Mor Shapira, an Israeli academic, has just written an article in which he accepts, and promotes, the fairy tale that “the Muslim vote may determine who will sit in the White House.” What’s more, he says the Muslim vote has become of critical importance in other political races as well. This preposterous claim is being pushed by Muslims, and uncritically accepted by too many others, like Mor Shapira, who fail to examine the real effect — scarcely discernible — of the relative handful of Muslim voters, who are far fewer in number than the black, Latino, and Jewish voters, to name other political blocs. More on the claim that Muslim voters can decide the Presidential race can be found here: “For the first time, the Muslim vote may determine who will sit in the White House – opinion,” by Mor Shapira, Jerusalem Post, November 5, 2024:
For the first time, a new variable entered the US presidential election campaign in the form of the Muslim voice, which occupies a significant place and is encouraged both by the Democratic and Republican parties and by other parties (such as Jill Stein’s Green Party).
Muslims make up 1.3% of the American population. Jews make up 2.4%, which means there are 3.8 million more Jews than Muslims in this country. Yet there is not this incessant tam-tam proclaiming that “Jews will be the decisive factor in this election.”
Those who consistently follow what is heard and written in the Arab media in the Middle East are well aware of the new voices that have been heard in the US in recent years.
Voices of those who, since October 7 and the war in Gaza and Lebanon, have been calling to “take off the gloves” and stop acting according to a party that will not see them as full partners – these are the voices of the Arabs and Muslims in the USA.
Many Muslims in the US, especially in communities in swing states like Michigan – which is seen as a key state where the Muslim community is one of the largest in the US – express deep disappointment in Biden’s foreign policy, which does not embody the long-awaited change predicted in his election campaign.
Michigan is what’s called a “battleground state,” where the vote for president is too close to call. But it is hardly the “key state” that Muslims, in playing up their own importance as a bloc in Michigan, have continued to promote. Michigan has fewer electoral votes than three other of the seven swing states — Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia.
This policy includes continuous and unqualified support for Israel, especially in light of the war in Gaza and Lebanon, which they claim gives a “green light” to war crimes and exacerbates the plight of the Palestinians….
Under the Biden administration, there was not “continuous and unqualified support for Israel.” The Biden administration tried to prevent the IDF from entering Rafah. It has demanded that Israel increase the amount of humanitarian aid going into Gaza to 350 trucks each day by mid-November, or face a possible cut in American military aid. It has repeatedly tried to pressure Israel to accept a ceasefire in Gaza that would leave large numbers of Hamas combatants still standing, still able to regroup in northern Gaza and to continue hurling missiles at Jewish towns and cities, including Tel Aviv and Haifa.
If Kamala Harris loses, it won’t be because of her lukewarm support for “the Zionists” leading Muslims to withhold voting for her. Sami Hamdi greatly exaggerates the significance of the Muslim vote —both as to its size, and as to its cohesion.
A Muslim vote for Trump belongs in the cutting-off-your-nose-to-spite-your face category. There is no reason to think that if elected, Trump’s pro-Israel policies would change, whatever the pro-Arab rhetoric he has used, in a few speeches in Dearborn, Michigan, in a misguided attempt to win Arab votes.
The author of this piece, Mor Shapira, is an Israeli lecturer in the Arabic department at Bar Ilan University and a researcher at the MEMRI Institute for the Middle East Communication. Yet he has fallen for the preposterous claim by Muslims in America that they now have become a critical voting bloc, the indispensable group that can decide the fate of races hither and yon. This is what Muslims want politicians to believe. But it’s all nonsense. What polls “predict that on November 5, it will be the Muslim vote that will decide the identity of the person of who will stand at the head of the leader of the free world”? Let’s see those polls, please. And as for the the prediction of Osama Siblani — the editor and publisher of the Arab American News in Dearborn, that “the future of America depends on us,” the Arabs and Muslims, it is nonsense.
What we need to keep in mind is this:
Muslims are a mere 1.3% of the American population. Much attention has focused on the Muslim vote in Michigan, simply because the “most Arab” city in America is Dearborn, Michigan. But even in Michigan, that “Muslim vote” is also insignificant. Only 2.4% of the population in that state is Muslim. There are 8.45 million registered voters in Michigan. Only 200,000 of them — just a little less than 2.4% — are Muslims. This tall tale that Osama Siblani would like us all to believe — that “the future [of American politics] depends on us” (the Muslims) —is dangerous nonsense, designed to make politicians think that Muslim voters are much more significant, and therefore need to be wooed by those running for office, than is the case.
Walter Sieruk says
As for heading of this article, which is “Can Muslim voters decide Presidents race ? ”
This can be “Maybe or Maybe not” Nevertheless, this subject is related to the misconception that many Westerners have is that of the term used in the West, which is “political Islam.” That term is nonsensical and redundant as well as unknown in the Islamic world.
Therefore, it needs to be made clear as to why that Western term is nonsensical and redundant. As explained by two statements.
First, as for that term being nonsensical one devout Muslim who, truly, proclaimed “Islam is Islam.”
Second. as for that term being redundant, has been well explained by none other Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran who had declared” All Islam is politics.” [1]
[1] THE ISLAM IN ISLAMIC TERRORISM by Ibn Warraq page 332
Walter Sieruk says
Concerning America and the Presidential race and the precepts that America was founded on, and the ideology what America was not based on. For the United States was definitely not based on the ideology of Islam .
For much of the greatness of the history of the United States of America is because this nation was, mostly founded and based upon Christianity and precepts and values.”
As the second President of the United States, John Adams, had, so well, declared “The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity …. I will avow that I believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are eternal and immutable as the existence of God.”
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Even if only 200,000 residents of Michigan are muslim, there is the fact that the differences b/w the (R) and (D) candidates is way below that in the polls. Which is why their vote matters: if nothing else, it covers the poll margins of error
For comparison purposes, I wonder whether Hugh has the data for Minnesota, which is not a battleground state, but could be if their muslims choose to follow the examples of their bros in Hamtramck?
I will be very surprised in the end if significant number of muslims vote for Trump. I would expect them to, if they’re unhappy w/ Kamala, to switch to Cornel West (since Stein is Jewish, despite her sympathies to jihadists) Either sitting it out or switching to West would do enough damage: I don’t see why muslim voters would go all the way to Trump
Walter Sieruk says
There may be little doubt that that Muslim voters throughout the United State will go out in droves and vote for Kamala Harris. If for no other reason, it would be because she calls “Palestinian self- determination,” actually means that she supports the idea of what some people call a “two –state solution.” In reality that is no genuine solution, at all.
That terrible folly of Kamala Harris is revealed by his total lack of wisdom about the State of Israel two-state solution.” One the other hand maybe she, with her Red/Green alliance, she’s just evil.
Thus a “two state solution” is out of the question. .This is because a “two state solution” not really a “solution” but an Islamic ploy of deception , a smokescreen and hoax and a fraud.
For example those Hamas rocket attacks in to Israel from Gaza reveals that even the idea of some people of dividing Jerusalem as well as other parts of the State of Israel between the Jewish people of the Muslim/ Arabs is nothing but folly. To engage the madness of such “talks” is a hoax and a farce .This is because in the so called “negotiations” between the heads of the Jewish nation of Israel and the leaders of the “Palestinians” the Muslim /Arabs the “Palestinian” leaders will speak the truth only when in happens to fit their agenda. The rest of the time the will be speaking half-truths and outright lies. For their goal is to obtain all of the land of the State of Israel. Even in it takes much time and it means getting the land piece by piece. Therefore, those “peace talks” are a hoax.
For the “Palestinian” leaders are employing what is the Islamic doctrine of Taqiyya . Which is the Islamic dogma that lying and deception are good things to do as long as it’s done for the cause of the advancement of Islam. The insidious scheme is part of the stealth jihad .Otherwise known as “Islamic Gradualism.”
This sly and something subtle strategy of disingenuous speech, lying deception of achieving the goal of all the land of Israel a war ploy that will be a disaster if the heads of the State of Israel are foolish enough to agree to divide the land of Israel with Muslim /Arabs ,the “Palestinians.” For if such a “peace dialogue” results in a divided land, the outcome will literally be murder. For “Palestinian” leader will allow the jihadists use that land as a base to launch murderous rocket attacks in to Israel. As for example, Hamas of Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Such false hopes for peace which are based on the foundation of lies are nothing new when it comes to Israel. For example, the Bible in Psalm 55:20, 21. Reads “Such men do violence to those at peace with them and break their promised word; their speech is smoother the butter but their thoughts are of war.” [N.E.B.]
gravenimage says
Can Muslim Voters Decide the Presidential Race?
…………………………………….
If it is close enough in battleground states they might be able to–but probably not yet.
But this is clearly what Muslims want–for Infidels to appease whatever savagery to gain their vote. Just look at Europe.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I mentioned this in the other Rashida Tlaib thread. Today, I was watching Blaze TV for the election returns, at at one point, Sara Gonzales reported that in one precinct of Dearborn, Trump received 313 votes, Jill Stein 293 votes and Kamala 81 votes
I don’t know how it played out in other precincts in the US Mecca/Medina of Dearborn/Hamtramck, but if it was anywhere close, muslims may well have cost Kamala the state. Right now, as of this writing, 97% of Michigan precincts have reported, and Trump is 49.9 vs Kamala 48.2. That difference is 1.7% of the population, so there is no denying that muslims cost her this election
If I were one of the decision-makers of the Dems, I’d change the policy of the party to be strongly pro-Israel and anti jihad everywhere, since the evidence is irrefutable that pandering to them didn’t earn the party their votes. Other ethnic demographic factions typically loyal to the Dems, such as Jews or Hindus, can happily coexist w/ the LGB faction of the party. However, muslims have shown that they don’t get along w/ any of these 3 groups. So if I were writing party policies there, I’d simply cut them loose, and return to a JFK policy when it came to Israel & India, coupled w/ a policy on muslims that would make Tom Tancredo look like a dhimmi