Michigan is anticipated to play a critical role in the upcoming presidential election, and the state’s 12th Congressional District could significantly impact voter margins.

The district — encompassing portions of Detroit, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Southfield and more — is known to be heavily Democratic, with a large Middle Eastern population. It’s current representative is incumbent U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who’s been very vocal about the government’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. She’s even called for a ceasefire and arms embargo.

Political analyst Dale Thomson, from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, says while Tlaib has not endorsed a candidate, her position could influence voter turnout.

“We’re looking at small margins of victory in the state of Michigan. Most likely for the… for whoever wins the president. And so every vote you can get matters,” Thomson said.

Tlaib headed a campaign to vote “uncommitted” during the primary in protest of the Biden administration’s continued support of Israel’s attacks in Gaza.

Thomson adds that if a significant amount of Tlaib’s constituents stick to staying uncommitted, or decide to vote for another candidate other than Harris, that could pose a problem in terms of margins of victory.

“In a heavily Democratic district, the Democrats want to turn out as many of those voters as possible so that they can overcome margins in the opposite direction in heavily Republican districts,” Thomson said.

Tlaib is running for reelection of her seat in the 12th District against Republican challenger James Hooper. He’s a political newcomer, whose rhetoric is very similar to presidential candidate Donald Trump’s, Thomson says.

“He is the sort of, what we might classify as an election denier,” Thomson said. “He’s very much focused on Second Amendment rights of pro-life. He advocates for abolishing the Department of Education.”

With Michigan expected to come down to a narrow margin, turnout in the 12th District could have a broader impact beyond the congressional seat, making it one to watch in the run-up to Election Day.

Click here to compare each candidate’s views on key issues.

The general election is taking place on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. For the latest election information, visit WDET’s Voter Guide at wdet.org/voterguide.

Detroit residents are burdened by the cost of living in the city.

A majority of Detroiters spend 30% of their pre-tax income on housing. And while the city is working to increase affordable housing in Detroit, residents are trying an approach that they say keeps prices low and gives them more say in how their communities develop.

Subscribe to Created Equal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Neighborhoods across Detroit are starting community land trusts, a nonprofit organization run by community members that owns property in the area. Jerry Hebron is the executive director of Detroit Cultivator Community Land Trust in the North End neighborhood. 

Hebron’s organization is one of five groups partnering with the nonprofit law firm Detroit Justice Center to establish community land trusts. Hebron and Mark Bennett, a staff attorney at the firm, join Created Equal on Thursday to explain how community land trusts work and what they might do for Detroiters. 

Guests: 

• Jerry Hebron is the executive director of Detroit Cultivator Community Land Trust. 
• Mark Bennett is a staff attorney at the Detroit Justice Center.

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.

One year since the Hamas attack that killed over 1,200 Israelis, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in Gaza, countless more displaced and injured. More than 1,000 Lebanese have been killed in Israeli airstrikes. 

Subscribe to Created Equal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Arab and Jewish Americans in metro Detroit have been processing grief, frustration and anxiety since the war started.  

For Lebanese Americans in metro Detroit, the expansion of the war into Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah brings back memories of war and occupation of years past. 

“The trauma is unimaginable. It’s affecting people’s lives daily. We’re all in grief and shock and horror,” said Diana Abouali, the director of the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn.

“Everyone that I interact with in Dearborn, in the Arab American community in southeast Michigan, I find a deep sense of community.” 

James Zobgy, the co-founder of the Arab American Institute, says that sense of community and collective grieving is difficult to find. 

“For the most part, we walk alone with our pain, and it’s a difficult one to explain,” Zogby said.

Use the media player above to listen to the full conversation with Abouali and Zogby.

Guests: 

• James Zogby is the president and co-founder of the Arab American Institute. 
• Diana Abouali is the director of the Arab American National Museum. 

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations – Michigan (CAIR-MI) has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, requesting an investigation into the University of Michigan’s handling of Islamophobia on campus.

The complaint comes after leaked audio of U-M President Santa Ono where he seems to cite federal pressure to focus on antisemitism over Islamophobia.

CAIR-MI’s Zaynah Jadallah says the university has not adequately supported Muslim and Arab students.

“We have contacted the University of Michigan multiple times to have better treatment for the students, but the president didn’t show any progress in protecting his students,” Jadallah said.

In response, U-M’s Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Colleen Mastony told WDET:

“The University of Michigan is steadfastly committed to ensuring our community remains a safe and supportive environment, where all students — regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or other identities — have the opportunity to learn and thrive. President Santa J. Ono has spoken out repeatedly against antisemitism and Islamophobia, and he will continue to do so, as any form of discrimination or hate is an affront to our community.”

Over the past year, students across the U.S. have raised concerns for their safety amid ongoing campus protests about the war in Gaza. The student protesters are calling for universities to separate themselves from companies advancing Israel’s military efforts in the region, as the Israeli military has killed more than 4,000 Palestinians and more than 2,000 people in Lebanon since Hamas militants killed more than 1,200 Israeli civilians on Oct. 7.

Police have arrested more than 3,000 pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses nationwide since detainments at Columbia on April 18 — including on the campuses of Wayne State and University of Michigan.

Interactive map: Where protesters on US campuses have been arrested or detained

Michigan Advance reports that at least one person was arrested this week during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in U-M’s Diag, where a memorial event hosted by Jewish students commemorating the Oct. 7 attack was being held. After police arrested the individual, protesters surrounded the police officers and their patrol car, obstructing their movement, said U-M’s Deputy Chief of Police Melissa Overton. She says the individual who was arrested has since been released, and the incident will be submitted to the prosecutor’s office for review.

The Associated Press and WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report. 

Exactly one year ago, more than 1,200 Israelis were killed by forces of the terrorist organization Hamas, and more than 200 were taken hostage into Gaza.

Subscribe to Created Equal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

It was an act of violence that had been unheard of for decades in the Middle East, and it has changed everything in the region’s geopolitics. The war in Gaza that grew out of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack has claimed more than 40,000 Palestinian lives, and now spread to multiple fronts — enflaming tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Metro Detroit is home to a large and flourishing Jewish community that is still trying to make sense of what happened last October and the ongoing violence and growing humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.

Today on Created Equal, host Stephen Henderson was joined by two local leaders within the Detroit Jewish community to talk about what happened, what has happened since, and what struggles the region and the global Jewish community may be facing as a result.

Guests:

• Ariana Silverman has served as the rabbi of Detroit’s Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue since 2016. 
• David Kurzmann is the senior director of community affairs at the Jewish Federation of Detroit

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.

On this episode of the Detroit Evening Report, we cover local events commemorating the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel; vandalism at the Jewish Federation of Detroit offices  and more.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Metro Detroiters commemorate Oct. 7

Members of the local Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities are marking the one year anniversary since the Hamas-led attack on Israel – killing 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages. 

Since then more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel’s military response, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and many more have died as hostilities between Israel and Lebanon have escalated in recent weeks. Communities in metro Detroit have been deeply impacted by these conflicts, and found ways to mark the anniversary today.  

The Michigan Board of Rabbis is hosting a One Year Commemoration today from 7-8 p.m., with location details available upon registration. Several other events took place throughout the day to commemorate the anniversary, according to the Jewish Detroit Community Calendar. A candlelight vigil is also scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Dearborn at Ford Woods Park hosted by Palestinian and Yemeni organizations. 

Additionally, the organization ISRAEL21c has compiled a list of online memorial events for those unable to attend a commemorative event in person.

Jewish Federation building vandalized

The Jewish Federation of Detroit offices in Bloomfield Township were vandalized early Monday morning. 

David Kurzmann, senior director of Community Affairs for the Federation, called the incident not just an attack on the organization but an attack on the community. 

“This is the organization that that really convenes the community that has the privilege of serving so, so many. And I think for everybody, this feels like a very personal attack on us today,” he said.

The building was tagged with antisemitic insults as well as the words “Free Palestine” and “Intifada,” a reference to the armed uprising against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. 

Bloomfield Township police say they are investigating the incident along with federal authorities.  

Community members throughout metro Detroit have also reported finding antisemitic flyers on driveways in residential neighborhoods, including in West Bloomfield, Farmington Hills, Shelby Township, Northville and Waterford.

In a statement on Monday, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said investigators suspect the hateful, antisemitic flyers were coming from “outsiders.” The incidents remain under investigation.

-Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley, WDET. WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed.

Detroit seeks feedback on historic preservation plan

The city of Detroit is hosting two Zoom meetings at 5 p.m. Oct. 17 and 21 to get feedback from residents about the Citywide Historic Preservation Plan. The Planning and Development Department is hiring a consultant to work with the city on this plan to create a historic district designation. For more information, email historicplan@detroitmi.gov.

State celebrates first year of free family planning program

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says over 20,000 people signed up for the Plan First! Program in the program’s first year. The program covers a broad range of services, from office visits and access to contraceptives to natural family planning methods for those who want to prevent pregnancy and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. It works by allowing Michigan residents who do not qualify for traditional Medicaid to apply for a limited Medicaid benefit for family planning services. 

Registration open for Detroit Youth Rugby

Registration is now open for the Detroit Parks and Recreation Athletics Division’s Youth Rugby Program. Held in collaboration with the Detroit Rugby Football Club, he four-week program takes place from 6-7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays beginning Nov. 5 at the Adams Butzel Complex Gym, 10500 Lyndon St., Detroit. There’s a $10 fee to sign up. Visit dprdathletics.com for more information.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Iran launched at least 180 missiles into Israel on Tuesday, the latest in a series of escalating attacks in a yearslong conflict between Israel and Iran and its Arab allies that threatens to push the Middle East closer toward a regionwide war.

The orange glow of missiles streaked across Israel’s night sky as air raid sirens sounded and residents scrambled into bomb shelters. Israel vowed retaliation for Iran’s barrage, which it said had caused only a few injuries.

Before Iran’s attack, Israel had landed a series of devastating blows in recent weeks against the leadership of Hezbollah in Lebanon. It then ratcheted up the pressure on the Iran-backed militant group — which has been firing rockets into Israel since the war in Gaza began — by launching what it said is a limited ground incursion in southern Lebanon.

Israel has said it will continue to strike Hezbollah until it is safe for citizens displaced from homes near the Lebanon border to return. Hezbollah has vowed to keep firing rockets into Israel until there is a cease-fire in Gaza with Hamas, which is also supported by Iran.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the country’s air defenses intercepted many of the incoming Iranian missiles, though some landed in central and southern Israel. Israel’s national rescue service said two people were lightly wounded by shrapnel. In the West Bank, Palestinian officials said a Palestinian man was killed by a missile that fell near the town of Jericho, though it wasn’t clear where the attack originated.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed late Tuesday to retaliate against Iran, which he said “made a big mistake tonight and it will pay for it.”

Israel and Iran have fought a shadow war for years, but rarely have they come into direct conflict.

Israel considers Iran to be its greatest foe — citing Iran’s repeated calls for Israel’s destruction, its support for Arab militant groups and its nuclear program. Iran denies Israeli accusations that it is developing a nuclear weapon.

A high-ranking Iranian commander warned Iran would hit Israel’s entire infrastructure if the Jewish state takes any action against its territory. Iran’s armed forces joint chief of staff Gen. Mohammad Bagheri said the Revolutionary Guard was prepared defensively and offensively to repeat Tuesday’s attack with “multiplied intensity.”

Moments before Iran launched its missiles, a shooting attack in Tel Aviv left at least six people dead, police said, adding that the two suspects who had opened fire on a boulevard in the Jaffa neighborhood had also been killed.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called Iran’s missile attack a “significant escalation,” although he said it was ultimately “defeated and ineffective,” in part because of assistance from the U.S. military in shooting down some of the inbound missiles. President Joe Biden said his administration is “fully supportive” of Israel and that he’s in “active discussion” with aides about what the appropriate response should be to Tehran.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday morning to address the escalating situation in the Middle East.

Iran launched another direct attack on Israel in April, but few of its projectiles reached their targets. Many were shot down by a U.S.-led coalition, while others apparently failed at launch or crashed in flight.

Iran said it fired Tuesday’s missiles as retaliation for attacks that killed leaders of Hezbollah, Hamas and the Iranian military. It referenced Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Revolutionary Guard Gen. Abbas Nilforushan, both killed in an Israeli airstrike last week in Beirut. It also mentioned Ismail Haniyeh, a top leader in Hamas who was assassinated in Tehran in a suspected Israeli attack in July.

Earlier Tuesday, Israel said it had begun limited ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire pounded southern Lebanese villages, and Hezbollah responded with a barrage of rockets into Israel. There was no immediate word on casualties.

While Hezbollah denied Israeli troops had entered Lebanon, the Israeli army announced it had also carried out dozens of covert ground raids into southern Lebanon going back nearly a year.

If true, it would be another humiliating blow for Hezbollah, the most powerful armed group in the Middle East. Hezbollah has been reeling from weeks of targeted strikes that killed Nasrallah and several of his top commanders.

On Tuesday morning, Israel warned people in southern Lebanon to evacuate to the north of the Awali River, some 60 kilometers (36 miles) from the border and much farther than the Litani River, which marks the northern edge of a U.N.-declared zone intended to serve as a buffer between Israel and Hezbollah after their 2006 war.

The border region has largely emptied out over the past year as the two sides have traded fire. But the scope of the evacuation warning raised questions as to how deep Israel plans to send its forces into Lebanon.

Questions raised over whether Israeli forces entered

An Associated Press reporter saw Israeli troops operating near the border in armored trucks, with helicopters circling overhead, but could not confirm ground forces had crossed into Lebanon.

Ahead of the Israeli announcement of an incursion, U.S. officials on Monday said Israel had described launching small ground raids inside Lebanon as it prepared for a wider operation.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon has seen sporadic incursions by Israeli military forces, but “they have not witnessed a full-scale invasion.”

Hagari, the Israeli army spokesman, said Israel had carried out dozens of small raids inside Lebanon since Oct. 8, when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel after the outbreak of the war in Gaza. He said Israeli forces had crossed the border to collect information and destroy Hezbollah infrastructure, including tunnels and weapons. Israel has said Hezbollah was preparing its own Oct. 7-style attack into Israel. It was not immediately possible to confirm those claims.

Hagari said Israel’s aims for its current ground offensive in Lebanon were limited. “We’re not going to Beirut,” he said.

The Israeli military was accused of lying to the media in 2021 when it released a statement implying ground troops had entered Gaza. The military played down the incident as a misunderstanding, but well-sourced military commentators in Israel said it was part of a ruse to lure Hamas into battle.

Israel strikes more targets and Hezbollah fires rockets

The Israeli military said Hezbollah had launched rockets at central Israel on Tuesday, setting off air raid sirens and wounding a man. Hezbollah said it fired salvos of a new kind of medium-range missile at the headquarters of two Israeli intelligence agencies near Tel Aviv. Hezbollah had also launched projectiles at Israeli communities near the border, targeting soldiers without wounding anyone.

Israel’s statements indicated it might focus its ground operation on the narrow strip along the border, rather than launching a larger invasion aimed at destroying Hezbollah, as it has attempted in Gaza against Hamas.

Hezbollah and Hamas are close allies backed by Iran, and each escalation has raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East that could draw in Iran and the United States, which has rushed military assets to the region in support of Israel.

Israeli strikes have killed over 1,000 people in Lebanon over the past two weeks, nearly a quarter of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry. Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.

Hezbollah is a well-trained militia, believed to have tens of thousands of fighters and an arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles. The last round of fighting in 2006 ended in a stalemate, and both sides have spent the past two decades preparing for their next showdown.

Recent airstrikes wiping out most of Hezbollah’s top leadership and the explosions of hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah indicate Israel has infiltrated deep inside the group’s upper echelons.

The group’s acting leader, Naim Kassem, said Monday that Hezbollah commanders killed in recent weeks have already been replaced.

As the fighting intensifies, European countries have begun pulling their diplomats and citizens out of Lebanon.

Reporting by Melanie Lidman, Aamer Madhani and Bassem Mroue. Associated Press. Associated Press writers Kareem Chehayeb, Zeke Miller and Lolita C. Baldor contributed.

On this episode of the Detroit Evening Report, we cover a vigil held in Dearborn over the weekend to mourn those killed in Israeli strikes in South Lebanon; recent U.S. EPA funding awarded to four Michigan tribes to implement climate action plans and more.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

A community in mourning

Over 1,000 people from metro Detroit’s Lebanese community gathered outside the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn on Sunday for a candlelight vigil mourning civilians killed in recent Israeli strikes in South Lebanon. Dearborn is home to one of the largest Lebanese communities in the U.S. — many from South Lebanon where the conflict has escalated. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost every day since the war in Gaza began. The fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people in Israel and Lebanon, and according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, more than 700 people have been killed in Lebanon in the past week.

Israel says it will continue to strike Hezbollah until it is safe for Israelis displaced from border communities to return to their homes. Hezbollah has promised to keep firing rockets into Israel until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

Tribes receive $38M for energy projects 

Four Michigan tribes have been awarded $38 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement climate action plans. The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants will support projects focused on reducing costs, improving infrastructure and cutting air pollution. These initiatives include solar installations, energy efficiency upgrades, electrification improvements, recycling programs and electric vehicle infrastructure — all aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  

Neighborhood Wellness Centers get funding boost

The state of Michigan has dedicated $17 million in this fiscal year’s budget to help support preventative health centers in Detroit and Flint.

The Neighborhood Wellness Centers were established in 2020 to offer free COVID testing, as well as free blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol screenings to residents in need.

Of the 22 wellness centers in Michigan, eight are located in Detroit. The Open Door Church of God in Christ on Seven Mile is one of them. Assistant Pastor Michael Dorsey says the centers offer a safe space for residents to seek medical attention. 

“We all have people in our family that have health issues and they may not trust going to the doctor, they may not have the resources or have a primary care physician, but by attending the Wellness Center, you can now receive the proper screening and attention free of charge that can put you in a better position,” Dorsey said.

-Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley, WDET  

Panel discussion to highlight Asian stigmas 

APIA Vote Michigan is hosting a virtual community conversation on civic engagement at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5. The event, titled “Courageous Conversations,” will feature a panel of guests to discuss stigmas within the Asian community and how to break barriers to increase civic participation.  

Hamtramck to host Night Bazaar

The Hamtramck Downtown Development Authority and Discover Hamtramck are hosting a new inaugural event, Hamtramck Night Bazaar, from 4-9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Pope Park, featuring a food truck, henna, and local art. 

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

The Abandon Harris Campaign launched on Thursday in Dearborn as a continuation of the Abandon Biden Campaign.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

The campaign aims to change the policies of Vice President Kamala Harris regarding Israel’s ongoing military action in Gaza — seeking a permanent ceasefire and an arms embargo.

Michigan Co-chair Farah Khan says the Abandon Harris campaign is looking for actual policies, not just words and inaction.

“We will hold the Harris Biden administration accountable for their role in this atrocity,” Khan said at a press event outside the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn on Thursday. “Accountability means more than words. It means actions. We must be clear — they have had their chance, and they have failed us.”

Listen: Interview with Farah Khan, co-chair of Abandon Harris for Michigan

The Gaza Health Ministry reports that over 41,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed and more than 95,000 injured during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza since Oct. 7 — the day Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in Israel, taking 250 hostages.

Campaign leaders say the Abandon Harris movement is active in at least nine states — including swing states like Michigan. Dr. Hassan Abdel Salam, national co-chair of the campaign, says they are asking voters not to vote for either party’s candidate.

“Our vote is magnanimous,” Salam said. “It’s a moment for democracy to triumph, for us to change the political landscape.”

The campaign plans to endorse a third party candidate soon.

Reporting by Nargis Rahman, WDET

Other headlines for Friday, Sept. 13, 2024:

• Henry Ford Hospital held a groundbreaking on Thursday for its $2.2 billion Detroit campus expansion, anchored by a new 1.2 million-square-foot hospital facility on the south side of West Grand Boulevard
• The city of Detroit’s Youth Affairs Team and Detroit ACE are hosting an artist showcase on Friday, Sept. 20, called “Young, Gifted and Woke.”
• Usher’s Past Present and Future Tour is continuing its run through the Motor City Friday at Little Caesars Arena. On his way there he stopped by the Boys and Girls Club of Detroit to help highlight the lack of access some youth have across the country to quality after-school programs.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

The presidential election is a few months away, and American Muslim voters are weighing out their options for the next president.

Youssef Chouhoud, an associate professor of political science at Christopher Newport University in Virginia, studies trends involving American Muslim voters. He says this year many American Muslims are concerned about Gaza.

“Certainly one of if not the top, if not for some American Muslims, the only issue that they care about is the crisis in Gaza, and so that holds particularly heavy weight this election cycle,” Chouhoud said.

He says American Muslims are nestled within the American fabric, concerned about the economy, climate change, health care and immigration policies.

After 9/11, Chouhoud says, American Muslims were against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. He says after 2010, many focused on domestic issues.

But he says that changed after the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel — during which Hamas killed 1,200 people — and the invasion of Gaza that followed, where the latest death toll stands at more than 40,000 Palestinians killed.

Chouhoud says many American Muslims view themselves as part of the extended Muslim nation, or the ummah.

“One of the beliefs in Islam is that anything that affects one part of the Muslim ummah affects you as well,” he said.

Chouhoud says many American Muslims also have close connections to Gaza.

“Everybody in the American Muslim context, is probably only one degree removed from somebody in Gaza,” he said.

Chouhoud says American Muslims are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to voting for the next president.

“They don’t, by and large, support a Trump presidency, for the reason that during the Trump administration, and you know, the explicit policies that Trump wanted to and has enacted have negatively affected American Muslims.”

He says many American Muslims say they do not feel like they belong to either Republican or Democratic parties.

“The sense of homelessness, I think, that American Muslims feel politically, is something that weighs heavy on them, and something that you know is going to probably continue from now until they go into the voting booth,” he said.

Chouhoud says things are likely to remain up in the air until the November elections.

Read more:

• DNC hosts first ever panel on Palestinian human rights
• Uncommitted delegates at DNC aim to put pressure on Harris’ Gaza policy
• ‘Uncommitted’ delegates hold DNC sit-in after refusal to allow Palestinian speaker at convention