Muslim leaders: We won't support Biden in 2024
A group of national Muslim leaders are meeting in Chicago this weekend to advance what they call the #AbandonBiden movement.
The leaders, which include Minnesotans, say they’re actively campaigning against Joe Biden’s re-election bid because of the president’s strong support of Israel during its war with Hamas.
Jaylani Hussein, president of Council on Islamic-Relations in Minnesota, is attending the Chicago meeting as a national organizer.
“We have lost trust in him,” Hussein told MPR News. “[Biden] has failed the most basic principles of any democracy and any governance, which is to protect life, especially innocent life.”
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On Saturday, Israeli warplanes struck two urban refugee camps in central Gaza, as the Biden administration approved a new emergency weapons sale to Israel despite persistent international cease-fire calls over mounting civilian deaths, hunger and mass displacement in the enclave.
Even a brief halt in fighting seems out of reach. A senior Hamas official told The Associated Press in Beirut that the group has not budged from its position that a permanent cease-fire has to be the starting point for any further releases of Israeli and foreign hostages the group holds, which runs counter to a recent proposal by Egypt for a staged end to the war.
It’s a demand Israel is bound to reject. Israel has said it will pursue its unprecedented air and ground offensive until it has dismantled Hamas, a goal viewed by some as unattainable because of the militant group’s deep roots in Palestinian society. The United States has shielded Israel diplomatically and has continued to supply weapons.
Israel argues that ending the war now would mean victory for Hamas, a stance shared by the Biden administration, which at the same time urged Israel to do more to avoid harm to Palestinian civilians.
When asked about Republican presidential candidates, Hussein says the #AbandonBiden campaign will definitely not support former President Trump, who is currently leading the GOP field.