Dr. Sami Al-Arian says it should be clear that the Arab and Muslim American voter cannot with a clear conscience vote for either of the two main candidates in tomorrow’s U.S. presidential election.
In light of the four decades I spent in the U.S. and my involvement and experience with the American political system, many friends across the U.S. have asked me which candidate the Arab and Muslim community should vote for in the upcoming elections.
Historically, candidates of the two major parties usually compete over who could best serve the interests of Israel or similar interests that are consistent with the policies and hegemonic posture of the American empire.
Regardless of whether such positions are often harmful to the long-term interests of the U.S., particularly against the interests of Arabs, Muslims or the Global South in general, the conventional wisdom has been to vote for the “lesser of two evils” rather than for a genuine candidate who might actually care about higher human values, moral principles, or real concerns of people and society, even if he or she had no chance of winning the election.
However, this year’s election is very different.
Limited difference between Trump and Harris
After four dark years of Donald Trump’s administration, and more than a year of a devastating genocide that continues with the complete support, direct participation and full protection of the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris administration, it should be clear that the Arab and Muslim American voter cannot with a clear conscience vote for either of these two candidates. Such position would be based on principled grounds and moral clarity.
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After studying the two candidates’ positions on issues of concern to the Arab and Islamic world, I found that the difference between them is not significant or strategic.
As for Israel’s war of extermination being waged on Gaza, Harris will support the goals of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, putting limited restrictions on him, while Trump will support Netanyahu’s goals without placing any restrictions.
Editorial credit: Evan El-Amin
As for the Palestinians, Harris will consider them a nuisance and deal with them without a political horizon. However, Trump will ignore them and treat them with disdain.
Regarding the Israeli war of aggression in Lebanon, Harris will continue Biden’s policy of putting pressure on Lebanon, trying to realise Israel’s goals, while Trump will threaten Lebanon to achieve the same goals.
As for dealing with the authoritarian and despotic Arab regimes, Harris will support and coordinate with them quietly, while Trump will embrace and support them openly, even with great enthusiasm.
With regard to the policies for dealing with Iran, Harris will continue the policy of containing, threatening and destabilising it using extreme pressure tactics. Likewise, Trump will continue this same policy that he began in his first term, using the tactics of extreme pressure.
Similar policies would apply to Türkiye. Harris will exert enormous pressure on Türkiye so that its policies are compatible and in line with the American agenda, while Trump may exert less pressure but will still force Türkiye to follow America’s agenda in the region.
On issues related to democracy and human rights in the region, Harris will say what needs to be said but without any actions to back up her rhetoric, while Trump will completely ignore these issues and not pay any attention to them.
As for the future of the international order, Harris will act as if it still exists as it’s been and that America can continue to lead and manage it. However, Trump will not care much about it and may even in the long run unwittingly dismantle it.
Trump the Islamophobe / Harris the accomplice
Returning to the elections, I summarise my opinion and recommendations in the following points:
Trump is dangerously Islamophobic and a hateful man who also has viscerally shown contempt as he continues to target non-European immigrants. He has also publicly expressed in many of his statements hostility and hatred towards Arabs and Muslims in general. Therefore, his rule will certainly be a disaster, not only for the Arab and Muslim community in the U.S., but also regarding most issues of concern to the Arab and Islamic world, even beyond.
Since Trump adopted all the Israeli positions in his first term, he will certainly not rein in its brutal behavior in the genocidal war it is waging in Gaza or limit its extreme policies and settlement campaigns in the West Bank if he is elected for a second term. In fact, he may even encourage Netanyahu and his fascist government to continue the bloody massacres, as he urged them during the election campaign to “complete the job,” meaning to continue the campaign of ethnic cleansing.
Editorial credit: Naresh79 / Shutterstock.com
After a year of devastating destruction at the hands of Israel in Gaza and now in Lebanon, and with the full partnership and direct participation of the Biden/Harris administration, there is no doubt that Harris has been and continues to be complicit in the war crimes committed against Palestinians and Lebanese.
She’s had months to alter or change these destructive policies, or at least express an emphatic position against them. But she has chosen to support the continuation of genocide and justify the agonising aggression, despite warnings from many Democrats and members of the Arab and Muslim community in the U.S.
Any politician who ignores these warnings must bear the dire consequences that will befall him or her. Anyone who believes in higher humanitarian principles, international law, moral values and ethical conduct cannot simply ignore such a horrific genocide.
I certainly agree that a second Trump administration would be a disaster domestically and externally on many issues that matter to conscientious and good-hearted citizens, including issues that go beyond the Gaza genocide.
But it must be noted that Trump’s rule in a second term may actually accelerate the collapse and disintegration of the American empire and force many citizens and social and political institutions throughout the U.S, especially non-Republicans, to actually break free from the grip of the Zionists, which would be a great thing for future political life in America.
A non-Zionist alternative
Politics in the U.S. is in serious need of a real, non-Zionist political alternative. So if Trump is elected, this historical moment may be a rare opportunity for a new, vibrant non-Zionist social and political movement to emerge in the U.S.
If Harris is to win, she needs to win without the support of the Arab and Muslim community in the U.S. She must also struggle to obtain the votes necessary to win the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in order to become president of the U.S. without obtaining the votes of Arab and Muslim Americans.
Politicians must understand that there are real and ominous consequences for ignoring human life in the midst of genocide. The war of extermination in Gaza is not a one-time thing that could be justified or overlooked. It is a crime against humanity that has been going on for more than 390 days, not only with the knowledge and approval of the Biden/Harris administration but with its direct participation and full support.
In my opinion, Arab and Muslim voters in America, as well as people of conscience throughout the country, should go to the polls and vote, and not boycott the elections.
Their vote should also be seen as a strong statement and powerful message against the genocidal war in Gaza.
They should therefore either vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who has made the Gaza genocide the central issue of her campaign, or alternatively, they can write “Gaza” on the ballot (especially when the Green Party candidate does not appear on the ballot). In this case, politicians, the media and political and social elites as well as others will know that Palestinian and Lebanese blood is not expendable.
Dr. Sami Al-Arian is the author is a Public Affairs and Founding Director of the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) at Istanbul Zaim University.
