WASHINGTON The Black Muslim Leadership Council, a recently established national group, aims to put pressure on political authorities, particularly President Joe Biden, to demand an end to hostilities in the Middle East. NBC News was the first to get information on the group.
However, the group is also making it apparent that a large portion of its members are preoccupied with domestic issues facing the United States and do not favor ousting the president at a time when a different Muslim group is advocating for just that.
The Black Muslim Leadership Council’s founder and CEO, Salima Suswell, stated that the organization will prioritize domestic issues such as electorally mobilizing voters in swing states and pressuring legislators to enact laws that will enhance the lives of Black Muslims residing in the United States, in addition to the thousands of civilians who perished in Gaza during the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Other Muslim organizations are attempting to expand an initiative they have dubbed “abandon Biden,” which calls for people not to support the president at the polls in uncompetitive primaries and possibly in the fall election. Biden is facing backlash for his refusal to demand a permanent cease-fire in the war.
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Suswell said, “I am focused on building and definitely not abandoning.” “I think it’s important that we keep having candid talks because that’s how democracy works. Therefore, my community is the first place I have a duty to, and it is my responsibility to fight for my community to make sure our government serves our interests. Therefore, Biden needs to hear what our community needs right now, just like every other political leader, both domestically and internationally.
“We want to be open and available to discussions to achieve the goal of freedom and justice not only for Palestinian people but also for our communities domestically,” she said, “even though we’re heartbroken about the humanitarian crisis overseas.”
Suswell, who is also the owner of a government affairs and community engagement consulting business and served as a political consultant to the Biden campaign in 2020, emphasized that she is not yet prepared to declare her intentions for the November election in public. She said, “At this time, I have not given up on Biden.” “But I’m not devoted.”
According to Suswell, the Black Muslim Leadership Council would concentrate a large portion of its efforts on increasing voter turnout in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, three swing states. It will feature a nonprofit arm for nonpartisan endeavors like voter outreach campaigns and election education programs, in addition to a political action wing that will support political candidates.
Additionally, the group is willing to support a presidential candidate from a third party or to support just candidates from the lower half of the ballot and remain mute on other choices.
Suswell expressed hope that the group’s creation will encourage Biden and other political figures to speak with black Muslim voters more and learn about their concerns regarding things like access to affordable housing, differences in black maternal health, job prospects, and youth education policies.
The attorney general of Minnesota, Keith Ellison, who has been a strong advocate for Biden, said in an interview that he has been meeting with the Black Muslim Leadership Council members to help them chart a course ahead and that he is in favor of their efforts.
We are not afforded the luxury of narrowly focusing our attention. As the first Muslim and African American elected to statewide office in Minnesota, Ellison said, “We have a lot to care about, and those things have to be weighed out carefully.” “It seems like some individuals want to bring back Jim Crow laws, and Donald Trump is their spokesperson. Therefore, in my opinion, it is ineffective to just say “abandon Biden.”
According to Ellison, a number of black Muslims in the United States face a variety of issues that affect black people generally, such as racial discrimination in society, dangerous neighborhoods, mass imprisonment, and discriminatory policing.
“I’m talking about African Americans and other people of color. This group is well positioned to help reflect the interests of the larger civil rights community,” Ellison said. The Middle East is becoming more important to the Muslim community as a whole. Additionally, the Muslim population in Africa might respond, “Yes, that should be given priority, but not exclusively.”
However, some Black Muslim Leadership Council members argue that Biden should own up to the criticism he’s getting from the “abandon Biden” movement and do more to address the trauma that inspires its adherents.
While he also disagrees with the “abandon Biden” movement, Mika’il Stewart-Saadiq, assistant imam of the Muslim Center Detroit and member of the Black Muslim Leadership Council, said that the Biden administration must be aware of the potential consequences of the movement for jeopardizing Biden’s reelection campaign.
Regarding the adherents of the “abandon Biden” movement, Stewart-Saadiq said, “We can’t lay all the blame at these people’s feet.” The government has part of the responsibility. They must own responsibility for this almost self-destructive movement because people are prepared to admit that they would rather punish Joe Biden than give Donald Trump a chance to win. That is really sentimental. The idea that someone would be prepared to “risk it all” is very hurtful.
Similar to Suswell, Stewart-Saadiq said that he intends to cast a ballot in November but has not yet decided which presidential candidate to support. He said, “Joseph Biden and Donald Trump are very different.” “Someone will do this task. And the Republicans are now fleeing, submitting to the Trump MAGA beast by groveling and giving in. For this reason, I believe that we are living in a very hazardous period of time.
According to Suswell, she has been putting effort into creating the Black Muslim Leadership Council since 2020 with the goal of addressing cultural and political issues ahead of the election in November. Early in March, the organization intends to announce its establishment at a news conference. Shortly after, it will begin voter education and mobilization initiatives.
The chief imam of Philadelphia’s Masjidullah mosque, Idris Abdul-Zahir, intends to chair the board of the nonprofit division of the Black Muslim Leadership Council. He will be assisting with the group’s nonpartisan initiatives in that capacity.
He said, “We want to make sure that people are actually going to the polls, voting, and instilling that sense of duty in our people. We don’t just want to get people registered and educated.” Over time, the voice of black Muslims has been somewhat muffled for a variety of reasons. Additionally, we want to ensure that our perspective—that of black people, black Muslims, and Muslims in general—is a crucial voice at that table while still respecting the histories and individuals of others.
NEWS SOURCE: NBC NEWS
