By Dr. Carol Goldman, August 14, 2024.
Is the majority of the Muslim Community satisfied with Gov. Tim Walz? The majority of American Muslims see America’s role in the war in Gaza as their top concern in the US presidential election.
Will Tim Walz help Democrats win back Muslims? Unlikely, say many leaders of the Muslim community. Let’s dig a bit deeper into this, as to why there are those within the Muslim community who feel this way. And absorb what it means for us.
True – Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz’s friendly engagement with the Minnesota Muslim community has been to unify his fellow Minnesotans. For example, as protests erupted in Minnesota after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer, Walz huddled with faith leaders from the state, hoping to stem violent clashes between demonstrators and police. Within days of Floyd’s killing, Walz hosted a news conference featuring community leaders; elected officials such as Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Attorney General Keith Ellison; and faith leaders, including the Rev. Alfred Babington-Johnson, Imam Asad Zaman and Rabbi Aaron Weininger.
Many of the speakers condemned violence but also urged Minnesotans to join nonviolent protests, call for police reform, and voice outrage at Floyd’s murder.
But now, Suleiman Adan, deputy executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Minnesota (CAIR), said that his office’s relationship with Walz used to be “cordial.” But in three years, despite many invitations, Walz has not “reached out, sent a letter, sent an email, called, or visited any of the 33 Minnesota mosques targeted in hate crime incidents that involved arson, hateful inscriptions, and vandalism,” Adan said.
Walz also canceled his meeting with Adan and six Minnesota Palestinians from Gaza upon hearing that they wished to discuss policy solutions to end the conflict, rather than merely “trauma dump” about their relatives killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, Adan said.
However, Walz has done good work for all his constituents as evidenced by his support for the ‘Greater than Fear’ campaign. Imam Asad Zaman, executive director of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, said that Walz also stood against the Republican Party’s Islamophobic and anti-Somali election tactics in 2017 and 2018. “The Muslim Coalition countered those tactics with our ‘Greater than Fear’ campaign,” Zaman said. “Governor Walz helped champion this message and helped counter Islamophobia to make Minnesota welcoming for everyone.”
And there is more, Walz has partnered with the Muslim Coalition, a civic body representing 40 Minnesota mosques, to pass a wide range of bills important to the Muslim community: a housing bill, paid family medical leave, childcare funding, free school meals, and the child tax credit.
But despite the Harris-Walz campaign’s efforts to win back votes from those protesting the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel, the selection of Minnesota Gov. Walz does not appear to be swaying American Muslims, according to community leaders.
In response to America’s support for Israel in the war, progressive Muslim activists launched the Abandon Biden campaign earlier this year, encouraging hundreds of thousands of voters to vote “uncommitted” in Democratic primaries in key swing states like Michigan and pledge not to vote for Biden. Now, Muslim voters are weighing how much Vice President Kamala Harris, and her running mate would pivot from her predecessor if elected.
Although Harris has expressed empathy for the Palestinian suffering, she reiterated “unwavering support” for Israel during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to the U.S. Harris also silenced anti-war protesters during a rally in Detroit, effectively ignoring their concerns about American support for the war in Gaza.
“Even if Kamala Harris picked a Muslim (as her running mate), many people in the community would still link her to the policy of tacit support of genocide against Palestinian people, because it is the Biden-Harris administration,” said Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Saleema Nawab, a Michigan Muslim activist affiliated with Abandon Biden, said that she’s cautious about what picking Walz will mean for the administration’s policy goals. “It’s been almost three weeks since Kamala Harris has been the unofficial candidate for the Democratic Party, and nothing has changed,” Nawab said. “We continue to see the Biden administration completely supporting Israel.”
At some point, we need to believe what we are seeing. Believe…
Dr. Carol A. Goldman
Co-Founder: Jewish Women for Kamala Harris,
Facebook Group
c/o jw4khGroup@gmail.com
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