(RNS) — Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz’s friendly engagement with the Minnesota Muslim community contrasts with former President Donald Trump’s promise to revive the Muslim ban and bar Palestinian refugees if he wins the election.
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.
The majority of American Muslims see America’s role in the war in Gaza as their top concern in the U.S. presidential election. While a tiny voting bloc, they are important constituents in key swing states like Michigan, where Muslims helped Biden win in 2020.
In response to America’s support for Israel in the war, progressive Muslim activists launched the #AbandonBiden campaign earlier this year, encouraging hundreds of thousands of voters to vote “uncommitted” in Democratic primaries in key swing states like Michigan and pledge to not 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.
Suleiman Adan, deputy executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Minnesota, 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.
In this image taken from video, Muslim community leaders from several swing states pledge to withdraw support for US President Joe Biden, Dec. 2, 2023, at a conference in Dearborn, Michigan, citing his refusal to call for a cease-fire in Gaza. (Video screen grab/#AbandonBiden)
Abandon Biden, the action network of Arab and Muslim leaders that has criticized the Biden-Harris administration for not calling for a cease-fire, is unconvinced that Walz will advocate for peace in Gaza and an end to Palestinian suffering. “The (Democratic) party and the (Harris) campaign are relying more on the appearance of change rather than any actual plan for it, specifically with regards to foreign policy,” the group said in a recent statement.
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.
Given that the Muslim vote is vital to winning Michigan, a swing state, it seems important that Harris has someone with a record of engagement with the Muslim American community on her team. This is where Walz could fit into the puzzle. Time will tell if this strategy is successful, as Walz, similar to Harris, has been a longtime supporter of Israel, and American Muslims are wary of separating the issues of combating Islamophobia at home and overseas. The war in Gaza has pushed anti-Muslim hate crimes in the U.S. to record highs.
The White House launch of the National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia in the United States a month after the Israel-Hamas War began was skeptically received by many American Muslims. The initiative is perceived by many as an attempt to distract Muslim and Arab voters from the Biden administration’s staunch support for Israel.
“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.
“To us in Michigan, this is a local issue; many of us had family members who have been killed or maimed, family homes that have been destroyed,” he added.
Still, 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.
Imam Asad Zaman, executive director of 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.”
Ryan Chatila, a Michigan Muslim of Lebanese heritage, is also somewhat optimistic about the Harris-Walz campaign. “When it comes to Kamala Harris, and Palestine, I have seen her make quite a few remarks sympathizing with the Palestinian people and advocating for peace in the Middle East over picking one side,” he said. “So I am feeling pretty confident about how Tim Walz feels about this issue. I think that now that Joe Biden is no longer running, there will be quite a few more American Muslims who feel more confident in voting for Harris.”
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a news conference at the Minnesota state Capitol in St. Paul, Aug. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski, File)
A Michigan Muslim activist who works with the Democratic Party and requested anonymity was not satisfied with Harris’ or Walz’s mere words of sympathy: “There’s a couple of things that are good about him, but there’s not been enough action so far to actually sway people. I think that’s the only way you’re going to get the (Muslim) community to actually change their ideas.” They also expressed a desire for Biden to fulfill promises for a cease-fire, arms embargo, polio vaccines and opening the Rafah border, among other actions that would benefit Palestinians in Gaza.
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 still continue to see the Biden administration completely supporting Israel.”
Nawab also referred to the recent rally in Detroit.
“When (Harris) was interrupted by protesters who were upset about the carnage in Palestine, she gaslighted them, saying that if they really wanted Trump so badly, then they should continue on,” Nawab said. “That tone, that complete lack of empathy for what they were feeling as potential voters … it’s the same system, it’s the same machine, it’s the same agenda.”
Given the skepticism of American Muslims, if Democrats hope to win their votes this November, they will need to do more to assure them of what a Harris-Walz administration would aim to accomplish in Gaza.
(Anna Piela, an American Baptist Churches USA minister, is a visiting scholar of religious studies and gender at Northwestern University and the author of “Wearing the Niqab: Muslim Women in the UK and the US.” She is also the senior writer at American Baptist Home Mission Societies. The views expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone and do not represent the ABCUSA or the American Baptist Home Mission Societies. Nor do they necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)
