Gaza betrayal shifts Muslim American loyalty away from Democrats

I arrived in the city of Dearborn, Michigan a little over a month ahead of the US presidential election. As soon as you enter the city, it’s hard not to notice how deeply it feels like a centre of Muslim life, especially for Arabs.

The cafes, the mosques, the signs in Arabic—they all give you a sense that this place is not just home to immigrants but a place where Arab culture thrives. This is a community that has traditionally leaned toward the Democrats, but things are different this time around.

As my cameraman, Kadir Furkan, and I walked through the streets, it became clear that the frustration with the Democrats, particularly over Israel’s war on Gaza, was intense.

Everyone we spoke to seemed to share the same sentiment. In the past, this community had turned out in large numbers to support Democrats, but now, we couldn’t find a single person who said they planned to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris or the Democratic ticket.

Defection election

Despite our efforts to find someone still backing them, it just wasn’t happening. For sure, there may be a few who will still cast their votes for Harris, but the fact that I couldn’t find one in a community that has historically backed the Democrats says a lot about how people here are feeling.

It's not an exaggeration -- the Muslim community has thrived under the Democrats in many ways. Over the years, the party has been more considerate of issues like immigration and civil rights—areas that have helped solidify Muslim loyalty. It started after 9/11.

Many in the Muslim community felt abandoned by the Republican Party, which had once been a viable political home for socially conservative voters. That sense of betrayal hasn’t faded, and the Democrats largely benefited from this shift.

But now, with the US continuing its support for the war on Gaza despite the mounting civilian casualties in the besieged enclave, there’s a growing sense that the Democrats, too, are indifferent to the needs of the Muslim community.

This election cycle feels like the moment when many Muslims in Dearborn, and perhaps across the country, are considering defecting. One of the most telling conversations I had was with Osama Siblani, the publisher and editor-in-chief of The Arab American News.

As we sat down to talk in his office, he didn’t hold back at all. “We feel abandoned,” he told me.

“The Democrats have lost us. We’ve been loyal to them for years, but how can we support an administration that funds the killing of our families in Gaza and Lebanon?”

His frustration was clear, and it echoed what we were hearing on the streets.

The rise of the punitive vote

This election has introduced a new dynamic within the Muslim community: the punitive vote. After years of aligning with Democrats, many Muslims are now considering either staying home on Election Day or, more shockingly, voting Republican—not out of newfound loyalty, but to send a message.

For many, this isn’t about embracing Republican values, but rather a way to punish the Democratic Party for its perceived failure to listen to their concerns, particularly about Gaza.

This shift resembles the political realignment that took place after 9/11 when many Muslims felt the Republican Party had launched a “war on Islam.”

Back then, Muslims who traditionally voted Republican due to their socially conservative values shifted toward the Democrats, feeling betrayed by Republican policies. Now, with Gaza at the forefront, it’s the Democrats who risk losing the Muslim vote for failing to stand with the community on what they view as a fundamental moral issue.

But it’s important to note that this isn’t about a sudden embrace of the GOP. Muslims aren’t necessarily aligning with Republicans on domestic issues. Instead, they’re using their vote—or the decision to withhold it—as a form of protest.

Imam Muhammad Mardini, president of the American Muslim Center, explained this moral conflict well. “We’re Americans, and we care about this country,” he told me. “But how can we vote for an administration that uses our tax dollars to fund the killing of innocent children? Biden has failed us. Harris has failed us.”

This feeling of betrayal has shifted the focus from party loyalty to principles and values. The community’s stance is clear: this is about more than politics, it’s about taking a stand.

Democrats have forgotten us

Walking through the busy market streets, you can see the exhaustion in people’s faces. It’s not just about Gaza. Inflation is taking its toll, and there’s a growing feeling that the Biden administration hasn’t done enough to help people here.

I met Mike Ayoub, a real estate broker, outside a small café in the suburbs. His frustration with the Democrats was similar to what we had heard all day.

“What do we have to show for supporting the Democrats?” he said. “They’re sending billions to Israel while my business is struggling. Prices are through the roof, wages are stagnant, and we’re supposed to keep supporting them? They’ve forgotten us.”

It’s a sentiment I heard again and again: the Democrats have forgotten us. People here are struggling with inflation, the cost of living, and the sense that their votes don’t really matter anymore. And that’s what makes this election so different.

There’s a growing feeling that staying at home on Election Day might be the best option. Abbas Shehab, a local media worker, told me flat out that he isn’t voting this year. “Neither Harris nor Trump deserve my vote,” he said. “I’m not going to vote for either. It’s not worth it.”

Voter apathy like this could be disastrous for the Democrats. Nearly 80 percent of Muslim voters backed Biden in 2020, and their support was crucial in swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.

If even a fraction of those voters decide to sit out this election, it could significantly increase Donald Trump’s chances of winning. To make matters worse for the Democrats, the Muslim mayor of Hamtramck, Amer Ghalib, has already endorsed Trump.

Hamtramck, which is not far from Dearborn, has its own large Muslim population, and Ghalib’s endorsement signals a shift that could be felt across the state of Michigan.

As Election Day gets closer, it’s clear that the Democrats are facing a real challenge in Dearborn. This city, which has historically been a reliable source of votes for the Democratic Party, is now at a tipping point.

People feel betrayed, and many are ready to disengage entirely. In a state like Michigan, where elections are often decided by a few thousand votes, this shift could have serious consequences.