Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, will address the nationâs largest Muslim American PAC (political action committee) on Monday, amidst an internal tug of war within the party over its political platform for the November elections.
Emgage Action, the political arm of a 14-year-old Muslim outreach organisation, will host Biden at its Million Muslim Votes Summit, in a virtual online event which organisers say will âenergiseâ American Muslims to back the former Vice President.
âThe Muslim American community is coming into its own politically and is poised to play a historical role in the upcoming presidential elections,â said Emgage Action on their online booking site for the event. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib are amongst several Democrat lawmakers confirmed to take part in the two day event.
âMuslim American communities are organizing like never before to maximize our voter turnout, and to ensure that our voices are represented,â Waâel Alzayat, the chief executive of Emgage Action, said in a statement published by the Washington Post. âThe Million Muslim Votes Summit is the culmination of this work, and it is with great honor that Vice President Joe Biden is partnering with Emgage Action to engage with Muslim American communities and help galvanize us towards the polls this upcoming November.â
Stressing the eventâs significance, Bernie Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir said that Muslims âcould be difference makers in battleground states.â There are said to be hundreds of thousands of Muslims eligible to vote in Emgageâs targeted swing states, as well as California, Illinois and Virginia.
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Shakir, who is the first Muslim to hold the role of campaign manager for a presidential candidate, explained that in order to win the Muslim vote Biden had to âput in effortâ and suggested that President Donald Trumpâs right-wing illiberal policies had turned them away.
âMuslims have been demonized and terrorized by Trump, so I canât imagine too many voting for him,â said Shakir.
Bidenâs team stressed the need to work with Americaâs four million Muslims. âJoe Biden is proud to stand with Emgage during one of the most challenging moments for Muslim Americans in recent history under Donald Trumpâs presidency,â said Farooq Mitha, Bidenâs senior adviser on Muslim American engagement. âNow is the time for us to come together to fight for our Constitution, civil rights, a just immigration system, and a better future for all of us.â
The Democrats outreach to American Muslim comes as the party is embroiled in a feud over its political platform, especially on issues related to Israelâs occupation of Palestinian territory. Progressives within the party want to include âoccupationâ for the first time in reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. âCondemning the Israeli occupation by name should be the bare minimum for any leader of the Democratic Party,â wrote a coalition of progressive groups including Jewish organisations.
Exposing a deep rift within the party, an equally vocal section is lobbying for the party to express strong support for the state of Israel.