“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. “Families and children are being wiped out with our tax dollars,” he added. “What we are witnessing today is the tragedy upon tragedy.”

From behind a lectern that read “Abandon Biden, ceasefire now”, leaders from Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania issued similar warnings that the president could not afford to lose the support of the Arab-American community in states critical to his chances for re-election.

A recent poll showed Biden’s support among Arab Americans has plunged from a comfortable majority in 2020 to 17%.

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. Like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are also home to significant Arab-American populations and critical to Biden’s re-election mathematics.

“The anger in our community is beyond belief,” Hussein, who is Muslim, told the Associated Press. “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?’”

Against a backdrop of pro-Palestinian protest in the US, Muslim leaders gathered in Dearborn said Biden or the likely Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, were not their only choices next year, and they could choose to sit out the election.

  • NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    15
    arrow-down
    4
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    I would argue it is actually the opposite.

    The establishment understands how massively fucked we are and are trying to do whatever it takes to survive.

    The progressive branch are openly attacking the President and inadvertently strengthening third parties (aka “spoilers”). This has largely been the case since 2016 (once there was a progressive/“progressive” candidate who actually stood a snowball’s chance).

    I have a hard time telling muslims they are wrong for being angry at Biden. Hell, I am angry at Biden. But it isn’t like it will accomplish anything. Not voting for Biden is effectively voting for trump. And trump is openly hateful of Muslims.

    Maybe its just the East Asian mentality. But we long ago learned that you more or less have to support the lesser evil, even if they are actively shitting on you and attacking you. Because the alternative will do so much worse.

    • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Maybe its just the East Asian mentality. But we long ago learned that you more or less have to support the lesser evil, even if they are actively shitting on you and attacking you. Because the alternative will do so much worse.

      Is this an East Asian mentality? It would explain a bit about about my beliefs (although I suppose technically I was raised with a South Asian ethos)