If I were a Muslim Arab American living in heavily Muslim Dearborn, Mich. — and I am registered Democratic as almost all of them are — I probably would have voted “uncommitted” in Tuesday’s primary. (And 56% of that community did.)
It would have been fun as a protest — in the primary — but who am I kidding?
On Nov. 5, I will vote for Joe Biden.
Why? Because the other guy is whom Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib referred to when she charmingly shouted, “We’re gonna impeach the motherfucker.” Standing at her side was her 10-year-old son, who she’d probably buy a Hasbro paraglider for Ramadan.
The MFer is Donald J. Trump, in case you forgot, who once tried to impose a ban on Muslims entering the country. Yes, some argue it was a ban on Muslims from certain nations, as if all Muslims from those nations were terrorists.
The details don’t matter. What does matter is the Muslim Arab Democrats of Dearborn think it was a Muslim ban.
So will they vote for Trump?
No.
Will they sit on the couch in November and allow their inaction to permit Trump to win Michigan?
Again, no — and I guarantee the pottymouth Ms. Tlaib will be bullhorning Arabs to get to the polls.
And I, as a Muslim Arab American living in Dearborn, would go to the polls, maybe hold my nose, and vote for Joe Biden.
The call to vote “uncommitted” was heeded by 13.3% of Michigan voters Tuesday, which doesn’t seem like much. But — let’s crunch the numbers.
Of Michigan’s 8.2 million registered voters, 200,000 are Muslim. In 2020, Biden won Michigan with 50.6%, a margin of 154,488.
Because Muslims are only 2.4% of the electorate, 13.3% is a pretty impressive number, but Michiganders still gave Biden 81.1%. Muslims obviously had support from other voters, such as younger voters, who also don’t like Biden’s Mideast policy. And they are wrong.
And the Muslim voters mad at him for “backing Israel” in the Mideast war? They are wrong, too.
Why?
Because Israel is our ally, and Gaza-controlling Hamas is a gang of murdering Islamic terrorists.
Because Israel is a vibrant democracy and Hamas hasn’t had an election since 2006. The Palestinian Authority hasn’t had an election since the same year.
But wait! The PA did schedule elections for May 2021.
What happened?
Good news and bad news.
The good news was the announcement — finally! — of an election. The bad news was that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas “postponed” the election for fear that Hamas — the terrorist gang — would have won a majority.
Just imagine what Palestine would be like if that happened.
I fully understand the Arab Muslim community is reacting to the almost 30,000 Gazan deaths since Israel began its campaign.
It is horrific. Almost anyone would be moved by it.
But — like it or not — American Arab Muslims must be reminded who started the war.
That was Hamas, which knew Israel would retaliate with ferocity to the greatest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust.
Hamas knew that and did it anyway, for political gain. Hamas’ hands are coated with blood.
American Arab Muslims — and I use this phrase to separate them from other ethnic Muslims — like it or not, are roughly in the same position as American Germans and Japanese during World War II. Like it or not, the leaders of their homelands started the war and, in the long run, their civilians suffered the consequences.
American Arab Muslims — and foolish others — are demanding an unconditional cease fire to stop the killing. Israel will not agree to that, and shouldn’t. America will back Israel, and should.
Why?
We could have a cease fire today if Hamas surrendered, as did Germany and Japan.
An unconditional cease fire — like the one that was in place when Hamas started the Oct. 7 massacre — would leave Hamas in control and Hamas has said repeatedly it would attack Israel again. Do you expect Israel to accept that?
Of course not.
What the American Arab Muslim community should do, to end the war, is demand that Hamas terrorists surrender. But how can that happen when Tlaib voted against a bill to bar Hamas members from the U.S.? Only one other House member voted with her.
American Arab Muslims are good people, right?
They believe in democracy, right?
They oppose terrorism, right?
They want to end Gazan suffering, right?
Then they should drop the dead-end “uncommitted” nonsense and demand that Hamas surrender.
Again, excellent point-counterpoint. But addressing the last line of your essay I say fat chance.
Try to remember the Muslim religion that teaches if you are not Muslim, you are an infidel, and all infidels must die. It’s what they teach, it’s what they believe. Sort of like what the mustachioed paperhanger from Austria taught about Aryans.
And yet other parts of the Quran say the opposite. Like the Bible, both sides can find quotes that support them.
I see nowhere in the Bible where it says to kill all those who are not Jews or Christians. Always willing to learn something, so if you can site the appropriate text applicable today, I am happy to be corrected.
Quran does not say “kill Jews and Christians.”
It DOES mention Jesus and Moses as prophets. Other portions may say put nonbelievers to the sword. The Christian Bible allows killing and slavery.
Christian Bible is used to promote racial equality, but also segregation, through selective quotation.
The Christian Bible (or ‘the sequel’ as my friend Allan calls it) allowed (past tense) killing and slavery. The Quran is current; i.e., it is its rulings are for TODAY, not thousands of years ago. When Sharia law becomes the law of land in the USA, we will see where the Quran leads its flock.
You ACTUALLY believe U.S. will install Sharia law? Your lifetime? After Trump’s third term?
Biden is the reason the war started.in the first place. He.lifted sanctions on Iran and changed our energy policies. The price of a barrel of oil more than doubled. This enriched Iran and made it possible for them to support Hamas. It also enriched Russia and made it possible for them to invade Ukraine. Biden in my opinion is responsible for these 2 wars. The world was a much safer place when Trump was president.
Actually, under Fuhrer Trump, oil prices doubled. Trump also watered down sanctions Obama imposed on Russia in 2014 after Russia invaded Crimea. The Biden economy is blowing the Trump economy away. Far right wingnuts like you don’t know wtf you’re talking about.
Glad someone says it straight up – They started it!”May sound simple and dry but that is the fact: Hamas started it. “ Hamas knew that and did it anyway, for political gain. Hamas’ hands are coated with blood.” – that is all there is to be said on the ongoing war.
Regarding elections, the past 2 decades have seen an increase in “come home” voters in the general. Fact is most Haley voters will come home for Trump & most “uncommitted” & other lukewarm supporters will come home to Biden. One of the two may have a slightly greater chink in their armor in their party. Biden certainly has some but not nearly as bad as Hillary did in 2016. Trump may have a little more vulnerability there – there is a sliver – small but enough to make a difference – that voted for him last couple times but just wants to move on from him now & could sit this one out.
I agree with the bulk of your post, though I don’t think it will happen. What I’ll address is the first part about voting in the primary. I’m a Democrat and here in Texas I cast my vote for Dean Phillips. Why? Because he’s the only name I recognized other than Joe Biden. But like voting uncommitted, it was a protest vote based on my view that Biden is simply too old run again. He’s gotten some things right, some things wrong, like just about every President we’ve had. But come November, in the expected 2020 rematch, I’ll vote for him.
I agree with AB the most of the protest votes in the primaries, both for Phillips, or uncommitted, or for Nikki Haley, will come home. It’s that sliver that will never vote for Trump that I’m counting on to make a close election swing in the direction of sanity. We’re still looking at a vote between someone lacking full mental acuity vs one lacking decent morals. Sad but these are the best choices we’re giving ourselves.
Excellent political cartoon by Chip Bok. Hamas=Nazis.
Stu,
Great research. You back your opinion well.
Terrific column.
Thanks
Very well said!