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Muslim leaders in Minnesota pledged to “abandon” President Biden in 2024, as more media reports show he’s facing backlash from Muslim Americans across the U.S. over his support for Israel in its war with terrorist group Hamas.
The president was greeted with three protests during his visit to Minnesota on Wednesday, organized by prominent Muslim advocacy group the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Minnesota CAIR leader Jaylani Hussein told NBC News they would not stand by the president any longer because the community felt abandoned by his administration.
“We are going to abandon Biden because he has abandoned us,” Hussein said. “I don’t think that this is a rash emotional decision by the American Muslim community. It is a foregone conclusion. … The anger is not going to go away. We don’t have short memories.”
Protesters held Palestinian flags and signs demanding a ceasefire in Gaza at three locations Biden visited in the state on Wednesday.
Reports and polls suggest President Joe Biden is losing support from Arab-Americans around the country over his stance supporting Israel during the Middle East conflict. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Other Arab-American voters across the state said they felt alienated by the Democratic Party over the issue, and believed that Biden hadn’t shown enough empathy for Palestinian lives lost.
Minneapolis restaurant owner Saed Wadi said he wouldn’t be voting for Democrats going forward.
“I am honestly not voting Democrat again,” Wadi told NBC. “I’m not going to vote for Biden. My vote is up for grabs.”
On the same day, the Biden administration announced a national strategy to fight Islamophobia against Arab-Americans.
“We look forward to continuing our work with community leaders, advocates, members of Congress, and more to develop the strategy – which will be a joint effort led by the Domestic Policy Council and the National Security Council – and counter the scourge of Islamophobia and hate in all its forms,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
The announcement came as more Muslim leaders around the country have signaled they won’t support Biden in 2024.
Arab-American organizations have been highly critical of President Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. (Jon Michael Raasch/Fox News Digital//Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
In Michigan, Democratic state Rep. Alabas Farhat suggested Biden would “have a problem” with Arab-Americans in the next election.
“In 2024, Democrats are going to have a problem with Arab Americans. For too long, they’ve isolated Arab-American voices within the party. They’ve isolated the perspectives of Arab Americans. And on this specific issue, they’ve denied even recognizing the human rights of Palestinians,” Farhat, whose district contains most of Dearborn, told the AP.
Farhat also told NBC News that Biden has “single-handedly alienated almost every Arab-American voter” in Michigan.
A new poll released Tuesday revealed a dramatic drop in Biden’s support from Arab-Americans.
The Reuters/Zogby poll found just 17% of these voters now back the president, down from 59% who supported him in 2020. His support from the group had already fallen to 35% before the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
The poll marked the first time since it was taken in 1997 that a majority from this community did not identify as Democrats. 32% said they now identify as Republicans, while 31% said they identify as independents.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on a potential loss of Muslim-American support. This article will be updated with any response.
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Fox News’ Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.
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