Polls in US Show Palestinian & Islamic Orgs Played Crucial Role in Biden’s Victory

By: Baruch Yedid

Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim institutions and activists played an important role in Joe Biden’s victory in the US’ 2020 elections and especially in the swing states, according to a series of polls conducted in recent days in the US.

The polls show that a long line of campaigns, led by Muslim and Arab activists and aimed at encouraging voting in Arab and Muslim communities, especially in states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania, have helped Biden win the election.

Polls confirm that 70% of Arab and Muslim voters, including 80,000 Americans of Arab descent in Michigan, supported Biden with the help of campaigns led by Palestinian activists and institutions.

A survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) shows that in the last election, an unprecedented record of 84% of Muslims voted. Of those, 69% voted for Democrats and only 17% voted for Republicans.

CAIR said that about one million Muslims participated in the election process.

Another poll by the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services in Dearborn, Michigan, shows that 70,000 Arabs voted for Biden in the state.

In Texas, Florida, and Wisconsin, there were campaigns in which Palestinian organizations took part, and these included phone calls that encouraged voters to go to the polls and requests to donate money to pro-Palestinian candidates for Congress and local institutions.

Other polls show that over the past four years, the American Muslim support for Donald Trump has increased by 10%, mainly due to his conservative views on family issues.

The high turnout among Arab and Muslim communities in support of the Democrats should also be attributed to the close relationship between the Democratic Party and these minorities and the promises of aid to the Palestinian Authority.

Biden’s campaigning in Muslim communities and among the Muslim Brotherhood in the US is also a primary factor.

President-elect Biden has promised that with his inauguration on January 20, he will repeal the presidential decree signed by President Trump in 2017 banning entry into the US for citizens of 13 Muslim countries, including Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

The protest against the ban was led by the Islamic organizations in the US, including CAIR and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), which were joined by Palestinian organizations with the assistance of members of Congress, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.

On the eve of the election, Kamala Harris, the Vice President-elect, announced that she intends to renew economic aid to the Palestinian Authority and renew diplomatic relations, which were suspended by PA head Mahmoud Abbas in protest of Trump’s steps. Harris made the remarks to Arab journalists in Michigan as part of a campaign led by Palestinian activists.

Palestinian and Islamic organizations in the US expect immediate change. Dr. Sinan Shakdeh, one of the leaders in the campaign for Biden, said in media interviews that the voices from the Islamic and Palestinian communities played a crucial role in Biden’s victory and stressed that Palestinian communities united in an effort to overthrow Trump.

Shakdeh said that Muslims in the United States now expect that Biden will lead a fight against Islamophobia in the US.

Commentators estimate that Muslim organizations expect a resurgence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the US, as it did in the days of President Barack Obama.

“I can confirm that the Palestinian community not only participated in the voting, but also contributed to the fundraising campaigns in support of Biden and candidates for Congress and local parliaments that support Palestinian rights,” Shakdeh said.

Shakdeh referred to the pioneering role of Palestinian institutions and activists in Trump’s overthrowing and in Biden’s victory, saying that the Biden administration recognizes this role and has met several times with Palestinian institutions, in meetings attended by senior Biden advisers and Palestinians presenting their demands.

A group of representatives with pro-Palestinian positions and those who support the imposition of sanctions on Israel is forming in the US Congress. This group includes Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Amar, Cori Bush, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Mondaire Jones, Jamaal Bowman and Marie Newman.

Representatives of members of Palestinian descent, including Iman Judoh of Colorado, Athena Suleiman of Arizona, Fady Qaddoura of Indiana and Ibrahim Samirah of Virginia, will also now serve in local congress.

Alongside them were Muslims who are considered supporters of the Palestinian issue, including Hodan Hassan, Mohamud Noor and Omar Fateh from Minnesota.

Biden has put a lot of effort and has operated in large concentrations of Muslims, especially in Michigan. In this context, it should be noted that during his election campaign, Biden also assisted activists affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, including those who held positions in the Obama administration.

   (TPS)