Longtime Egyptian American member kicked out of Democratic event in major party blunder

An Egyptian American man in Michigan who was kicked out of an event for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has received an apology from the campaign for a serious mistake occurring just two weeks before the US presidential election, but not before the story went viral.

The now-widely circulated incident took place on Monday at a rally in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak. When Ahmed Ghanim arrived at the Harris campaign event to which he was invited, arriving in a dress shirt and slacks, he said that after he'd gone through security and had taken his seat, he was forcefully escorted out of the venue by campaign organisers.

"She took me to the door, and she closed it, and I found two police officers waiting there, and she said, 'You have to leave right now,'" Ghanim told the Detroit Metro Times. "I asked why she was kicking me out. She wouldn't answer. I was very calmly asking why I was being kicked out."

Ghanim, who appears to be a long-time-dedicated member of the Democratic Party, having run a serious US congressional campaign in Michigan and regularly attending party events, appears to have been taken aback by the incident.

"They keep saying they want the Muslims and the Arabs, but we aren't even welcome at an event," he said, according to the Metro Times. "They know me. I ran there. It's my district."

The Harris campaign did issue an apology, but by that time the story had been widely shared.

"The campaign was swiftly informed by Emgage Action of yesterday's incident and looked into it," the Harris campaign said in a statement, according to Metro News. "Our campaign regrets this action and its impact on Dr Ghanim and the community, and he is welcome at future events. We value our relationship with the Muslim American community and political spaces are welcoming and respectful to every American."

This is one of many instances where Arabs and Muslims have felt snubbed by the Harris campaign. During the Democratic convention in August, the campaign did not allow for a Palestinian to speak on stage, despite leaders of the "uncommitted" movement offering to share the speech beforehand. 

Meanwhile, Trump has been ramping up his campaign efforts in Michigan, courting Arab and Muslim voters, with the endorsement of the mayor of Hamtramck as well as multiple Muslim community leaders in the Detroit area.

Arabs and Muslims, particularly in Michigan where the communities constitute a significant proportion of the population, are seeing fierce competition for their votes by Donald Trump, who previously implemented a Muslim ban, and Vice President Harris, who has not offered any clear policy shift from Joe Biden, who continues to support Israel's war in Gaza.

"I think this is one of the biggest foibles of the Democratic Party of the Harris campaign," Ana Kasparian, a host of the YouTube programme The Young Turks, said in commentary on the incident. She pointed to the apparent disconnect between donors, who can influence policy, and voters, who ultimately deliver elections.

"Democrats are going to have to make a decision. You're going to have to reject some of that money, and you're gonna actually have to listen to the voters if you wanna get elected. Otherwise, what good is your fundraising?" she said.

While most donors do not support progressive policies, many voters do. This includes Israel's war on Gaza, with the majority of Americans supporting a ceasefire, and the vast majority of Democrats supporting this policy.

Recent polls show Harris and Trump neck and neck among Arab voters in Michigan, with Green Party candidate Jill Stein seeing a slight lead among the community. This is a far cry from 2020, when many Arabs and Muslims enthusiastically supported Biden.

With the 2024 presidential election now in its final stretch, the Democrats are running out of time to make their cases to Arabs and Muslims. 

Wael Alzayat, CEO of Emgage, a Muslim voter advocacy group, which have endorsed Harris, suggests that the campaign continue their outreach and go to a mosque. 

As for Ghanim being removed from a Harris event, he says it was a mistake that should not have happened.

"I give them credit for acknowledging it. This doesn't speak to who Kamala Harris is or our experience with her," Alzayat told The New Arab. Still, he said, "It's serious. It shouldn't have happened."

"They can't take votes for granted, especially in Michigan," he added.