Muslims in Swing districts promise to ‘abandon Biden’

(MENAFN) A coalition of Muslim American organizers hailing from key swing states has initiated the #AbandonBiden campaign, expressing discontent with President Joe Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict and vowing to oppose his 2024 re-election bid. Activists from Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin unveiled the movement during an event in Dearborn, Michigan, on Saturday.

Hassan Abdel Sala, a professor at the University of Minnesota, stated, “We’re looking into finding ways to build a mechanism of coordination between all the swing states so that we’re constantly working together to ensure that Muslim Americans will come out in all of these states, and that Mr. Biden will lose each and every one of them.” Emphasizing the potential impact, Sala highlighted that the Muslim American community possesses both financial resources and voting power, which they intend to leverage to influence the electoral outcome.

Jaylani Hussein, the director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), conveyed a strong message at the Dearborn event. He asserted, “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 further articulated the organizers' concern about the nation's involvement in wars and the perceived lack of value for human life, expressing a commitment to resist the influence of the military-industrial complex.

As part of their campaign, the activists called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where hostilities resumed after the expiration of a weeklong truce on Friday. While the White House has urged Israel to minimize civilian casualties and endorsed short-term "humanitarian pauses," it has refrained from supporting a comprehensive ceasefire. Israel, maintaining its goal of eliminating Hamas in Gaza, argues that a complete cessation of hostilities would only serve the interests of the militants.

The #AbandonBiden movement reflects a growing sentiment among Muslim Americans in swing states, highlighting the intersection of foreign policy concerns, electoral politics, and activism within the community. As the campaign gains traction, it brings attention to the broader implications of United States foreign policy on domestic political dynamics and underscores the multifaceted nature of voter mobilization efforts.

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