Muslim faith leaders endorse Kamala Harris  IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.Skip to ContentNBC News LogoTrump adminPoliticsLocalNew YorkLos AngelesChicagoDallas-Fort WorthPhiladelphiaWashington, D.C.BostonBay AreaSouth FloridaSan DiegoConnecticutU.S. NewsWorldBusinessEditors' picksShoppingTiplineSportsHealthScienceCulture & TrendsShare & Save —My NewsManage ProfileEmail PreferencesSign OutSearchSearchProfile My NewsSign Out Sign InCreate your free profileSectionsU.S. NewsDecision 2024PoliticsWorldBusinessSportsInvestigationsCulture & TrendsHealthScienceTech & MediaWeatherVideo FeaturesPhotosNBC SelectNBC Asian AmericaNBC BLKNBC LatinoNBC OUTLocalNew YorkLos AngelesChicagoDallas-Fort WorthPhiladelphiaWashington, D.C.BostonBay AreaSouth FloridaSan DiegoConnecticuttvTodayNightly NewsMSNBCMeet the PressDatelineFeaturedNBC News NowNightly FilmsStay TunedSpecial FeaturesNewslettersPodcastsListen NowMore From NBCCNBCNBC.COMNBCU AcademyPeacockNEXT STEPS FOR VETSNBC News Site MapHelpFollow NBC News news AlertsThere are no new alerts at this timeSearchSearchFacebookTwitterEmailSMSPrintWhatsappRedditPocketFlipboardPinterestLinkedinLatest StoriesTrump adminPoliticsU.S. NewsWorldBusinessEditors' picksShoppingTiplineSportsHealthScienceCulture & TrendsEXCLUSIVEIsrael-Hamas warIsrael-Hamas warMuslim faith leaders endorse Harris  The vice president is in need of allies in a community that remains frustrated with the administration's handling of the Israel-Hamas war.Vice President Kamala Harris speaks Wednesday at a campaign event in Flint, Mich.Geoff Robins / AFP-Getty ImagesBy Alex Seitz-WaldA group of imams endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in an open letter shared first with NBC News on Sunday, a critical boost as she steps up her efforts to win back disaffected Muslim voters amid the Israel-Hamas war.Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, has faced widespread anger from Muslim and Arab voters over the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza, and the community could be critical some battleground states, like Michigan.The 25 Islamic religious leaders who signed the letter, which comes a year after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack that sparked the war, argue that Muslim voters have a duty to think logically about their voting decisions and that backing Harris “far outweighs the harms of the other options."“She is a committed ceasefire candidate too and is the best option for ending the bloodshed in Gaza and now Lebanon,” they wrote.The imams argued that former President Donald Trump is a threat to their community.“Knowingly enabling someone like Donald Trump to return to office, whether by voting directly for him or for a third-party candidate, is both a moral and a strategic failure. Particularly in swing states, a vote for a third party could enable Trump to win that state and therefore the elections,” they wrote. “Given [Trump’s] well-documented history of harming our communities and country, as well as what he has promised he will do to Muslims and Palestinians should he return, it is incumbent upon us not to allow our high emotions to dictate our actions to our detriment,” the letter reads. The letter argues that the leaders have “a responsibility, an Amana, not to place our community in harm’s way." It’s a notable endorsement from a community among which Harris is hurting for prominent allies. Several prominent Muslim groups have endorsed anti-war third-party candidates like Jill Stein and Cornel West, while others started a movement called Abandon Harris to punish Democrats for the Biden administration's steadfast support for Israel. Many other Muslim groups and leaders that have endorsed Democrats in the past have withheld their endorsements or declined to back any candidate for president. Some critics have felt Harris has largely abandoned the Muslim and Arab American community. About 700,000 people voted “uncommitted” in protest of President Joe Biden’s policies during this year’s Democratic primaries. And the delegates' request for a Palestinian speaker at the Democratic National Convention over the summer was denied. Mohamed Elsanousi, a Muslim community leader who helped organize the pro-Harris letter, noted that most of the 25 signers are permanent imams with sizable congregations, including some from swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina. He said he hopes the support from religious leaders will make conflicted Muslim voters feel more comfortable voting for Harris, despite some prominent Muslim voices’ intense opposition to her. “I am really hopeful that with this letter a lot of people will change their minds,” Elsanousi said. “The momentum [for Harris] in the community is growing.”The letter is the latest effort in the push on behalf of the Harris campaign to reach out to those voters after she met with Muslim community leaders in Michigan on Friday. Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, addressed a virtual event hosted by a pro-Harris Muslim get-out-vote group Thursday. Also last week, the vice president’s national security adviser met with Arab and Muslim community leaders in Washington. “The Vice President is committed to work to earn every vote, unite our country, and to be a President for all Americans,” Nasrina Bargzie, the director of Muslim and Arab American outreach for the campaign, said in a statement. “Throughout her career, Vice President Harris has been steadfast in her support of our country’s diverse Muslim community, including ensuring that they can live free from the hateful policies of the Trump administration.”Alex Seitz-WaldAlex Seitz-Wald is a senior political reporter for NBC News. AboutContactHelpCareersAd ChoicesPrivacy PolicyYour Privacy ChoicesCA NoticeTerms of Service (Updated JULY 7, 2023)NBC News SitemapClosed CaptioningAdvertiseSelect Shopping© 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLCNBC News LogoMSNBC LogoToday Logo
This is wonderful news. All Muslims have never been the problem, nor have all Palestinians (or Lebanese, or Iranians, etc.). And all that are committed to mutual existence and peace are welcome.

TLDR version of what everyone on the side of peace needs to do: Support Israel. You’re supporting Liberalism around the world and the citizens of Gaza that are committed to peace when you do.

Here is the longer version:

This is a good time to be grateful to be a US citizen or otherwise living long distances away from large concentrations of people that hold beliefs that lead them down the path of taking waging jihad on as their sincere life project. Every mile buys a measure of safety.

People wonder why Mossad and the IDF are so incredibly capable and the US spends so much money arming them. Look at who their nextdoor neighbors are. Look at their neighbors’ patterns of behavior and look at the things they say and do around the world. These are very persistent folks.

Necessity is the mother of invention. Look at what the US and Israel invent - Iron Dome. A shield for civilians that launches defensive missiles to protect civilians at significant cost to them as taxpayers. Look at what Israel’s neighbors invent. Tunnels under civilians to use them as shields for their “leaders”.

What possible necessity are some of these people providing for that justifies their very specific types of inventions? There are plenty of good people that will remain very committed to the ‘protect and defend’ mission regardless of cost - it is a necessity. But what are we going to do about the problem that is making us all work this hard for, spend so much money on, and sacrifice so much for?

And why isn’t it obvious to everyone that if Sinwar were a “good guy” he’d be up waving a white flag over his head to every news station he could find? That’s what a good guy does if he is surrounded like this. He would have done it a long time ago. He could stop Netanyahu in his tracks in an instant, and yet he seems incapable of doing the only obvious thing to do? Who else hid in a bunker like this? Who was his enemy? And what was he trying to do?

This is getting beyond concerning that people can’t seem to see that. It is very fortunate Israel is capable of defending itself and has the US as the world’s closest neighbor no matter the distance in miles. These people are very persistent at exploiting vulnerabilities… But fortunately it looks like they will never be persistent enough.

No one is trying to start a regional war on the “good guy” team. That isn’t anyone’s grand aspiration or project. But it may not be avoidable forever. That’s just reality when confronted with this particular situation. We do our absolute best to make the most of a terrible hand others dealt. Netanyahu is a very imperfect man, but his moral clarity, eloquence, and decisiveness are unbelievable attributes for Israel in this moment.

Fortunately, this time - Netanyahu is Churchill, the US is France, and the initial invasion only claimed 1,200 lives. There is very regrettably a serious problem in Europe with Ukraine under invasion from Russia, but thank God for NATO. Nothing like a bit of self-interest to keep Europe in the game…

It’s time to wake up here people. Liberalism is under threat everywhere you look. All it takes to beat it back is for the world to back Israel in this moment. They’re not going to go crazy. They are the only people I’d trust not to abuse the kind of power they hold in this moment - they are the survivors of the holocaust. That teaches you things about life.

I apologize for the long rant, but this is truly getting absurd. France is asking to stop arming Israel now? We’re back to Vichy government days while Britain has another Chamberlain moment.

This stuff matters. Life matters. Freedom matters. We need to take the reminder, set down our distractions, and do it with much less violence this time. The Jews are leading the way. This is our chance to finally trust and do right by them. This is how you pay them back - by letting them save you.

Most selfish people in the world? Try most generous.

All they want, and all they have ever wanted, is to live in peace with their neighbors. Why is this so hard for us to see? We really need to address that problem.

Please feel free to share this, it’s exactly what the bad guys don’t want to have happen.

To the all the Israelis, Jews, Palestinians, Lebanese, Yemenis, Iranians, Christians, other Muslims, and many others committed to the causes of liberty, security, and liberalism around the world: Aleichem shalom. Salam Alaykum. Peace be unto you. We beat them together.

•	⁠An atheist ally