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A pro-Palestinian rally in Dearborn (Screenshot from Fox 2 video)
The impact of the Israel-Hamas war is being felt here in Michigan which is home to sizeable Muslim and Jewish populations.
The Associated Press reports that some local Muslims who align with Democrats are offended and feel betrayed by leading state Dems who have sided with Israel.
“There is going to be an effort to not support the people who have not supported us. The people that we voted for for such a long time — people that we’ve helped, we’ve donated to and we’ve worked on their campaigns,” Adam Abusalah, a 22-year-old Palestinian American from Dearborn, tells AP in a story by reporters Joey Cappelletti and Christine Fernando.
Some Muslims are particularly offended that Michigan’s top Democrats, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, attended a pro-Israel rally at a Southfield synagogue days after the Oct. 7 deadly attack by Hamas on Israel.
None of the top Dems attended a pro-Palestinian rally in Dearborn the next day to show support, AP reports.
Conversely, some local Jews were critical of Whitmer when she issued a statement that did not mention Israel:
"I have been in touch with communities impacted by what’s happening in the region. It is abhorrent. My heart is with all those impacted. We need peace in this region."
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat whose district includes Dearborn, has voiced anger toward the Biden administration.
"To my president, to our president ... I want him to know, as a Palestinian American and somebody in Muslim faith, I'm not going to forget this. And I think a lot of people are not going to forget this," Tlaib said.
See pro-Palestinian rally in Dearborn below
See pro-Israel rally in Southfield
