As Israel pushes on with its brutal military campaign in Gaza – killing Palestinian civilians at will and razing swathes of the besieged Palestinian enclave – the rumblings of the war are being felt as far as the US.

The US – Israel’s all-weather ally – has backed the war on Gaza since the cross-border operation by Hamas on October 7, providing moral and material support to the Jewish state to carry on its military campaign against Palestinians.

The Biden administration’s no-questions-asked backing of Israel has also led to a surge in Islamophobia in the country, which has come as a big shock and disappointment to the American Muslim community.

Ahead of the November presidential elections in the US, the Muslim community is preparing to punish the Democrats politically for being an accomplice in Israel’s lopsided war on Gaza.

And the biggest signs of the political upheaval are emanating from Michigan, a crucial swing state that has been playing a decisive role in determining the outcome of the race.

The state chose the Democrats in 2020 by a bare three percent margin while backing the Republicans in 2016 by an even narrower margin – 0.23 percent.

Representing an estimated five percent of the voters in Michigan, American Muslims in the state believe they can lodge their protest through the ballot box.

Since Israel launched its war on Gaza, Michigan has passed at least 14 resolutions calling for a ceasefire. However, their calls have gone unanswered.

President Joe Biden is almost certain to be nominated by the Democrats for another term, and he is likely to face off against potential Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump in a 2020 rematch.

Growing disappointment

Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) Michigan chapter, articulated the frustration and anger of the community in clear terms.

He says that although US support for Israel is not a new thing, Washington’s involvement in the unprecedented level of killing since October 7 has been disappointing for Muslims.

“Many Muslims do not want their leaders to even have a conversation with President Biden due to America's unconditional support for Israel, including giving Israel weapons during the current genocide that's taking place against Palestinian people,” Walid tells TRT World.

Towards the end of January, Muslim and Arab American leaders in Michigan declined an invitation to attend a listening session with Joe Biden’s campaign.

Activists in Michigan have also launched an ‘Abandon Biden’ campaign, calling on voters to reject the potential Democrat nominee in the November elections, says Bilal Irfan, president emeritus of the governing body representing students of the University of Michigan.

Some others have launched a ‘Listen to Michigan’ campaign, hoping to put pressure on the Biden administration to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Biden has had many opportunities in the last few months to make genuine inroads and communicate with his Arab and Muslim constituents, and the only thing we have seen is disrespect and an utter disregard–even hostility–towards our families and the people we love,” Irfan tells TRT World.

To protest Biden's Gaza policy, more than 30 elected officials across Michigan have also said they would vote "uncommitted" in Michigan's Democratic presidential primary that will take place on February 27.

In primaries held 9 to 10 months before the general election across the state, voters can indicate their preference for their party’s candidate to nominate.

Voting ‘uncommitted’ means not committing to any candidate for the race, which may lead to a break for the Muslim community, says Reem Abou-Samra, teaching Politics at the University of Michigan.

Therefore, it increases the chance for third-party and independent candidates.

A chance wasted for Biden

In the 2020 election, Biden won by 150,000 votes in Michigan, where approximately 240,000 Muslims live.

“In the previous election [2020], Muslims wanted Bernie Sanders to win. However, since Mr. Biden won, Muslims were willing to give him a chance,” Walid says.

“With a series of policy decisions and the worst of them being his support for the war against Gaza, there is virtually no support for President Biden in the Michigan Muslim community at this particular time.”

He says that even if Biden calls for a ceasefire, it won’t satisfy the Muslim community as his administration won’t stop sending aid and weapons to Israel.

It is estimated that Israel dropped 22,000 US-provided guided and unguided bombs on Gaza in just the first six weeks of the war.

US military aid to Tel Aviv topped $3.8 billion in 2023, with half of the amount meant to bolster Israel’s missile defence.

‘A very important election’

Across Detroit, Dearborn, Ypsilanti, Hamtramck, Dearborn Heights, Canton, and Ann Arbor, which have passed ceasefire resolutions, the anger against Biden is growing.

“Many Muslims in Michigan feel that this is a very important election, just simply to make a point that the Muslims in Michigan matter and that if people don't take our voices seriously, the Michigan Muslim community can literally affect who can be the next president of the United States,” Walid says.

He says it is hard for anyone to become US president without winning Michigan because the last two elections have been very close.

It is the consequence they should pay if they do not listen to Muslims, he says, adding, “It's not about whether it's Trump or Biden for many American Muslims, it's about asserting the political power of the Michigan Muslim community so that these politicians cannot take the voices of the community for granted.”

“Our vote is one way we can hold truth to power and force our leaders to listen,” Irfan says.

Legacy of Black American Muslims

At the same time, the Muslim community is also hopeful since local politics has a special place and strength in Michigan.

Because of the rich legacy of Black American Muslims, they have a strong history of organising their local leaders, Abou-Samra says.

Rashida Tlaib became the first Muslim woman in the Michigan legislature in 2008, and then in 2018 became the first Muslim woman to be elected to the US Congress.

The city of Hamtramck in Michigan became the first municipality in the US to be administered entirely by Muslim Americans after the city elected a Muslim-American city council and a Muslim mayor in 2021.

Having strong relationships with the local leaders makes the Muslims in Michigan hopeful for the upcoming election as well, she emphasises.

Also, there is an organic link between the Black movement and the Palestinian movement, says Irfan.

“When Black protestors were being attacked by police in Ferguson after George Floyd’s murder, Palestinians were supporting the movement and sending tips on how protestors could protect themselves from police violence.”

Both communities have faced a common understanding of police brutality, he says, comparing Israel’s military to the US police and adding that many of the US police have been trained by Israel.

In that sense, Biden risks not only the support of Muslims but also the Black community since most Black people see a common thread binding their own struggle for freedom to the Palestinian cause.

“The Muslim vote is significant and valuable because ‘all politics is local’,” Abou-Samra says.

Surge in anti-Muslim rhetoric

Since October 7, anti-Muslim hate in US states has also increased, which the community blamed on politicians and media aligned with Israel.

On February 2, WSJ published an op-ed titled ‘Welcome to Dearborn, America’s Jihad Capital’, labelling the largely Arab-American city of Michigan as a supporter of terrorism due to its pro-Palestinian sentiment and hostility against the US’ Gaza policy.

The writer called counter-terrorism agencies to consider the situation in Dearborn as a national security threat.

“Even this article has the role to increase of anti-Muslim rhetoric, attempts of voter intimidation and uptick of violence against Muslims in America,” Abou-Samra says.

Dawud Walid shares another instance of growing anti-Muslim hatred in Dearborn, where a man threatened to kill all the Palestinians in the city.

“It's a very troubling trend, and especially since this is an election year, we are a little nervous that some of the political candidates may try to use Muslims as a political football and try to win cheap points that may increase Islamophobia in our country,” he says.

Bilal Irfan talks about how the students have been harassed and targeted on various campuses by not only external groups but also by school administrations.

“Muslim and Arab communities are hearing loud and clear from our leaders that our lives and well-being don’t matter,” he says.

“Biden has made it abundantly clear that not only are Arabs and Muslims not safe in Gaza, but also here in America,” he adds.

Biden recently announced financial and travel sanctions on four Israeli settlers involved in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

It was not the first, but a rare instance of US action against Israelis.

Walid, however, dismissed the action as a “token”, saying that “no one really cares about the executive order Biden made regarding Israeli settlers, it won't affect the vast majority of those illegal Israeli settlers because the majority of them are actually American citizens.”

It just punishes individuals who have limited agency in the larger conflict instead of the settler-colonialist state, Abou-Samra notes.

Although Biden’s executive order seeks to appease historically Arab and Muslim democratic voters, he has given Israel the mandate to continue its policies of aggression on besieged Gaza and the occupied West Bank, she adds.