Michigan Muslims 'divided' over the election, slam the Biden administration's handling of the war in Gaza
'It’s still divided and a lot of people have a different opinion,' Rezul, a resident of Hamtramck and practicing Muslim, told Fox News Digital
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Arab-Americans and Muslims spoke to Fox News Digital about which presidential candidate they are voting for this upcoming election.
"It’s still divided and a lot of people have a different opinion," said Rezul, a resident of Hamtramck, Michigan, and practicing Muslim.
The Detroit-area suburb Hamtramck is the only majority Muslim town in Michigan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rezul, a "registered Democrat" explained further that though the Biden administration’s handling of domestic policy is "okay," he is still "undecided" on who to vote for.
Muslim voters shared who they are voting for in the presidential election.
He added, "Right now, still am thinking to vote Harris, but… if i think Mr. Trump will do something for what’s going on in Gaza, then probably, I would vote for him."
Mohamed, a mechanic, said that he’s voting for former President Trump, citing inflation and crime.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TRADITIONALLY DEM LEADERS IN KEY MICHIGAN VOTING BLOC DITCH HARRIS, ENDORSE TRUMP
"I look at the four years and there is nothing that’s been better. Everything has been getting worse. War is all over the world. Economy is down. Everything is going bad," he said.
The GOP presidential nominee earned endorsements from "highly respected" Muslim leaders and imams during a campaign rally on Saturday in the battleground state of Michigan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News Digital also asked what the Hamtramck residents thought about their Mayor Amer Ghalib endorsing former President Trump. Ghalib, born in Yemen, was elected in 2021.
According to a report in the Detroit News, Trump held a private 20-minute meeting with the Hamtramck mayor prior to his endorsement in Flint, Michigan.
"He asked me if I can endorse him and ask people to vote for him? I told him: 'I’m here to talk about that and how we can make it happen,'" Ghalib told the Detroit News.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib, 43, in his office at City Hall in Hamtramck, Michigan, Sept. 10, 2023. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
"Well, actually because [Trump] probably was the only one that actually contacted the mayor," Abraham told Fox News Digital, reacting to Ghalib's endorsement of Trump.
Abraham went on to say, "Everybody else automatically thought that they were just numbers and locked in… because they were Democrats they automatically assumed that they were Democrats they were going to automatically vote [for Biden because he’s a Democrat."
Abraham, a Trump supporter, said that he’s voting for Trump because he believes the former president could "stop the war in the Middle East."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Everything he says and everything he do is facts," he added.
TRUMP EARNS ENDORSEMENT FROM 'HIGHLY RESPECTED' MUSLIM LEADERS IN BATTLEGROUND STATE
"[Ghalib] endorsed Trump because he thinks what he’s going to do and what he’s telling us he’s going to do is the right thing. He’s going to stop the war in Gaza—he’s going to stop the war in Ukraine," mechanic Mohamed added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I don’t think everyone will follow him. Every individual has their own interest—their own thinking," Rezul said.
In regard to how the Muslim voters felt about how the Biden administration handled the war in Gaza, they were very displeased by it.
A resident of Dearborn, the home to one of the largest Muslim communities in the United States said that the Biden administration is "funding a genocide in Gaza."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"So just as an American Muslim, I can't support and people like me can't support the current administration and Kamala," Shadi, a Trump supporter, told Fox News Digital.
Anti-Israel demonstrators protest outside the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, on Aug. 11, 2024. (Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images)
Abdou, another Trump supporter, slammed the Biden administration’s handling of the war in Gaza.
"I just don't like what Kamala Harris is doing right now when it comes to like Israel and Palestine. So I don't honestly, I don't know if Trump is going to help too much, but I know he's not going to support it the way she is," Abdou said.
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"We are really disappointed in what happened in Gaza the last one year," Rezul said before saying that the Arab community is concerned about the Muslims "dying in Gaza."
Another Muslim voter, Harth, said that he "never" votes because both political parties are "corrupted" and that he encourages his fellow Muslims not to vote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Biden, he destroyed the reputation of America—he destroyed the democracy of America. He destroyed many things," the Iraqi native said.
President Biden and Vice President Harris have faced pressure from the Arab and Muslim community in the U.S. to implement a ceasefire in Gaza ever since the Israel-Hamas war began over a year ago. Muslim and Arab-Americans protested Biden in the Michigan Democratic primary earlier this year by voting "uncommitted."