Current:Home > FinanceGroup of swing state Muslims vows to ditch Biden in 2024 over his war stance-LoTradeCoin
Group of swing state Muslims vows to ditch Biden in 2024 over his war stance
View Date:2025-01-13 21:26:35
CHICAGO (AP) — Muslim community leaders from several swing states pledged to withdraw support for U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday at a conference in suburban Detroit, citing his refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Democrats in Michigan have warned the White House that Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war could cost him enough support within the Arab American community to sway the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.
Leaders from Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania gathered behind a lectern that read “Abandon Biden, ceasefire now” in Dearborn, Michigan, the city with the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States.
More than 13,300 Palestinians — roughly two-thirds of them women and minors, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza — have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war. Some 1,200 Israelis have been killed, mostly during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war.
Biden’s unwillingness to call for a ceasefire has damaged his relationship with the American Muslim community beyond repair, according to Minneapolis-based Jaylani Hussein, who helped organize the conference.
“Families and children are being wiped out with our tax dollars,” Hussein said. “What we are witnessing today is the tragedy upon tragedy.”
Hussein, who is Muslim, told The Associated Press: “The anger in our community is beyond belief. One of the things that made us even more angry is the fact that most of us actually voted for President Biden. I even had one incident where a religious leader asked me, ‘How do I get my 2020 ballot so I can destroy it?” he said.
Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania were critical components of the “blue wall” of states that Biden returned to the Democratic column, helping him win the White House in 2020. About 3.45 million Americans identify as Muslim, or 1.1% of the country’s population, and the demographic tends to lean Democratic, according to Pew Research Center.
But leaders said Saturday that the community’s support for Biden has vanished as more Palestinian men, women and children are killed in Gaza.
“We are not powerless as American Muslims. We are powerful. 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 said at the conference.
The Muslim community leaders’ condemnation of Biden does not indicate support for former President Donald Trump, the clear front-runner in the Republican primary, Hussein clarified.
“We don’t have two options. We have many options. And we’re going to exercise that,” he said.
___
Savage is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Burger King is giving away a million Whoppers for $1: Here's how to get one
- Bradley Cooper, 'Maestro' and Hollywood's 'Jewface' problem
- Aldi to buy 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket grocery stores across the Southeast
- Investment scams are everywhere on social media. Here’s how to spot one
- Monument erected in Tulsa for victims of 1921 Race Massacre
- Instacart scam leads to $2,800 Kroger bill and no delivery
- Wisconsin crime labs processed DNA test results faster in 2022
- Nate Berkus talks psoriasis struggles: 'Absolutely out of the blue'
- Texas mother sentenced to 50 years for leaving kids in dire conditions as son’s body decomposed
- Connecticut official continues mayoral campaign despite facing charges in Jan. 6 case
Ranking
- Waymo’s robotaxis now open to anyone who wants a driverless ride in Los Angeles
- Watch: Cubs' Christopher Morel rips jersey off rounding bases in epic walk-off celebration
- Former Northwestern athletes send letter defending school’s athletic culture
- Watch Nick Jonas tumble into hole at Boston's Jonas Brothers 'The Tour' show; fans poke fun
- Congress is revisiting UFOs: Here's what's happened since last hearing on extraterrestrials
- A Rare Look Inside Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler's Private Romance
- Britney Spears’ Lawyer Previously Detailed Plan for Sam Asghari Prenup to Protect Her “Best Interests”
- After more than 30 years, justice for 17-year-old Massachusetts girl shot to death
Recommendation
-
When do new episodes of 'Cobra Kai' Season 6 come out? Release date, cast, where to watch
-
Dancing With the Stars' Emma Slater Shares Reason Behind Sasha Farber Divorce
-
Sam Asghari Breakup Is What’s “Best” for Britney Spears: Source
-
From a '70s cold case to a cross-country horseback ride, find your new go-to podcast
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Something Corporate
-
US Army soldier accused of killing his wife in Alaska faces court hearing
-
A Rare Look Inside Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler's Private Romance
-
Maui official defends his decision not to activate sirens amid wildfires: I do not regret it
Like
- The Surreal Life’s Kim Zolciak Fuels Dating Rumors With Costar Chet Hanks After Kroy Biermann Split
- Iranian filmmaker faces prison after showing movie at Cannes, Martin Scorsese speaks out
- Spam, a staple in Hawaii, is sending 265,000 cans of food to Maui after the wildfires: We see you and love you.