Michigan: A group of prominent Muslim leaders joined Donald Trump on stage at a rally in the US state of Michigan to announce their support for the Republican candidate in the presidential elections scheduled for November 5.
The leaders noted the former president’s commitment to ending conflicts.
Imam Bilal Al-Zuhairi told the crowd in the Detroit suburb of Novi: “We as Muslims stand with President Trump because he promises peace, not war.” “We support Donald Trump because he promised to end the war in the Middle East and Ukraine. The bloodshed around the world must stop. “I think this guy can make it happen.”
Trump, in turn, emphasized that Muslim and Arab voters in Michigan and across the country want “to stop the endless wars and return to peace in the Middle East.”
“That’s all they want,” he said.
He highlighted Vice President Kamala Harris’s connection to former Wyoming Republican Representative Liz Cheney, known for her father’s role in promoting the US invasion of Iraq in 2001 and the wars that followed.
Dick and Liz Cheney have endorsed Harris’ candidacy for president.
Regarding the Israeli attack on Gaza since October 7, 2023, Trump previously stated that he would allow Israel to “finish the problem” in its fight against Hamas, indicating his support for Israeli actions in Gaza.
Traditionally supportive of Democrats, Michigan’s Muslim community has increasingly turned against the Biden administration over its unconditional support for Israel, despite the rising civilian death toll in Gaza.
In February, more than 100,000 Democratic voters chose “Uncommitted” in the state’s presidential primary after the “Uncommitted” campaign urged voters to protest President Joe Biden’s Gaza policy as he seeks re-election.
The Democratic Party further strained relations when it rejected a non-committed movement’s request to include an American speaker of Palestinian descent at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago in August.
Adding to the tension, former Michigan congressional candidate Dr. Ahmed Ghanem reported that on Monday he was removed without explanation from an invitation-only Harris event in suburban Detroit.
In response, Harris’ campaign expressed regret. “Our campaign regrets this action and its impact on Dr. Ghanem and the community, and we welcome it at future events,” she said.
About 300,000 people of Middle Eastern and North African descent reside in Michigan, representing 3.1% of the state’s population.
Biden defeated Trump in Michigan in the 2020 presidential race, by just over 150,000 votes, a sharp contrast from 2016, when Trump won by less than 11,000 votes over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.