On a small stage, imams, activists, elected officials and association leaders follow one another to demand a cease-fire as well as an end to American military assistance to Israel. They also take the opportunity to launch an appeal of another kind: to sink the candidacy of Kamala Harris during the presidential election on November 5. “She won’t have our voice because she supports people who kill our people“, launches Osama Siblani, the influential Lebanese boss of The Arab American Newsa reference newspaper in the community. “Our blood is not cheap“.
In this key state in the race for the White House, the Arab population has vowed to make candidate Biden pay for his support for Israel at the polls.
For the inhabitants of Dearborn, a veritable miniature Middle East of 110,000 souls where Palestinians, Lebanese, Yemenis and Iraqis live side by side, war is not a distant reality. More than 140 suburban Detroit residents are stranded in Lebanon. Others have lost their lives there in recent days. Like Hajj Kamel Ahmad Jawad, a resident of Dearborn who returned to his hometown of Nabatieh, in the south of the Cedar country, to help the local population.
A crucial electorate
The vote of the Arab American community, largely Democratic, will be closely monitored on November 5. Indeed, Michigan is one of the seven “swing states” of the presidential election, these key states which determine the outcome of the vote because they can switch to one camp or the other. In 2020, Joe Biden won by some 160,000 votes (out of more than five million voters ). Without the support of the Arab-Muslim electorate, estimated at 200,000 members, Kamala Harris could be in difficulty.
In Dearborn, voting instructions are going well. Founded by several local Democrats, the “Uncommitted” movement, which convinced 100,000 people to vote “white” rather than for Joe Biden last February during the Democratic primaries, sowed confusion. While announcing in September that they would not campaign for Kamala Harris, its leaders urged voters to go to the polls without supporting a third party candidate or Donald Trump, the architect of “Muslim ban“, the inadmissibility for nationals of seven Muslim countries decreed by the Republican in 2017. Which amounts to voting… for Kamala Harris.
Rather an independent candidate
For his part, Hassan Abdel Salam has a more direct message. Professor at the University of Minnesota, he is the co-founder of the “Abandon Harris” movement (formerly “Abandon Biden“) whose objective is to “punish“the “Vice-President” for “the genocide it condones“With the help of volunteers in swing states, he is asking Muslim Democrats to vote for a third-party candidate, like Jill Stein of the Green Party. Doesn’t he risk handing victory to Donald Trump?”If he returns to power, our sacrifice will be nothing compared to a day in Gaza. We will not be tortured, imprisoned, amputated…” he retorts.
Harris and the billionaire have not given up on Dearborn. While the Vice-President’s campaign maintains contacts with several leaders of the Arab community, Donald Trump dispatched his two Democratic allies, former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ., for a conference at the end of September. Michael Boulos, a Lebanese businessman, incidentally the father of one of his sons-in-law, also lends him a hand. Each side has had successes. Kamala Harris obtained the official support of Assad Turfe, the highest-ranking Arab political figure in Wayne County, where Dearborn is located, while Donald Trump won that of the mayor of Hamtramck, a neighboring town. A nice arm of honor to the Democrats from the Yemeni Muslim elected official.
Stronger abstention
None of the voters met in Dearborn intend to vote for the two main candidates. “I won’t even go to the polls this year“, says Rob Soujoude, an American of Lebanese origin met at a demonstration with his son Abraham, 16. Sereen, who hangs Lebanese flags on her car and on her house, has voted Democratic and Republican in the past. This year, she will abstain, however, she predicts that Donald Trump, whom she chose in 2016, will collect a significant number of votes in Dearborn.A lot of people don’t like him, but during his presidency the economy was good. The world was at peace and, unlike the Democrats, no bombs fell on Palestine while he was in the White House“, observe-t-elle.
Danielle Elzayat runs the Amity Foundation, a local humanitarian association. “My conscience prevents me from voting for one of the two. This would amount to condoning the murder of children.“Rather than watching the televised debate between potential vice presidents JD Vance and Tim Walz last Tuesday, she was consoling a friend who had lost a loved one in a bombing in Lebanon.”We have been in mourning for a year.“
Democratic Governor Tim Walz and Republican Senator JD Vance delivered a respectful and calm debate on Tuesday evening.
