By: Mohammed Khaku

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, the city’s first Arab Muslim American mayor who represents one of the country’s largest Muslim populations over two hundred thousand American voters, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “The Source.”

“I will not entertain conversations about elections while we watch a live-streamed genocide backed by our government…Our position since day one has been clear: without a ceasefire on the table…then we don’t see a purpose of meeting…this is not a time for electoral politics…If President Biden would want to come and have a real conversation about how he changes course, about his actions, decisions that he’s made, we can entertain such a conversation…Our immediate demand is crystal clear the Biden Administration must call for a permanent ceasefire to a genocide it is defending and funding with our tax dollars.” 

The Biden administration appears to be struggling with finding Muslims American leaders who are willing to even meet with White House officials, and no Muslim or Arab American groups have endorsed Biden’s reelection bid.

In the 2024 elections, Muslims will stay home because they think both their options are bad. Many young Muslims will not vote for Biden due to his complicity in the genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza. Moreover, it is against Islamic principles to vote for such an oppressor who enables such atrocities.

Last election I felt used as a Muslim voter so, what is my responsibility this election? I will write and knock on every door telling the registered voters about the billions of taxpayers’ dollars going to the occupying Zionist regime who does not have any right of defense as an occupier.

We should be using billions of taxpayer dollars for our schools, healthcare, education, student loans, homeless, poverty and veterans rather than on wars.

The LVM strongly believe that the community has mobilized effectively over the last three months that we should not be having any discussion or any outreach with the Biden campaign or any lawmakers who are not prepared to propose a ceasefire resolution at city, county, state, or Federal level.

Nor should we invite or welcome any of them at our Iftars during Ramadan or Islamic Centers. We should be inviting groups like Make the Road, Promise neighborhood, Power Lehigh, End Mass Incarceration (EMI), Jewish Voice of Peace (JVP), LEPOCO and many others peace and justice organizations.

I have heard this rhyme, “the lesser evil is better or devil you know is better than the evil you don’t know”, however these are all Anglo-Saxon imperialist colonist phases which were used by the British in India, and during Jim Crow era to divide and rule mentality.

Muslim Americans know that Donald Trump will not be any better if re-elected, but we see denying Biden a second term as our only means to shape US policy towards Israel.

The LVM have been asking our lawmakers to stop the genocide by funding and we have been stonewalled. And now because we’re getting close to the elections with the polls unfavorable for Biden, his campaign staff and republican candidates are willing to talk to us.

I think it is too little too late. The damage has already been done with 30,000 civilian dead, mostly women and children. Muslims of the Lehigh Valley and nationwide have reached a point of no return. Even a ceasefire will not appease. It is now a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Muslims are now looking for their own candidates or independent candidates such as former Harvard professor Cornel West and Jill Stein, are both running as an independent candidate. Both have called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and condemned Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

The growing Muslim population of 3.45 million people, according to the Pew Research Center, says that 59 percent of Arab Americans Muslims supported Biden in the 2020 election.

A recent survey revealed a significant decline in Biden’s backing among Arab and Muslims Americans compared to a substantial majority in 2020 to just 17 percent.

The Muslim vote will have a crucial effect in contested states like Michigan, where Biden secured victory by 2.8 percentage points, and Arab and Muslim Americans constitute five percent of the vote, according to the Arab American Institute.

Genocide Biden, Susan Wild and Casey you’re losing Pennsylvania whether you like it or not. And it’s because LVM in conjunction with numerous organizations have mobilized to ensure that you don’t win the state.

Incidentally the swing-state Muslim leaders have launched a campaign to ditch Biden – #AbandonBiden which is gaining steam to make Biden a one-term president.

The anger is not only among Arab or Muslim Americans, but Jewish, African Americans, progressive and millennials and Generation Z in many of the swing states.

The LVM are powerful, we don’t only have the money, but we have the actual votes. And we will use that vote for peace and justice for all.

Over two-thirds of the Democrats say that they plan to vote against Biden and Muslims are aware of the dwindling support risks handing the country back to Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans.