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Black Muslim group endorses Harris after its 'uncommitted' stance on Biden Story by Yamiche Alcindor • 33m • 4 min read The first national Muslim organization that had declared itself "uncommitted" on President Joe Biden's re-election bid is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris' candidacy. Salima Suswell, the founder and chief executive of the Black Muslim Leadership Council Fund, first shared the group's decision with NBC News on Thursday. “She has shown more sympathy towards the people of Gaza then both President Biden and former President Donald Trump,” Suswell said of Harris. “During Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress, she decided not to attend. She has repeatedly called for a cease-fire, and I believe she has also expressed empathy towards civilian life and has been very caring as it relates to getting aid to the people of Gaza." The fund is the political action arm of the nonprofit Black Muslim Leadership Council. Both organizations were started in March with the hope of pressuring elected officials, including Biden, to call for a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. The group’s endorsement is significant given the backlash the Biden administration has faced from the Muslim community over its handling of the war. Many Muslim groups pushed for an effort they dubbed “abandon Biden,” which called for voters not to support him at the ballot box in uncompetitive primaries and potentially in the fall election. Since Biden's decision to drop his re-election bid, some other Muslim groups have said they remain uncommitted to Harris' candidacy while saying she has a chance to earn their support by differentiating herself from Biden on Middle East policy. In March, Suswell made it clear that many of her group’s members were focused on U.S. domestic challenges and did not support abandoning Biden. “At the present, I have not abandoned Biden,” she said at the time. “But I am uncommitted.” The same month, Harris made headlines in a speech commemorating Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, where she called for a six-week cease-fire and described the situation in Gaza as a “humanitarian catastrophe.” “Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate cease-fire — for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table,” Harris said. “This will get the hostages out and get a significant amount of aid in.” Then, last week, just days after she launched her presidential campaign, Harris met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House after he spoke with Biden. Following the meeting, she said Israel had her “unwavering commitment” and a “right to defend itself” while also calling attention to the plight of the Palestinian people. “What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating — the images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time,” she said. “We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering. And I will not be silent.” Harris also spoke about her message to Netanyahu. “I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu it is time to get this deal done,” Harris said. “It is time for this war to end and end in a way where Israel is secure, all the hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self-determination.” For Suswell and leaders of the Black Muslim Leadership Council Fund, the remarks underscored the need to come out and support Harris. The group plans to launch voter turnout efforts in critical swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Suswell recognizes that Harris is still part of the Biden administration and has publicly supported Biden's policy positions on the war. She also said she was one of a group of Muslim leaders who met with Biden and Harris at the White House during a tense gathering one leader walked out of just minutes into the meeting. “It wasn’t an easy meeting for the president,” Suswell said. “We were really tough on him. We were committed to expressing the needs of our community, as well as what we expected in terms of justice for the people of Gaza. I mean, we want as a community to see this war come to an end. So many lives have been lost. It’s time for the war to end and for there to be a safe return of the hostages.” Pressed about whether she saw a big policy difference between Harris and Biden, Suswell said: “I am not going to speculate that there is a huge difference. … She has also been more empathetic as it relates to civilian life. I think she’s more open to having conversations around ending the war.” Suswell added that her group was also moved to support Harris publicly because of her stances on domestic issues. “Economic opportunity, pay equity, jobs, health care, education, public safety and policing, criminal justice reform, all of these things matter to the American Muslim community, as well, specifically to Black Muslim Americans,” she said. “Vice President Harris has been strong and has been a leader on these issues.” In addition, Suswell said she and other leaders in the group were worried about former President Donald Trump’s possible actions against Muslim people and Americans as a whole if he returns to the White House. “I think that this election comes down to the decision between an authoritarian regime and a democratic government,” she said. “During the first debate, [Trump] said that Israel should finish the job [in Gaza]. This is very, very concerning.” She went on: "He has also committed himself to reinstating the Muslim travel ban. He has also stated that he would report pro-Palestinian protesters, specifically on college campuses. So this is absolutely concerning — just a few of the concerns that we take into consideration as we weigh the future of democracy and justice and our fundamental freedoms.” “Now, Vice President Harris and I do not align on all of her stances pertaining to the crisis in Palestine," Suswell said. "However, I do believe that she is more empathetic.”

Whos side u on? and Why? me personally TRUMP

ABC News Follow Michigan Muslim, Arab leaders rebuff Biden campaign team over Israel-Gaza response 13h Muslim and Arab American leaders in Michigan canceled a meeting with President Joe Biden's campaign team amid increasing opposition to his administration's response to the Israel-Hamas war, multiple people told ABC News. "We're dumbfounded," the National Executive Director of The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Abed Ayoub, told ABC News. "Why does this administration still believe that we're just going to be willing to meet with them with no movement on their part on our demands? And they've been the same demands since October, and nothing's changed." Deputy Wayne County Executive Assad Turfe, who had organized the planned meeting between the campaign and the community, was the one who canceled it, a person familiar with the decision told ABC News. Pro-Palestine demonstrators gather at Freedom Plaza for a rally, Jan. 13, 2024, in Washington, D.C.© Samuel Corum/Getty Images MORE: Biden aides stress outreach to Muslim, Arab communities after backlash over Israel-Hamas response Since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, the Biden administration has faced calls for the U.S. to support a permanent cease-fire as emphatic protests over its staunch support of Israel persist. On Tuesday, as Biden delivered a major campaign speech in Virginia on abortion rights, he was interrupted some 14 times by pro-Palestine demonstrators chanting, "Genocide Joe," and "Cease-fire now!" A demonstrator interrupts President Joe Biden during a campaign event focusing on abortion rights in Manassas, Va., Jan. 23, 2024.© Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters MORE: Biden campaign speech on abortion rights disrupted 14 times by protesters Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez traveled to Michigan on Friday to meet with elected officials in the Detroit-area. However, initial plans were for her to meet with 10 to 15 Muslim and Arab American leaders after her staff approached them to discuss growing discontent in their community, Ayoub said. "We are aware that she is meeting with different individuals," Ayoub said. "It's not a group setting … It's upsetting that they thought they had the right to go ahead and schedule this. They don't speak on behalf of the community." Several local leaders invited to meet with Rodriguez, including Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, declined to do so after pushback from the community. "Our immediate demand is crystal clear: the Biden Administration must call for a permanent ceasefire to a genocide it is defending and funding with our tax dollars," Hammoud, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "Dearborn residents have tirelessly protested and organized in demand of a ceasefire. As their mayor, I follow their lead." Hammoud added: "I will not entertain conversations about elections while we watch a live-streamed genocide backed by our government. Khalid Turaani, co-chair of the Abandon Biden campaign in Michigan, speaks at the Islamic Center of Detroit in Detroit, Jan. 26, 2024.© Paul Sancya/AP MORE: Why Biden is 'persona non grata' for many Arab and Muslim Americans Lexis Zeidan, a Palestinian-American and Dearborn resident said she was also approached by the campaign but she rejected the invite as well. "I strongly believe that the community has mobilized effectively and strategically over the last four months that we should not be making any decisions or having any conversations without bringing our community into the fold," said Zeidan. Wayne County, home to Detroit and Dearborn, has the largest rate of Arab inhabitants of any other county in America, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And Michigan, a state that Biden narrowly won against Trump in 2020 and is critical in the coming election, has the largest Arab population of any battleground state. Amid reports that Vice President Kamala Harris is privately pushing Biden that he needs to be more sympathetic towards Palestinians, multiple people also tell ABC News that Harris's team reached out for a February meeting in D.C. President Joe Biden speaks about his Investing in America and Bipartisan Infrastructure plans at Earth Rider Brewery in Superior, Wis., Jan. 25, 2024.© Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images MORE: New details on Biden's private apology to Muslim Americans for rhetoric on Palestinian civilians Huwaida Arraf, a civil rights attorney, says a senior adviser reached out to her from Harris' team but Arraf immediately declined. "We have been asking the administration to stop fueling funding enabling this genocide, and we have been stonewalled," said Arraf. "And now because we're getting close to the elections. And Biden isn't doing so well in overall polls. Now they want to talk to us." The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. MORE: Cornel West courts Muslim and Arab-American voters in quest for presidency Leaders of the community told ABC News the outreach is too little too late and that the only thing that will appease them is a cease-fire. "Our position since day one has been clear: without a ceasefire on the table or call for a ceasefire, then we don't see a purpose of meeting," said Ayoub. Ad Visit ABC News What to know about Vermont's wealth tax Rohingya migrants speak out on never-ending nightmare as they flee through Asia Israel-Gaza live updates: UN's top court demands Israel contain deaths Sponsored Content

Ad POLITICO Follow Swing-state Muslim leaders launch campaign to ‘abandon’ Biden in 2024 Story by By Myah Ward • 19m Muslim leaders from several swing states on Saturday descended on Dearborn, Michigan, to launch a national campaign against the reelection of President Joe Biden — a response to his handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Organizers from Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania are calling the campaign #AbandonBiden, vowing to ensure that Biden is a one-term president. These leaders have run separate pressure campaigns in their respective states, members of the coalition said, but they felt now was the time to coordinate their response ahead of the 2024 election. The bubbling anger among Arab and Muslim Americans could threaten Biden’s chances of reelection in many of the swing states in 2024, all of which contain key pockets of Arab American and Muslim American voting blocs. “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,” said Jaylani Hussein, a member of the coalition and the executive director of CAIR-MINNESOTA. The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The growing Muslim American population is roughly 3.45 million people, according to the Pew Research Center. In 2020, roughly 59 percent of Arab Americans supported Biden, according to the Arab American Institute, but recent polling suggests this support has continued to deteriorate. The leaders said Saturday they are not voting for Donald Trump next year, though they recognized that their effort to rally support against Biden could elevate the former president. They said they’ll continue to have discussions as a community about which candidate to throw their support behind as the primaries rapidly approach. “We’re not supporting Trump,” Hussein said. “We’re not going to make the same mistake of thinking about President Biden the way we thought. We don’t have two options. We have many options, and we’re going to exercise that.” The political challenge facing Biden has only intensified as progressive-minded Democrats ramp up calls for a cease-fire. The U.S. has been working to secure the release of more hostages, and Biden has said he’s urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to focus on reducing the number of casualties while trying to eliminate Hamas. Several administration officials say the recent deal to release several hostages is evidence their strategy toward the war is working, but pleas for Biden to go further and call for a cease-fire have only grown louder. “This is a dangerous president for Americans,” Hussein said during Saturday’s press conference. “And for those who are watching at home, you want your sons to be sent to another war that we know will never end? No. Most Americans agree with us that a ceasefire and bringing peace is the right action.”

U.S. signals a boost in ties with Palestinians ahead of Biden visit (msn.com)

Biden orders airstrikes on Iran-backed militias near Iraq-Syria border (abc news)

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