preferred Trump’s views on economics.
“We have to fix our problems here in America,” Nagi Almudhegi, of Dearborn, said outside Salina Intermediate School. “If you’re a parent, you want to take care of your family. You want to take care of your children first, before you go and take care of your neighbors and somebody overseas or abroad. It’s just logical common sense. … The leaders of the United States have to take care of the citizens of the United States. Why are we worried about every single problem in the world when we have so many systemic issues here in the U.S.?”
In Dearborn, where Lebanese Americans make up the largest group among its Arab population, there has been outrage in recent weeks over Israel’s attacks in Lebanon that have led to deaths and displacement affecting many families in Dearborn. Mosques were packed in recent weeks in Dearborn with memorials for the dead.
In November 2020, Biden crushed Trump with 88% of the vote in the two precincts in the south end of Dearborn, the area Almudhegi was speaking from Tuesday. Trump only got 10.6% there in 2020, but was expected to win that area in yesterday’s election, according to precinct results of election day voting. The anger towards the Democrats was already seen in the February presidential primary, when Biden received only 4% of the vote in the south end while ‘Uncommitted’ got 91% of the vote.
Trump visited a halal cafe in Dearborn on Friday, meeting with Arab Americans and vowing to bring peace of the Middle East. The former president visited Hamtramck on Oct. 18 to rally with Arab Americans after Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib had endorsed him.
In Hamtramck, Trump also had a substantial increase in support, but Harris won the working-class city that has the highest percentage of immigrants among cities in Michigan. In November 2020, Biden won Hamtramck, winning with 85.4% of the vote over Trump, who only got 13.4%.
With 100% of the vote counted, Harris got 46.2% in Tuesday’s election in Hamtramck, a significant decrease from Biden’s 85% four years ago, while Trump got 42.7% and Jill Stein was at 8.96%, according to results provided to the Free Press by City Clerk Rana Faraj.
Mohammed Alam has been a loyal Democrat for decades and active in the party, but said he voted for Trump because the “Biden Harris administration failed to take any prompt action” to stop Israel’s attacks against Palestinians. Alam, an immigrant from Bangladesh who spoke Tuesday at Hamtramck High School, said he was also disappointed with Biden’s policies in Bangladesh, where its political leader, Sheikh Hasina, was forced out in August.
Asm “Kamal” Rahman, of Hamtramck, is a Democrat but voted for Trump because of tax and economic issues, saying he will help manufacturing and workers in Hamtramck. He’s also upset over deaths in Gaza.
“The Muslim community is united in principle against the Biden Harris administration, especially for the genocide,” he said.
Ghalib had strongly urged his followers to support Trump, writing in a statement Tuesday: “Whoever loves, supports, and trusts our leadership, vote Trump. Please go out and vote, it’s an opportunity for our community to advance to the top. Don’t lose this opportunity. If you trust my leadership, please vote for Trump.”
But three members of the Hamtramck city council, including Councilman Mohammed Hassan, came out in support of Harris, holding a car rally and gathering in support of Harris on Oct. 26, the same day Trump held a rally in Novi in which he brought out Muslim leaders on stage with him. The overthrow this summer of Prime Minister Hasina in Bangladesh, who was often criticized by Biden officials, also may have played a role in helping Harris eke out a victory in Hamtramck. Hassan, an immigrant from Bangladesh, and some other Bangladeshi American voters had opposed Hasina. The Biden administration strongly supported the new government in Bangladesh led by Muhammad Yunus that opposed Hasina. Another city councilman of Bangladeshi descent, Abu Musa, supported Hasina and endorsed Trump.
The three mayors with the highest percentage of Arab Americans — Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Hamtramck — did not endorse Harris. Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud did not endorse any candidate, Ghalib backed Trump and Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi endorsed Trump, appearing on stage with him in Novi. Ghalib and Bazzi spoke at Trump’s last campaign rally Monday night in Grand Rapids.
In Dearborn, there was frustration with the Democrats before the war in Gaza, as protesters demonstrated against some LGBTQ+ books in public schools they saw too explicit, resulting in Democrats losing support in heavily-Muslim precincts in Dearborn in November 2022.
While Trump won Dearborn, Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senator, lost to U.S. Rep Elissa Slotkin, the Democratic nominee. Slotkin received 41% of the vote, Rogers, 39% and Douglas Marsh of the Green Party got 15%.
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