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The 2024 Presidential election represents an especially difficult moment for Muslim Americans. Over the last eleven months, we have witnessed over forty thousand Palestinians killed and a population of two million made destitute as a result of Israel’s war on Gaza. The crisis, as experts have warned, is on the verge of spiraling out of control to a broader regional war, and the reputational damage to the United States has been profound. Just this week, Israel has killed hundreds of civilians in Lebanon and injured thousands more. As we grieve with heavy hearts for our brothers and sisters killed in Lebanon, we repeat our demands to the Biden administration to immediately deescalate the situation and call for a permanent ceasefire.
Our strong disagreement with President Biden over the crisis in the Middle East is well known. We ultimately hold him responsible for continuing to supply deadly weapons to Israel that have killed tens of thousands of people, including over 15,000 children. We need new leadership to call for a ceasefire and condition aid to Israel consistent with the Leahy Law to prevent even more horrific attacks.
In November, we have the opportunity to change course and turn our outrage into action.
We are pledging to do all that we can to ensure that the next administration listens to our communities and takes our calls for peace, justice and safety seriously. We know that will not be Donald Trump. We have always been clear-eyed about the danger Trump’s brand of authoritarianism represents for Muslim Americans, America, and the world. This is why in 2020 we embarked on a historic campaign to make sure that Muslim Americans played a decisive role in ensuring that Donald Trump was a one-term president.
To prevent Trump from returning to the White House, Emgage Action is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz for President and Vice President. This endorsement is not an agreement with Vice President Harris on all issues, but rather, an honest guidance to our voters regarding the difficult choice they confront at the ballot box.
Polling indicates that Palestine is top of mind for Muslim Americans across the country. Our Palestinian and Lebanese siblings are top of mind for us too. Since the beginning of the war, Emgage Action has advocated for a ceasefire through principled engagement with political leaders at every level of government. We are committed not only to seeking an end to the current onslaught and to the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel, but also to the culmination of a free Palestinian state. Our team at Emgage Action has been working tirelessly for close to a year, advocating at all levels of government for a ceasefire and addressing the domestic impact of the crisis here where our national fabric has been torn and Muslim and Arab American communities have become targets of discrimination and violent attacks. Learn more about our advocacy efforts here.
Emgage Action is committed to increasing the civic engagement of Muslim Americans in support of principled policies that protect our pluralistic democracy. We view engagement through an Islamic lens in which every life matters, social and economic justice are upheld, and God’s creation is preserved through sound climate policies. We believe that the Harris-Walz ticket provides the better path to advance these values through expanding access to healthcare and education, creating economic opportunities for underserved communities, and preserving programs like Social Security and Medicare, which provide a safety net to millions in need.
We also believe we have a responsibility to defeat Trump, but that belief is not an acquiescence to the status quo. On the contrary, we believe the most effective way to advance our anti-war goals is to block Trump’s fascism and push for the change we want to see. This means that Muslim Americans must turn out in record numbers and not only defeat Trump but refrain from supporting third-party candidates who make a Trump victory more likely. This is especially true in battleground states where the elections will be decided by a small number of votes.
We understand that some Muslim voters feel a moral dilemma in voting for either major party and seek to support third-party candidates who have aligned themselves with our community on the crisis in Palestine. However, a vote for a third-party candidate is the road to victory for Trump. Therefore, we ask Muslim voters to consider the human impact of a second Trump presidency.
In 2016, Trump won Michigan by merely 11,000 votes, Wisconsin by 23,000, and Pennsylvania by 44,000, mainly because of votes cast for third-party candidates. These wins enabled Trump to harm our communities and country in insurmountable ways. Let’s not forget who Trump is – he is funded by pro-settler donors who are pushing for Israeli annexation of the West Bank, he vowed to give Netanyahu what he needs to “finish” the Palestinians, and he has promised to deport pro-Palestinian students and activists who he refers to as “jihadists”. And that’s not all. If elected, Trump has promised to reinstate the Muslim Ban and use Title 42 to turn away asylum seekers from predominantly Black and Muslim countries that he calls “infested” countries.
Simply put, voting for a third-party candidate could bring even more harm to Muslim communities in America and abroad. This is a decision that we cannot afford to make.
This election will define the future of our country and the state of Muslim Americans for years to come. It is up to us to vote for the future we want.
Our work at Emgage Action is rooted in the Islamic values of justice, mercy, peace, human dignity, and equality for all. We believe in the transformative power of political and civic participation, and we are guided by the collective strength of our diverse Muslim community. We believe in our pluralistic democracy and embrace all individuals, regardless of the type of Islam they observe or how frequently they practice, ensuring that everyone sees themselves reflected in our work. We show up for the oppressed and those in pain, stand firm against all forms of injustice, and work tirelessly for the shared liberation of all people. Our commitment to justice, equity, inclusion, and humanity drives us to make change happen, ensuring that every voice is heard and every person can live with dignity, safety, and freedom.
No politician or political party is perfect, but this year, the differences between the Democratic and Republican presidential tickets are profound. While certain third-party candidates have aligned themselves with our community, we are clear-eyed that none of them have a realistic pathway to victory in November.
In 2016, Trump won Michigan by 11,000 votes mainly because some voters cast their votes for Jill Stein and other third-party candidates. These votes led Trump to victory and enabled him to harm our communities in insurmountable ways. Simply put, voting for a third-party candidate is a conscious decision to help Trump win again. A decision we cannot afford to make.
As it stands today, the most effective way to change policy and advance peace, justice and ensure Palestinian self-determination is to push the Democratic Party. Trump and Republicans who have notoriously been missing from calls for a ceasefire will maintain the status quo on Palestine, further enable Israel’s destruction of Gaza and the illegal occupation of the West Bank.
There are those who say that voting third-party will punish the Democrats and teach them a lesson, but our communities –– both home and abroad –– will be the ones punished and caused the most harm by another four years of Trump’s fascism. We join those who are against casting votes for third-party candidates to prevent another Trump presidency.
Endorsement doesn’t mean approval or acquiescence, we are escalating the urgency of defeating Trump while holding Vice President Harris and all elected officials accountable to peace, justice and safety for Muslims in the U.S and abroad. Although we have policy differences with Vice President Harris, our endorsement is rooted in a profound sense of urgency and strategic necessity to prevent a second Trump presidency.
We are approaching this election with both pragmatism and conviction. Choosing not to engage or allowing division will only embolden those who seek to harm our communities and weaken our collective power.
Our work will not end with Harris and Walz in the White House – that’s where we can start to fight for change.
Palestine: We hold President Biden ultimately responsible for continuing to supply deadly weapons to Israel that have killed tens of thousands of people, including over 15,000 children. We are committed to leveraging our endorsement to advocate with Vice President Harris, should she win, for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, conditioning aid to Israel consistent with the Leahy Law, making significant commitments to the reconstruction of Gaza, and more seriously backing Palestinian liberation.
By contrast, Trump has not supported a ceasefire and called President Biden a “bad Palestinian” for not supporting Israel even more. A second Trump presidency would be devastating for Palestinians and for the prospects of peace. It was Trump’s misguided efforts that bypassed Palestinian rights through the Abrahamic Accords and pushed for normalization between Israel and its Arab neighbors that contributed to the current nightmare in Gaza. He emboldened Netanyahu and his extremist ministers by recognizing Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights in contravention of UN resolutions and international law. And we have heard Trump and his senior advisors promise to double-down on this policy which will further displace Palestinians.
Authoritarianism: Trump has promised to weaponize the power of the state against political opponents and dissidents in ways not seen since the McCarthy era. He has pledged to target attorney generals and prosecutors involved in his multitude of criminal and civil lawsuits, to replace thousands of civil servants with political loyalists, and to deport pro-Palestinian students and activists who he refers to as jihadists. Republicans are already targeting Muslim and other civil society organizations for their pro-Palestinian advocacy by seeking to revoke their tax exempt status, a move that will only intensify under a Trump presidency. His divisive rhetoric and disdain for diversity will deepen our polarization at a time when we need to come together for the sake of our children and the future of our country. Enabling authoritarianism on American soil will cause irreparable damage to our pluralistic democracy.
The Muslim Ban: Donald Trump signed the first Muslim Ban during the first week of his presidency. The Muslim Ban represented a wholesale assault against our immigration system that specifically sought to limit or prevent immigration from predominantly Muslim and African countries namely Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. By contrast, the Biden-Harris administration ended the Muslim Ban on day one in office and sought to rebuild our refugee and asylum system, including by expediting the resettlement of vulnerable refugees. This includes increasing the cap of refugees admitted to the United States to 125,000, an increase of over 100,000 from the Trump administration. Over 50% of these refugees have come from countries such as Somalia, Sudan, Burma, Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. If elected again, Trump has vowed to reinstate many of his first-term policies, including the Muslim ban and the use of Title 42 to turn away asylum seekers.
Islamophobia: Since Israel’s war on Gaza, there has been a sharp increase in Islamophobia and anti-Arab hate. Trump and the majority of elected Republicans that push anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies will only exasperate rising Islamophobia. By contrast, the Biden-Harris administration has worked to fight anti-Muslim bigotry through the first-ever National Strategy to Combat Islamophobia, which would seek to address systemic discrimination and targeting of Muslims through government actions and policies, such as the Watch List, No Fly List, excessive security vetting, and other discriminatory measures. Still, we note that President Biden’s policy on Gaza and his lack of empathy toward Palestinian suffering has contributed to a rise in Islamophobic rhetoric and attacks not seen since the aftermath of 9/11. With our endorsement, we vow to push Vice President Harris to take clear action on addressing the root causes of Islamophobia.
Muslim inclusion: Vice President Harris will continue with the historic trend set by the current administration of including more Muslims in her administration and throughout the government. Under the Biden-Harris administration, hundreds of qualified Muslim Americans have been appointed to various positions in the federal government, including a historic 15 who were Senate-confirmed. This number includes two federal judges and three who are awaiting Senate confirmation. Under Trump, only one Muslim American was appointed to a Senate confirmed position. People are policy and we intend to leverage this endorsement to ensure that more values-aligned individuals serve in the next administration.
Gun Violence: Gun violence is a public health crisis that impacts every American community but historically marginalized communities bear the brunt of the violence. For the Muslim American community, persistent gun violence and rising Islamophobia in the wake of Israel’s war on Gaza poses a significant threat to the safety of our communities. More than 65% of Muslim Americans believe that current laws covering the sale of firearms should be stricter.
Vice President Harris supports universal background checks, ending online sales of guns and ammunition, and closing loopholes that allow individuals with histories of stalking, domestic abuse, and certain violent crimes to purchase firearms. She also supports banning the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines to reduce the firepower available for mass shootings and other violent incidents. Trump, however, opposes these measures and has pledged to do away with any meaningful gun safety legislation enacted by the Biden-Harris administration. Vice Presidential-nominee, J.D. Vance has consistently rejected calls for tougher gun laws and has been praised by the NRA for his strong stance on gun rights.
Climate Change: We have seen first hand the toll of climate change on predominantly Muslim countries from the floods in Pakistan that submerged a third of the country under water, to years long droughts in Morocco, and record breaking heat in the Middle East that pushed the limit of human survival.
Climate change impacts every human being and all other forms of life on earth – we must protect all of Allah’s creation and take an active role in combating our warming climate.
The Biden-Harris Administration signed the Inflation Reduction Act to combat climate change by investing in renewable energy, promoting clean technology, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Vice President Harris is committed to building a clean energy economy that ensures equity by creating jobs in renewable energy, improving infrastructure, and addressing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on marginalized communities. Trump has called climate change a “hoax” and rolled back over 100 environmental regulations aimed at reducing emissions during his presidency. If elected, he plans to continue this approach which will inevitably lead to an uninhabitable world.
Economic Justice: The Muslim American community is as diverse as the country itself and faces the same economic challenges and discrimination as other marginalized communities. Data shows that Muslims were the most likely faith community to report low income, with one third of Muslim households in America at or below the federal poverty level, making a combined annual income of less than $30,000.
Faced with low-wages, systemic discrimination in housing, education and jobs, Muslim Americans across the country rely on social safety net programs such as medicaid, SNAP (formerly food stamps), and WIC, just to survive. Vice President Harris is committed to continuing and expanding these programs, while Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are committed to cutting them. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the USDA has worked to address gaps in meeting the needs of low-income individuals and families seeking cultural foods and expanding access to halal foods. In his first term former President Trump attempted to kill the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) 60 times and provided tax cuts to the wealthiest one percent of Americans while slashing budgets that benefit low-income and economically disadvantaged communities.
Vice President Harris has also set forth plans to bring down inflation, help with soaring housing costs, and improve access to health care and education. As the deciding vote for the American Rescue Plan she has already demonstrated her commitment to uplift the most needy amongst us. Her plan also set a goal of 25 million new small businesses in the next four years and the financial tools to help these startups and existing businesses grow.
