As you drive into Dearborn, the golden dome of the Islamic Centre of America, the country’s largest mosque, shines in the sun.
Flying proudly in front of it, is the American flag.
Dearborn is a blend of cultures, and North Africa. In 2023, it became the first Arab-majority city in the US.
Normally, the community is a reliable source of votes for the Democratic party. But for people living in Dearborn, on 5 November is not a normal one.
We stop by a popular Lebanese bakery, where staff are preparing for the lunchtime rush.
Al Jazeera Arabic blares in the background. While the vast majority of voters in other parts of the country are focused on domestic issues, people in Dearborn are following events in Gaza and Lebanon closely.
Many have lost relatives or have family members who have been displaced. It’s no surprise America’s support for Israel will have an impact on how this city votes.
Wayne Haider walks in to buy lunch. Originally from the West Bank, he moved to America almost 40 years ago.
After voting for the Democratic candidate in every previous election, this year he’s voting for Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
“I do worry about Democrats losing power, I do worry about far-right extremists, of course I do, but all that is secondary, when you look at the genocide that’s going on, the administration providing all these weapons to the state of Israel, children being shredded on a daily basis.”
and operation in has had an enormous impact on Muslim voters here.
Many are worried for relatives; all are horrified by the images they see on TV each night.
It led to the creation of the Abandon Biden Campaign, which later relaunched as Abandon Harris.
Hassan Abdul Salam founded the Abandon Biden Campaign. Source: Supplied
The campaign’s director, Hassan Abdul Salam, wants Arab-American voters to either stay at home, or vote for a third-party candidate.
“The ultimate goal is to punish the vice president …. to send a signal to the political landscape that you should never have ignored us.”
Salam says he is aware of the potential consequences of his campaign; helping to take Donald Trump back to the White House.
“I say that the former president prevented our friends, family and colleagues from entering the country, but the vice president killed them,” he said, referring to Trump’s and the Biden administration’s .
Some in the Dearborn Muslim community are taking a different approach.
Mayor of Dearborn Heights, Bill Bazzi, is a veteran, a Muslim, an immigrant and a supporter, at this election, of Donald Trump. Source: SBS News
The mayor of Dearborn Heights, Bill Bazzi, is Muslim, a veteran, an immigrant and a supporter of Donald Trump.
“We have no voice with the Democrats, with Harris or Biden,” he explains.
“All of a sudden now she says I’m going to stop the war’ — President Trump’s been saying it for months.”
Bazzi was one of several community leaders who joined Trump on stage recently. It came as a surprise to many of his constituents.
“Within a day or two of that I probably spoke to 100 people. Maybe 10 were negative, but I was getting feedback from 19-year-olds, 20-year-olds, saying they were glad somebody actually came forward and now we have direction.”
Detroit’s Arab-American community makes up just under three per cent of the entire Michigan population. Given how close this election is expected to be, these votes could be crucial in determining who wins the swing state.
Democrats understand they’re facing a difficult challenge in Dearborn but are asking Muslim voters to think about what a Trump Administration 2.0 could mean for them.
Sami Khaldi leads the local Democratic Party office, where walls are adorned with ‘Muslims for Harris’ posters.
“Obviously we tell them a vote for the Green Party is helping Donald Trump and we remind them, ‘is this the President you want back?”
“We have tried him for four years, we know he implemented the Muslim ban and he’ll do it again.”
Yet for many Arab-Americans who spent decades supporting Democratic candidates, there’s a feeling of betrayal.
Suehalia Amen said it’s “400 plus days too late” for the Democrats to act like they care. Source: SBS News
Suehalia Amen, a long-time advocate for Detroit’s Muslim community.
SBS News asked her if a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah before election day would convince her to vote for Kamala Harris.
She says her decision has been made.
“It’s 400 days too late to act like you care.”
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