Biden officials meet with Muslim and Arab American community leaders in Michigan
Jillian Frankel and Monica Alba
Fri, February 9, 2024
Biden administration officials traveled to Dearborn, Michigan Thursday for private meetings with Muslim and Arab American community leaders, as the president seeks to repair relations with a key constituency upset about his support for Israel's war efforts in Gaza.
Abbas Alawieh, a Lebanese American and a Democratic strategist, said he was honored to attend the meetings alongside members of the Palestinian American community who advocated for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and for ending military funding to Israel.
But he described it as a somewhat frustrating process. He added that two of the attendees currently have family members stuck in Gaza.
“The meeting was very tense at different times. There was crying at different times, there was yelling at certain times,” said Alawieh, who used to be Democratic Rep. Cori Bush's chief of staff. “I think we certainly found that among the senior officials who were there, my impression was that they were interested in a meaningful back and forth, but also that they were not authorized to deliver meaningfully on any of the demands, the primary demands that the community came in with.”
More than half of Dearborn residents are of Middle Eastern or North African descent.
Officials did express there were missteps regarding Biden’s statement around the 100-day mark of the war and the fact that it did not reference Palestinian deaths, according to someone familiar with the meetings, who also said the White House expects there could be additional meetings with Muslim and Arab American community leaders in the future.
Alawieh was invited to attend in a personal capacity, but he also represented the "Listen to Michigan" campaign, which launched last week and calls for Democrats to vote “uncommitted” in the state’s Feb. 27 primary to pressure President Biden to support a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
“The administration officials came in and spoke of missteps, specifically pointed to the statement that President Biden issued at the 100-day mark, as an example of a mistake,” said Alawieh, adding later, "We weren’t just looking for them to acknowledge mistakes and how they’ve talked about the war publicly, but also acknowledge that the president’s continued support for Netanyahu’s far-right government and his continued funding for Netanyahu’s most murderous instinct is the problem.”
The Biden administration officials he said were present during his meeting include Steve Benjamin, senior adviser to the president and director of the Office of Public Engagement; Tom Perez, senior adviser to the president and director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs; Jon Finer, principal deputy national security adviser; and USAID Administrator Samantha Power, among others.
Layla Elabed, the campaign manager for Listen to Michigan, said the Biden administration officials’ private acknowledgement of missteps contrasts with the president’s public inaction regarding stopping violence in Gaza, though he did gain notice Thursday when commenting that Israel's military response in Gaza has been "over the top."
Elabed did not attend the meetings on Thursday but spoke with Alawieh about it afterward.
“The fact that, you know, telling us privately that they’ve made mistakes, while continuing to fail to hold Netanyahu and his right-wing government accountable, it’s a blatant misstep of moral bankruptcy,” Elabed said.
Alawieh said he became emotional during the meeting when speaking about his own experience surviving war in Lebanon in 2006 and the ensuing nightmares he faced. He said that calling for a cease-fire is the “bare minimum” required for the Biden administration to prove it is serious about tackling Islamophobia.
“I asked them directly, I looked Mr. Perez in the eyes, I looked Mr. Finer in the eyes, and Samantha Power in the eyes, Mr. Benjamin in the eyes, and I asked, ‘Have you advised President Biden to call for an immediate cease-fire? Will you advise President Biden to call for an immediate cease-fire?' And none of them could give me that commitment,” Alawieh said.
Alawieh said he attended one of a handful of meetings yesterday, adding that Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and state Rep. Abraham Aiyash also met with the Biden officials, but he was not present for those interactions.
Michigan is a critical battleground that former President Donald Trump won in 2016 and that Biden carried in 2020. Biden himself visited this month on the heels of an endorsement from the United Auto Workers, but did not meet with members of the Muslim and Arab American communities during the trip.
“I just feel like President Biden has put those of us who have been supporting him and the Democratic agenda for years at such risk," Alawieh said. He added: "Not only is he threatening to lose this election to Donald Trump in November, but from what I’m seeing on the ground, the Democratic Party is at risk of losing Arab and Muslim Americans and many young voters for not just one election, but perhaps for a generation to come."
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Biden aides meet in Michigan with Arab American and Muslim leaders, aiming to mend political ties
Biden administration officials traveled to Dearborn, Michigan Thursday for private meetings with Muslim and Arab American community leaders, as the president seeks to repair relations with a key constituency upset about his support for Israel's war efforts in Gaza.
Abbas Alawieh, a Lebanese American and a Democratic strategist, said he was honored to attend the meetings alongside members of the Palestinian American community who advocated for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and for ending military funding to Israel.
But he described it as a somewhat frustrating process. He added that two of the attendees currently have family members stuck in Gaza.
“The meeting was very tense at different times. There was crying at different times, there was yelling at certain times,” said Alawieh, who used to be Democratic Rep. Cori Bush's chief of staff. “I think we certainly found that among the senior officials who were there, my impression was that they were interested in a meaningful back and forth, but also that they were not authorized to deliver meaningfully on any of the demands, the primary demands that the community came in with.”
More than half of Dearborn residents are of Middle Eastern or North African descent.
Officials did express there were missteps regarding Biden’s statement around the 100-day mark of the war and the fact that it did not reference Palestinian deaths, according to someone familiar with the meetings, who also said the White House expects there could be additional meetings with Muslim and Arab American community leaders in the future.
Alawieh was invited to attend in a personal capacity, but he also represented the "Listen to Michigan" campaign, which launched last week and calls for Democrats to vote “uncommitted” in the state’s Feb. 27 primary to pressure President Biden to support a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
“The administration officials came in and spoke of missteps, specifically pointed to the statement that President Biden issued at the 100-day mark, as an example of a mistake,” said Alawieh, adding later, "We weren’t just looking for them to acknowledge mistakes and how they’ve talked about the war publicly, but also acknowledge that the president’s continued support for Netanyahu’s far-right government and his continued funding for Netanyahu’s most murderous instinct is the problem.”
The Biden administration officials he said were present during his meeting include Steve Benjamin, senior adviser to the president and director of the Office of Public Engagement; Tom Perez, senior adviser to the president and director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs; Jon Finer, principal deputy national security adviser; and USAID Administrator Samantha Power, among others.
Layla Elabed, the campaign manager for Listen to Michigan, said the Biden administration officials’ private acknowledgement of missteps contrasts with the president’s public inaction regarding stopping violence in Gaza, though he did gain notice Thursday when commenting that Israel's military response in Gaza has been "over the top."
Elabed did not attend the meetings on Thursday but spoke with Alawieh about it afterward.
“The fact that, you know, telling us privately that they’ve made mistakes, while continuing to fail to hold Netanyahu and his right-wing government accountable, it’s a blatant misstep of moral bankruptcy,” Elabed said.
Alawieh said he became emotional during the meeting when speaking about his own experience surviving war in Lebanon in 2006 and the ensuing nightmares he faced. He said that calling for a cease-fire is the “bare minimum” required for the Biden administration to prove it is serious about tackling Islamophobia.
“I asked them directly, I looked Mr. Perez in the eyes, I looked Mr. Finer in the eyes, and Samantha Power in the eyes, Mr. Benjamin in the eyes, and I asked, ‘Have you advised President Biden to call for an immediate cease-fire? Will you advise President Biden to call for an immediate cease-fire?' And none of them could give me that commitment,” Alawieh said.
Alawieh said he attended one of a handful of meetings yesterday, adding that Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and state Rep. Abraham Aiyash also met with the Biden officials, but he was not present for those interactions.
Michigan is a critical battleground that former President Donald Trump won in 2016 and that Biden carried in 2020. Biden himself visited this month on the heels of an endorsement from the United Auto Workers, but did not meet with members of the Muslim and Arab American communities during the trip.
“I just feel like President Biden has put those of us who have been supporting him and the Democratic agenda for years at such risk," Alawieh said. He added: "Not only is he threatening to lose this election to Donald Trump in November, but from what I’m seeing on the ground, the Democratic Party is at risk of losing Arab and Muslim Americans and many young voters for not just one election, but perhaps for a generation to come."
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Biden aides meet in Michigan with Arab American and Muslim leaders, aiming to mend political ties
Updated Thu, February 8, 2024
About three dozen people protesting Israel's attacks in Gaza gather, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024 in Dearborn, Mich. The protesters gathered hoping to be heard by members of the Biden White House who were scheduled to meet in suburban Detroit with Muslim and Arab American leaders. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Top Biden administration officials met Thursday with Arab American and Muslim leaders in Michigan in an effort to mend ties with a community that has an important role in deciding whether President Joe Biden can hold on to a crucial swing state in the 2024 election.
He is facing increasing backlash from Arab Americans and progressives for his vocal support of Israel's war in Gaza since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas against Israel, although Biden has insisted he is trying to minimize civilian casualties there.
More than 27,000 people, mostly women and minors, have been killed in Gaza since militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250 more, mostly civilians, in its attack.
The meetings began Thursday morning and stretched throughout the afternoon. State Rep. Abraham Aiyash, the second-ranking Democrat in the Michigan House, spoke to The Associated Press following a nearly two-hour meeting with the Biden officials Thursday afternoon in Dearborn, describing the conversations as “intense” but “direct.”
“I relayed the emotions and the concerns of our community, and we gave them tangible steps,” said Aiyash, who is also the state’s highest-ranking Arab or Muslim leader. “We want to see a permanent cease-fire. We want to be able to see restrictions and conditions on any military aid that is sent to Israel. And we want to see the United States take a serious commitment towards rebuilding Gaza.”
Aiyash added that “there will not be engagement beyond this if we do not see any tangible changes after this discussion.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday that the meetings were “private.”
“We want to give them the space to have a meeting that certainly has candor, certainly where -- we can hear directly from them,” said Jean-Pierre.
“We want to hear directly from them. We want to hear their concerns. We believe it’s important for these leaders to be able to speak directly to officials in the White House.”
Michigan holds the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the nation and more than 310,000 residents are of Middle Eastern or North African ancestry. Nearly half of Dearborn’s roughly 110,000 residents claim Arab ancestry.
“Dearborn is one of the few places where you have Arab Americans in such a concentrated area that your vote can actually matter,” said Rima Meroueh, director of the National Network for Arab American Communities. “So it gets the attention of elected officials, because if they want to win the state, they’re going to have to address this population.”
After Republican Donald Trump won Michigan by fewer than 11,000 votes in 2016, Wayne County and its large Muslim communities helped Biden retake the state for the Democrats in 2020 by a roughly 154,000-vote margin. Biden enjoyed a roughly 3-to-1 advantage in Dearborn and 5-1 advantage in Hamtramck, and he won Wayne County by more than 330,000 votes.
The White House — and Biden's campaign — are keenly aware of the political dynamics.
Biden’s campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, and other campaign aides went to suburban Detroit late last month, but found a number of community leaders unwilling to meet with them. Biden traveled to Michigan last week to court union voters but did not meet with any Arab-American leaders.
Administration officials making the trip to Michigan on Thursday included Samantha Power, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, principal deputy national security adviser Jon Finer and Steven Benjamin, who directs the Office of Public Engagement, a White House official said.
Dearborn's mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, met individually with administration officials for nearly two hours Thursday morning. The discussion revolved around the administration's steps towards a cease-fire, increasing oversight of military support to Israel and resuming funding to the aid agency known as UNRWA, according to Hammoud.
“There was a willingness to have a conversation on every policy topic that we brought forward,” Hammoud told AP.
“Taking this meeting was to ensure that the White House understood very clearly from us directly where we stand on all these issues,” Hammoud said. “But what’s most important is what comes out of this meeting. We did our duty. We met, we expressed, we described, we demanded.”
In addition to Aiyash and Hammoud, the administration also met with other Arab American and Muslim leaders, including Wayne County Executive Assad I. Turfe and Arab American News publisher Osama Siblani.
Some community leaders, including Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi, said they had declined invitations from the White House.
Aiyash, Hammoud and Turfe are among more than 30 elected officials in Michigan who have signed on to a “Listen to Michigan” campaign and pledged to vote “uncommitted” in the state's Feb. 27 presidential primary. Both Hammoud and Aiyash said that Thursday's meeting did not sway their decision to vote “uncommitted.”
Hammoud, who turned down a meeting with Chavez Rodriguez last month, added that he would not entertain meeting with Trump's team in the near future, saying that Trump “has done nothing for this community and will continue to do nothing.”
Imran Salha, imam of the Islamic Center of Detroit, told reporters before a protest Thursday in Dearborn that he is calling for “all people of conscience to vote ‘uncommitted’" in the state's upcoming primary.
“We’re going to have the conversation at the ballot,” Salha said. “The main thing ... it’s about the bombs. While people are talking, bombs are falling. The only way for us to converse is to add pressure.”
About three dozen demonstrators chanting “free, free Palestine” and “stop the genocide” marched from a shopping mall parking lot to near a hotel where the meeting took place. Some walked with children or pushed kids in strollers.
“I’m 100% Palestinian,” said Amana Ali, 31, who said she was born in the United States. “I feel the need to fight for where I came from and where my people came from.”
Aruba Elder of Dearborn said new words are needed to describe the atrocities being committed in Gaza by the Israeli army.
“We’ve passed brutality. We’ve passed every word you can think of to describe a humanitarian crisis," Elder said. She said she hopes this protest and others like it continue to create awareness.
“You can’t give up. It’s worked in the past, hasn’t it?” she said.
___
Associated Press writer Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report.
About three dozen people protesting Israel's attacks in Gaza gather, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024 in Dearborn, Mich. The protesters gathered hoping to be heard by members of the Biden White House who were scheduled to meet in suburban Detroit with Muslim and Arab American leaders. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Top Biden administration officials met Thursday with Arab American and Muslim leaders in Michigan in an effort to mend ties with a community that has an important role in deciding whether President Joe Biden can hold on to a crucial swing state in the 2024 election.
He is facing increasing backlash from Arab Americans and progressives for his vocal support of Israel's war in Gaza since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas against Israel, although Biden has insisted he is trying to minimize civilian casualties there.
More than 27,000 people, mostly women and minors, have been killed in Gaza since militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250 more, mostly civilians, in its attack.
The meetings began Thursday morning and stretched throughout the afternoon. State Rep. Abraham Aiyash, the second-ranking Democrat in the Michigan House, spoke to The Associated Press following a nearly two-hour meeting with the Biden officials Thursday afternoon in Dearborn, describing the conversations as “intense” but “direct.”
“I relayed the emotions and the concerns of our community, and we gave them tangible steps,” said Aiyash, who is also the state’s highest-ranking Arab or Muslim leader. “We want to see a permanent cease-fire. We want to be able to see restrictions and conditions on any military aid that is sent to Israel. And we want to see the United States take a serious commitment towards rebuilding Gaza.”
Aiyash added that “there will not be engagement beyond this if we do not see any tangible changes after this discussion.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday that the meetings were “private.”
“We want to give them the space to have a meeting that certainly has candor, certainly where -- we can hear directly from them,” said Jean-Pierre.
“We want to hear directly from them. We want to hear their concerns. We believe it’s important for these leaders to be able to speak directly to officials in the White House.”
Michigan holds the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the nation and more than 310,000 residents are of Middle Eastern or North African ancestry. Nearly half of Dearborn’s roughly 110,000 residents claim Arab ancestry.
“Dearborn is one of the few places where you have Arab Americans in such a concentrated area that your vote can actually matter,” said Rima Meroueh, director of the National Network for Arab American Communities. “So it gets the attention of elected officials, because if they want to win the state, they’re going to have to address this population.”
After Republican Donald Trump won Michigan by fewer than 11,000 votes in 2016, Wayne County and its large Muslim communities helped Biden retake the state for the Democrats in 2020 by a roughly 154,000-vote margin. Biden enjoyed a roughly 3-to-1 advantage in Dearborn and 5-1 advantage in Hamtramck, and he won Wayne County by more than 330,000 votes.
The White House — and Biden's campaign — are keenly aware of the political dynamics.
Biden’s campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, and other campaign aides went to suburban Detroit late last month, but found a number of community leaders unwilling to meet with them. Biden traveled to Michigan last week to court union voters but did not meet with any Arab-American leaders.
Administration officials making the trip to Michigan on Thursday included Samantha Power, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, principal deputy national security adviser Jon Finer and Steven Benjamin, who directs the Office of Public Engagement, a White House official said.
Dearborn's mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, met individually with administration officials for nearly two hours Thursday morning. The discussion revolved around the administration's steps towards a cease-fire, increasing oversight of military support to Israel and resuming funding to the aid agency known as UNRWA, according to Hammoud.
“There was a willingness to have a conversation on every policy topic that we brought forward,” Hammoud told AP.
“Taking this meeting was to ensure that the White House understood very clearly from us directly where we stand on all these issues,” Hammoud said. “But what’s most important is what comes out of this meeting. We did our duty. We met, we expressed, we described, we demanded.”
In addition to Aiyash and Hammoud, the administration also met with other Arab American and Muslim leaders, including Wayne County Executive Assad I. Turfe and Arab American News publisher Osama Siblani.
Some community leaders, including Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi, said they had declined invitations from the White House.
Aiyash, Hammoud and Turfe are among more than 30 elected officials in Michigan who have signed on to a “Listen to Michigan” campaign and pledged to vote “uncommitted” in the state's Feb. 27 presidential primary. Both Hammoud and Aiyash said that Thursday's meeting did not sway their decision to vote “uncommitted.”
Hammoud, who turned down a meeting with Chavez Rodriguez last month, added that he would not entertain meeting with Trump's team in the near future, saying that Trump “has done nothing for this community and will continue to do nothing.”
Imran Salha, imam of the Islamic Center of Detroit, told reporters before a protest Thursday in Dearborn that he is calling for “all people of conscience to vote ‘uncommitted’" in the state's upcoming primary.
“We’re going to have the conversation at the ballot,” Salha said. “The main thing ... it’s about the bombs. While people are talking, bombs are falling. The only way for us to converse is to add pressure.”
About three dozen demonstrators chanting “free, free Palestine” and “stop the genocide” marched from a shopping mall parking lot to near a hotel where the meeting took place. Some walked with children or pushed kids in strollers.
“I’m 100% Palestinian,” said Amana Ali, 31, who said she was born in the United States. “I feel the need to fight for where I came from and where my people came from.”
Aruba Elder of Dearborn said new words are needed to describe the atrocities being committed in Gaza by the Israeli army.
“We’ve passed brutality. We’ve passed every word you can think of to describe a humanitarian crisis," Elder said. She said she hopes this protest and others like it continue to create awareness.
“You can’t give up. It’s worked in the past, hasn’t it?” she said.
___
Associated Press writer Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report.
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