Muslim Women for Harris regroup after disbanding on lack of Palestinian voices at DNC

Muslim Women for Harris regroup after disbanding on lack of Palestinian voices at DNC
The group, which announced two weeks ago that it couldn't continue supporting the Democratic ticket in good conscience, now says there is too much at stake.
2 min read
Washington, DC
03 September, 2024
Some Arab and Muslim groups are cautiously returning to support Harris-Walz while continuing to advocate for Palestinian human rights. [Getty]

A group called Muslim women for Harris-Walz have regrouped after disbanding following the denial of a Palestinian speaker at the Democratic convention last month.

The group, which announced two weeks ago that it couldn't continue supporting the Democratic ticket in good conscience, is now saying that there is too much at stake to protest the party's stance over Gaza.

"With less than 70 days until the November election, we have to be honest with ourselves about what is at stake here for Muslim women: our reproductive rights, access to healthcare, climate change, immigration reform, access to quality education, economic opportunity and the clear danger a Trump presidency could pose for our Black and Brown communities," the group wrote in a public statement on Instagram titled Setting the Record Straight and Moving Forward, posted last week, just days after they had announced they'd disbanded.

The group went on to say that they are urging Muslims to support Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz in November, with the caveat that they will continue to pressure the current administration for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and for policy change from the Harris-Walz campaign. 

In their post, the group emphasised their disappointment with the Harris-Walz campaign over their lack of inclusion of Palestinian voices, saying that "the promise of a big tent is an empty one without the inclusion of Palestinian Americans in 2024 and beyond."

Meanwhile, they praised the "uncommitted" movement for working both on the inside and outside the system to push the Democratic Party to have a more equitable foreign policy towards Israel and Palestine. They emphasised their respect for different strategies for advocating for Palestinian human rights in the US political system.

In response to the group's announcement, one person posted, "Thank you for continuing to bring the terrible genocide in Gaza to light! I was considering voting for Jill Stein, but seeing this page has affirmed that we can unionize and petition for a change, even if it seems impossible to do so with our current major parties!"

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