{"id":8271,"date":"2026-08-04T01:36:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T01:36:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/08\/04\/from-trump-to-el-sayed-us-arabs-in-michigan-centre-palestine-in-politics\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T01:36:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T01:36:41","slug":"from-trump-to-el-sayed-us-arabs-in-michigan-centre-palestine-in-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/08\/04\/from-trump-to-el-sayed-us-arabs-in-michigan-centre-palestine-in-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"From Trump to El-Sayed: US Arabs in Michigan centre Palestine in politics"},"content":{"rendered":"<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p><strong>Dearborn, Michigan \u2013<\/strong> Yemeni-American activist <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/11\/2\/why-many-arab-voters-in-michigan-are-flocking-to-trump-ahead-of-us-election\">Samraa Luqman<\/a> has no regrets about voting for President Donald Trump in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>While the United States president has been a disappointment to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/1\/27\/war-criminal-arab-americans-rebuff-biden-campaign-outreach-over-gaza\">Arab Americans<\/a> in Michigan with his pro-war and anti-immigration policies, she stressed that it was untenable for the community to vote for Democrats as Israel\u2019s genocide unfolded in Gaza.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 3 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/8\/1\/us-arabs-eye-historic-senate-win-for-abdul-el-sayed-despite-aipac-attacks\">US Arabs eye \u2018historic\u2019 Senate win for Abdul El-Sayed despite AIPAC attacks<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/video\/the-listening-post\/2026\/8\/2\/israels-influence-industry-in-the-us\">Israel\u2019s influence industry in the US<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/8\/2\/how-much-has-aipac-spent-against-michigans-abdul-el-sayed-and-why\">How much has AIPAC spent against Michigan\u2019s Abdul El-Sayed? And why?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>\u201cThere had to be accountability for the genocide. We\u2019re OK with what we voted for,\u201d Luqman told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said from the beginning, I\u2019m willing to live through another four years of Trump, that we expected him to be bad on our issues, but it was a pill we were willing to swallow in order to hold the Democratic Party accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luqman is not alone.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Trump\u2019s staunchly pro-Israel policies and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/6\/6\/100-days-into-the-war-on-iran-trump-fails-to-rally-us-support\">unpopular war<\/a> on Iran, many say supporting Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in 2024 was out of the question, and it was the right choice for the community to break with the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI could not \u2013 with a good heart, good conscience \u2013 tell someone to vote for Kamala Harris or Donald Trump\u201d, but the approach of \u201clesser of two evils\u201d no longer works to sway Arab voters, Hussein Dabajeh, a prominent political strategist in the Detroit area, home to large Arab and Muslim communities, told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats\u2019 popularity amongst Arab Americans nosedived in 2024 as President Joe Biden ignored calls to compel a ceasefire in Gaza and continued to provide Israel with weapons and military aid as it killed tens of thousands in Palestine <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/features\/2025\/9\/17\/lebanons-terrible-year-from-exploding-pagers-to-israeli-occupation\">and Lebanon<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Then, Vice President Harris refused even to consider an arms embargo against Israel.<\/p>\n<p>As a result of these policies, many Arab Americans, who had been reliable Democratic voters for years, ditched the party and refused to support Harris in her presidential bid.<\/p>\n<p>Trump swept in, presented himself as a \u201cpeace\u201d candidate, and his campaign forged ties with Arab community advocates.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"trump-s-policies\">Trump\u2019s policies<\/h2>\n<p>At a rally in Michigan ahead of the 2024 vote, Trump brought local Muslim imams to the stage and praised the community.<\/p>\n<p>The Republican leader also visited the predominantly Arab and Muslim Detroit suburb of Dearborn ahead of the election.<\/p>\n<p>Trump ended up winning Michigan as many Arab voters in the Dearborn area refused to back Harris. Some voted for him, while others voted for a third party, left the top of the ticket blank, or skipped the election altogether.<\/p>\n<p>According to an Al Jazeera analysis of election results in heavily Arab precincts in east Dearborn, about 45 percent of the votes went to Trump, 29 percent to Green Party candidate Jill Stein, and 16 percent to Harris.<\/p>\n<p>As president, Trump allowed Israel to continue its <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/8\/2\/israel-kills-five-in-gaza-despite-trumps-hamas-disarmament-plan\">attacks on Gaza<\/a> and Lebanon and launched an unprovoked war against Iran that has sent petrol prices soaring.<\/p>\n<p>He has also intensified the crackdown on Palestinian rights advocacy at home with a campaign to deport noncitizen <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/24\/us-court-affirms-release-of-pro-palestine-scholar-as-legal-battle-continues\">student activists<\/a> critical of Israel.<\/p>\n<p>In February, he also terminated <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/2\/17\/yemeni-americans-feel-betrayed-as-trump-revokes-immigration-protections\">immigration protections<\/a> for Yemeni nationals, sowing fear and uncertainty in a community where many leaders had endorsed him in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Asked how Arab Americans feel about Trump now, Dabajeh said: \u201cThey hate him. There\u2019s no other way of putting it. I don\u2019t think there is a single person I know that voted for Trump from the Arab and Muslim community specifically that looks at what Trump is doing and is happy with what he\u2019s doing, or what he\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-genocide-matured-us\">\u2018The genocide matured us\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Many Arab Americans stress that withholding support for Harris in 2024 was not out of love for Trump.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one understands the horrors of Trump\u2019s policy more than us. We were his first victims in 2017,\u201d said Amer Zahr, a comedian and Dearborn Board of Education trustee.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after starting his first term in 2017, Trump implemented a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/6\/5\/which-countries-are-on-trumps-travel-ban-list-and-who-will-be-affected\">travel ban<\/a> on several Muslim-majority countries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one is more aware of the harm that Trump can cause than we are,\u201d Zahr added. \u201cBut the genocide matured us in a way that we finally got to the point where we were willing to tell politicians \u2018no\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the election season returns to Michigan, Arab Americans once again find themselves at a political crossroads.<\/p>\n<p>The community is rallying behind Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed \u2013 who had previously endorsed Harris \u2013 but some are keeping their political options open.<\/p>\n<p>Luqman, the Yemeni activist, said she will certainly vote for El-Sayed and Congresswoman <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/11\/14\/rashida-tlaib-introduces-us-congress-resolution-to-recognise-gaza-genocide\">Rashida Tlaib<\/a> \u2013 who are outspoken critics of Israel \u2013 in the Democratic primary on Tuesday and in the general elections in November.<\/p>\n<p>Luqman said Democratic voters\u2019 support for progressive candidates will help the party regain credibility with Arab voters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose are things that do bring the Democratic Party a little bit of relevance and credibility within our community,\u201d Luqman told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt has kind of brought the community back to centre, whereas they were kind of swinging to the right by a large margin.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4826962\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4826962\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260801_171730-1785789505.jpg?resize=770%2C578&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Political strategist Hussein Dabajeh says many Arab Americans in Michigan \u2018hate\u2019 Trump and his policies\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4826962\">Political strategist Hussein Dabajeh says many Arab Americans in Michigan \u2018hate\u2019 Trump and his policies [Ali Harb\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"palestine-or-bust\">Palestine or bust<\/h2>\n<p>While some political commentators have been questioning why US support for Israel has become a decisive issue in US politics, particularly Democratic primaries, the answer in the Arab community is clear.<\/p>\n<p>Advocates say domestic policy takes a backseat when their loved ones are being killed, and their hometowns are being wiped out by their own tax dollars via military aid to Israel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGaza and Palestine and Middle Eastern issues have now become the forefront, the top of everybody\u2019s issues, and it\u2019s become a red line for my community,\u201d Luqman said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo if you\u2019re a Republican or Democrat and you hate <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/8\/2\/how-much-has-aipac-spent-against-michigans-abdul-el-sayed-and-why\">AIPAC<\/a> and you value Palestinians\u2019 rights to self-determination, then you\u2019re going to be getting our vote, regardless of what party you\u2019re in,\u201d she said, referencing the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobby group.<\/p>\n<p>Zahr echoed that message.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople want us not to be single-issue voters. In other words, they want us to forgo our main issue, get screwed on it, watch our families die because Trump\u2019s bad, and accept all that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, we said \u2018no\u2019. The blood of the children of Gaza had to mean something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span>Zahr emphasised that Arab Americans are not alone in centring Palestine in their electoral choices, pointing to the defeats that pro-Israel incumbents have suffered\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/6\/24\/wins-by-mamdani-backed-candidates-deal-blow-to-pro-israel-camp-in-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">across the map<\/a> in this primary season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve gotten to a point where if somebody says, \u2018Stop bombing hospitals\u2019, everyone knows you\u2019re talking about Israel. That\u2019s because of Israel. That\u2019s not because of us. That\u2019s because of what Israel did,\u201d he told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd so, people are keying into the truth. And when you learn the truth, something that comes along with that is you learn that you\u2019ve been lied to, and you get angry. A lot of righteous anger is pushing a lot of this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dabajeh, the political strategist, said that while Arab voters care about the economy, affordability and infrastructure \u2013 like all Americans \u2013 they cannot overlook US policy on Israel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre we supposed to call our family members overseas and be like, \u2018Listen, khalto [auntie], this guy over here that\u2019s running for office might kill some of your neighbours, might kill some of your kids, but don\u2019t worry about it, he\u2019s going to take care of the flooding in our homes\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not going to work. We can\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"islamophobia-and-racism\">Islamophobia and racism<\/h2>\n<p>Republicans tried to court Arab and Muslim voters in 2024 and capitalise on the discontent over Gaza policies, but now, many conservatives have returned to demonising the community as an electoral strategy.<\/p>\n<p>Weeks after he was elected, Trump endorsed Randy Fine, a Florida politician with a history of anti-Muslim statements, for Congress. Fine would go on to win and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/12\/10\/us-congressman-randy-fine-suggests-palestinians-should-be-destroyed-first\">call for<\/a> the \u201cdestruction\u201d of all Muslims.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Republican governors in Florida and Texas <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/12\/9\/muslim-group-cair-to-sue-florida-governor-ron-desantis-over-terror-label\">have designated<\/a> the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a \u201cterrorist\u201d group.<\/p>\n<p>In Michigan, Republican Congressman John James, who is running for governor, has also pledged to blacklist the group.<\/p>\n<p>Luqman said James had spoken to community members and promised to engage voters in Dearborn before that announcement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was a really big opportunity for the Republican Party to solidify the swing of the pendulum, if you will, and they lost that option. They really missed that opportunity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dearborn, Michigan \u2013 Yemeni-American activist Samraa Luqman has no regrets about voting for President Donald Trump in 2024. While the United States president has been a disappointment to Arab Americans in Michigan with his pro-war and anti-immigration policies, she stressed that it was untenable for the community to vote for Democrats as Israel\u2019s genocide unfolded &#8230; <a title=\"From Trump to El-Sayed: US Arabs in Michigan centre Palestine in politics\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/08\/04\/from-trump-to-el-sayed-us-arabs-in-michigan-centre-palestine-in-politics\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about From Trump to El-Sayed: US Arabs in Michigan centre Palestine in politics\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}