American Muslims face difficult voting choices as Harris and Trump support Israel

As the US moves into the the final phase of voting to elect a president for the next four years, American Muslims face a dilemma in endorsing either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, as both  candidates support Israel amid Gaza genocide. 

According to latest surveys, Kamala Harris from the Democrats and Donald Trump from the Republicans are running closely, separated by only a few percentage points.

However, both candidates have avoided engaging directly with Muslim voters, as Biden’s policies toward Palestine and Trump’s support for Israel have created a division between the presidential candidates and the Muslim electorate.

“I love this country, but I will tell you, we have never been so disappointed in this country as we are now,” Associate Press quoted a Muslim voter, Nabih H Ayad, chairman of the Arab American Civil Rights League, as saying.

“We wanted to allow the Democratic party to do something, and they have not,” he said.

“The one line we can not cross, is genocide,” said Ayad while expressing disenchanting over Democrats’ candidate Harris.

The situation indicates that the Democrats will pay a steep political price for supporting Israel in its military operation against armless Palestinians in Gaza.

This situation indicates that the Democrats may pay a steep political price for their support of Israel's military operations against defenseless Palestinians in Gaza.

Community members who traditionally supported the Democrats are now either prepared to oppose Kamala due to the high death toll of 43,000 Palestinians in Gaza due to Israeli military offensive. 

While some are reluctantly willing to accept Trump’s return to the White House, despite fears of revived discrimination against Muslims both in Gaza and the US

However, Trump has secured many Muslim areas in the US, including from two Democratic mayors who represent Muslim Majority cities outside Detroit, as Trump demanded during his campaigns “a stop to the endless war”, and recalled Abraham Accords that Israel signed with several Arab countries during his presidency.

On the other hand, Meanwhile, Trump has garnered some support in Muslim-populated areas across the U.S., including endorsements from two Democratic mayors representing Muslim-majority cities outside Detroit. Trump has advocated for “an end to endless wars” and referenced the Abraham Accords, which Israel signed with several Arab nations during his presidency.

Conversely, Harris has embraced former Republican Liz Cheney, a conservative whose father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, was a major force behind the US invasion of Iraq.

Nonetheless, many Muslim voters and leaders, while critical of Kamala Harris, also hesitate to endorse Trump, recalling his call for a “total and complete shutdown" on Muslims entering the country.