Washington/Islamabad (TDI): American Muslims, a diverse and growing demographic, seek political representation, influencing 2024 US Presidential election with concern on foreign policy.
For the first time in history a large number of Muslim voters (53%) in America are inclined to third option in the elections, though some national polls show a slight favor for former President Trump as well, according to latest surveys.
In the past, they were a solidly Democratic voting bloc, especially in the years following 9/11 and given Trump’s overtly anti-Muslim rhetoric.
According to new poll released by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), topping the list of candidates now is neither Ms. Harris nor Trump, but Ms. Stein of the Green Party who has garnered a majority of the Muslim vote.
On its part, CAIR has not taken a position on the two main candidates but has urged Muslims to vote in large number and become a factor in the election.
Ms. Jill Stein of the Green Party leads with 42% of the Muslim vote versus Ms. Kamala Devi Harris (Democratic Party) at 41% and Trump (Republican Party) at 10%. Stein has been vocal about her criticism of Israel’s policies in the Middle East.
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With a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points, however, that puts Ms. Stein in a dead heat with Ms. Harris, just as the two were in CAIR’s August survey when Ms. Harris had a slight lead with 29.4% of the Muslim vote to Ms. Stein’s 29.1%. Support for Trump dropped slightly from August, where the former president totaled 11.2%.
Fresh surveys and reports suggested that Muslim and Arab voters remained divided on the candidates as both, Trump and Harris, support Israeli war in Gaza that has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, most women and children.
American Muslims are very angry with the Biden administration – and, by extension, Ms. Harris, for failing to stop Israel from its genocidal campaign in the Middle East.
Now a section of American-Muslims seem willing to overlook Trump’s history of closeness with Israel’s hard-right leaders.
“If, and when, they say, when I’m president, the US will once again be stronger and closer [to Israel] than it ever was,” Trump said last week. “I will support Israel’s right to win its war.”
Yet some national polls show Muslim-Americans slightly favoring the former president; others are increasingly vocal in support of the third outfit in the field — Green party’s Jill Stein, a socialist who has been sharply critical of US blind to Israel and the genocidal war against Gaza.
Both Trump and Ms. Harris visited states such as Michigan, Arizona and Texas where Muslims are concentrated in parts of those states.
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Meanwhile, the Pakistani-American Public Affairs Committee (PAKPAC USA) has already endorsed Donald Trump, the former president.
