Muslim Americans deserve a lot of praise for playing a prominent role in relation to the efforts aimed at reining in the growing belligerence of Israel against Palestinians.
That the US is the principal backer of the Benjamin Netanyahu government with President Joe Biden seeking to brighten re-election prospects through blind support to Israel is a fact.
According to media reports, Muslim Americans and some Democratic Party activists have said that they will work to mobilize millions of Muslim voters to withhold donations and votes towards President Joe Biden’s 2024 reelection unless he takes immediate steps to secure a Gaza ceasefire.
The National Muslim Democratic Council, which includes Democratic Party leaders from hotly contested states likely to decide the election, such as Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, has pointed out through a letter entitled “2023 Ceasefire Ultimatum,” that “Your [President Biden’s] administration’s unconditional support, encompassing funding and armaments, has played a significant role in perpetuating the violence that is causing civilian casualties and has eroded trust in voters who previously put their faith in you.”
What is equally important to note is the fact that there are 3.7 million Arab Muslim and non-Muslim Americans who have reacted very strongly against President Biden’s “rock solid and unwavering support” for Israel.
According to the Arab American Institute, President Biden’s approach to the current Middle East conflict has prompted a dramatic plummeting of Arab American voter support for him. His support has declined from 59 percent in 2020 to 17 percent today.
How ironic it is that an elderly Biden has chosen a decision that has immensely contributed to killing of over 8,000 Palestinians so far. In other words, he, too, is equally responsible for causing human misery in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
President Biden seems to have lost his marbles. No doubt, his ideas and behavior are very strange, as if he has become insane.
May be, he’s too clever by half—always talking of democracy, freedom, liberty, equality, justice and opportunity. Now he appears to be nothing but a calculating and opportunist politician.
Hamid Shafik Galal (Cairo, Egypt)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023