amna: President Biden's response
to the ongoing israel-hamas or
has angered Muslim and Arab
Americans.
Those voters represent a key
voting block for Democrats that
help Biden win in Michigan in
2020.
Reporter: The Biden
administration has vowed
unequivocal support for Israel
as more than a reported 11,000
Palestinians have been killed.
He has repeatedly called for
extended humanitarian causes.
Arab and Muslim voters say it is
not enough.
>> I live in Dearborn heights,
Michigan and I work in
education.
>> Lex S.
>> I am a law student at the
university of Michigan.
>> I am the founding director of
health and chief public health
officer for the city of
Dearborn.
When you cast aside the numbers
of Palestinians being killed in
response to a question around a
cease-fire, which in my view is
the bare minimum request that
can be made at this point, and
the response the young nun, no
possibility of a cease-fire from
the president of the united
States, we have no choice but to
think about our work -- our
reconsideration of our vote.
>> A group of oz have been
phoning and we have sent in
hundreds of calls to our local
representatives including our
state senators and
representatives and we have not
received any callbacks.
>> They feel but trade and
demoralized and dehumanized by
the administration.
We are witnessing that their
loyalty to the Arab American
community is dispensable to
them.
>> Many of us come from
backgrounds of war.
My family is in southern Syria
and they know war far too well.
A lot of folks in Dearborn have
lived through war in Lebanon,
Yemen, Palestinians themselves
whose connection to the west
bank is well documented.
This community knows war all too
well and the traumas of war.
>> I don't think our elected
officials are doing enough to
address the harm of the type of
rhetoric they are using and we
are seeing real consequences
even in the U.S.
A six-year-old boy was killed
and Chicago.
There has been a rise of this --
islamophobia.
This is not being given nearly
the weight it should be.
>> I don't think there is any
way of walking back from this.
Rolling out a strategy to combat
islamophobia is a little too
late, Mr. President.
>> There are gestures towards
ending as llama phobia.
And then there is a conflict
with antisemitism.
The language used by the white
house and the democratic party
is rooted in anti-islamic
comments.
>> There has always been a push
post 9/11 to have us sitting at
the table so our voices were
heard but we see today
especially that all of those
conversations and all of the
opportunities that we have had
to have our voice heard has only
fallen on deaf ears.
Why are we even bothering to
have a seat at the table and
bothering to share our voices
when no one is actually
listening to anything we have
des and that -- and then
continue to misinterpret or miss
use of the words that we do
share.
It is putting us in a position
where you are dammed if you do
and dammed if you don't.
>> The sad reality we are facing
as voters in this country is
that we are no longer voting for
the lesser of two evils.
Reporter: Muslim and Arab
leaders are warning the
democratic party that if
president Biden does not change
his approach he may lose their
support.
He resent poll showed 34% of
Democrats disapprove of Joe
Biden's handling of the
situation.
Coining me now to discuss the
political ramifications is the
CEO of the Muslim advocacy
group.
Thank you so much for being
here.
What are you hearing from Muslim
and Arab voters about president
Biden's handling of the is
your-hamas conflict as specially
as the death toll continues to
rise in gaza?
>> We are hearing frustration,
anger, sadness and a feeling of
the trail.
The Muslim American community
according to the polling we
conducted following the election
found that 85% of Muslim voters,
those that cast a ballot said
they voted for Joe Biden.
Many of them organized and
contributed and cast their votes
in protection of our democracy
and quite frankly to get rid of
Donald Trump.
Now they feel the betrayal that
having supported and
administration that said they
value democracy and will
confront authoritarianism and
uphold human rights has given a
carte Blanche to someone like
Netanyahu to commit war crimes
which have produced incredible
carnage and devastation beyond
the individuals killed.
There are concerns further that
gaza will be uninhabitable.
Amna: The administration, Biden
himself will say they have tried
to stress to Netanyahu to abide
by the laws of war but in a
state like Michigan and a
population where there is a
large population of Muslim
voters, president Biden won that
state by a margin of 154,000
votes.
Do you think the president could
lose that state next year?
>> Absolutely.
Given the polling we are seeing
you show the president behind in
some of the swing states
including Michigan so we believe
the elections will be closer to
what we saw in Connie 16 where
Donald Trump won that state by
11,000 votes.
There are 205,000 registered
Muslim American voters and it
does not take a math genius to
realize they could have an
impact.
Amna: Are Muslim and Arab voters
going to vote for the Republican
nominee which at this point it
looks like will be Donald Trump?
Will they stay home or vote
third-party?
>> View Muslim American voters
like American voters of all
backgrounds understand what is
at stake next year.
We have lived through four years
of Donald Trump.
And the outright bigotry and
racism against black, brown,
disabled, lgbtq, Arab, Muslim,
immigrants asked people of all
backgrounds.
I think we are ahead of the
election for next year.
The community today, only 5% say
they will vote for Joe Biden.
That is way down from the 85%
that we mentioned.
We are focused on getting
humanitarian assistance in and
getting a cease-fire.
Amna: I wanted to ask you about
the stakes you mentioned.
You mentioned Donald Trump's
Muslim ban.
He said he would extend that if
he wins at the election and he
specifically said that he would
bar refugees in gaza.
Are the voters you talking to
aware of that?
>> They are which is what is so
frustrating about the situation.
As Americans, Joe Biden and the
Democrats built a big tent
party.
The policy is risking fracturing
that coalition.
And not just for Muslim voters
but for young voters, black
voters, Progressive voters,
people of decency that are not
ok with Israel bombing its way
out of a problem it is partly
responsible for which is the
occupation and seizure of gaza
for the last many years.
My fear is that this misguided
policy driven by quite frankly a
neocon approach that takes us
back to the ugly days on -- of
war on terror is fracturing the
coalition and could hand this
country and our future to the
dark forces of Mager
Republicans.
-- Maga Republicans.
Amna: The president has says he
does not think a cease-fire is
realistic because hamas has to
be vanquished.
Because the president does not
appear ready to support a
cease-fire anytime soon, what
exactly do Muslim and Arab
voters want to see from him?
Is there something else he could
do to win back their support?
>> He can call for a cease-fire.
He could not give $14 billion to
Netanyahu to spend as he
pleases.
We can condition the support to
make sure that U.S. Weapons and
money do not end up killing
civilians.
Right now only a few trucks are
getting in.
Amna: Thank you so much for your
time.
>> Thank you so much.
♪♪