American Muslims who supported Donald Trump in presidential election voice strong dissatisfaction
Date
11/17/2024 6:04:33 AM
(MENAFN) Many American Muslims who supported Donald trump in the presidential election have voiced strong dissatisfaction with his recent cabinet appointments. These supporters had initially backed Trump as a protest against President Joe Biden's support for Israel in its military actions against Gaza and Lebanon.
Raboul Chaudhry, an investor from Philadelphia who led the "Give Up Harris" campaign and co-founded the Muslim organization for Trump, criticized Trump’s selection of key figures such as Republican Senator Marco Rubio for Secretary of State. Rubio, known for his unwavering support for Israel, has previously stated that Israel must eradicate Hamas without calling for a ceasefire, labeling them as "ferocious animals."
Trump also nominated Mike Huckabee, a conservative former governor of Arkansas, to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a vocal supporter of Israel's policies, including its West Bank occupation, and has dismissed the two-state solution as "unworkable." Additionally, Trump appointed Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, a staunch critic of the UN’s condemnation of Israeli actions in Gaza.
Nazarko Rixinaldo, Executive Director of the Network for Engaging and Empowering American Muslims (Amen), expressed that Muslim voters had hoped for appointments of officials who would work towards peace. However, he believes Trump’s picks reflect a pro-Israel, pro-war agenda that betrays the president's previous stance on peace.
Hassan Abd Peace, a former University of Minnesota professor, noted that Trump’s cabinet selections have turned out to be even more extreme than initially anticipated, signaling a stronger pro-Zionist approach. He expressed concern that the Muslim community has been misled.
Despite Trump's past outreach to Muslim and Arab-American communities, including visits to Dearborn and Pittsburgh where he praised Muslims for wanting peace, many supporters had hoped Richard Grenell, Trump’s former acting director of national intelligence, would play a prominent role. However, figures like Rola Makki, Lebanese-American vice-chair of the Republican Party’s Public Relations Committee in Michigan, dismissed these concerns.
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