Do Muslims and Muslim countries really like Donald Trump?
How To Find Out If Muslim Countries Really Like Donald
Abhinav Goyal
Post, BBC News
November 7, 2024
1. General U.S. Muslim Sentiment on Trump
Most American Muslims have historically disapproved of Trump, primarily due to policies seen as hostile to Muslims, such as the 2017 travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries. This policy left a long-lasting negative impression on many U.S. Muslims.
2. Support Among U.S.-based Muslims
Although limited, some support for Trump has surfaced among American Muslims recently, particularly due to frustration with President Biden’s policies on Middle Eastern conflicts, like the ongoing Israel-Gaza situation. In states like Michigan, some Muslim and Arab-American voters are now more open to considering Trump in response to perceived neglect by the current administration.
3. International Perception in the Middle East
Trump's image in the Middle East is complex. Some Gulf states viewed his stance on Iran favorably and appreciated his economic policies, though his popularity varies significantly across the broader Muslim world, where views remain divided on his approach to Middle Eastern issues.
4. Impact of Current Events
The Biden administration’s support for Israel amid the Gaza conflict has become a pivotal factor, with many Muslim voters feeling alienated and considering alternative political alignments, though Trump’s overall favorability remains low within this demographic.
During his election campaign, the winner of the US presidential election, Donald Trump, claimed on several occasions that a large number of people of Arab and Muslim origin living in the country would vote for him.
On November 4, a day before the vote, Trump wrote on the social media website X that "we are building the largest coalition in the history of American politics." Michigan's Arab and Muslim voters are with us because they want peace.
Trump further said that "the Muslim community knows that Kamala Harris and her warmongering cabinet will attack the Middle East, kill millions of Muslims and start World War III."
In the end, he appealed to 'Vote Trump and restore peace.'
Remember that Michigan is a state where Arab and Muslim votes are decisive. Although the competition was tight in this large state with 15 electoral votes, Trump won here, which shows that with the help of his statements and promises, Trump has been able to convince the voters here.
Before the presidential election, Donald Trump also visited a halal cafe in Dearborn. This area is also known as the 'Arab capital' of America because it is the stronghold of the Arab community.
Similarly, in a rally held in Michigan, a group of Muslim leaders announced their support for Trump and expressed the hope that Trump's victory would bring peace to the Middle East.
So the important question after Trump's victory is whether the Muslim community living in America was angry with the Democratic Party as a result of Israel's attacks on Gaza and Lebanon.
Frustration with the Biden administration
Last year on October 7, Hamas attacked Israel in which more than 1200 Israelis were killed and Hamas fighters took hundreds of hostages and took them to Gaza.
Since then, Israel has retaliated against Gaza and the ensuing war, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians.
In May 2024, the Biden administration told Congress that it planned to send more than $8,400 million worth of arms to Israel, and it did.
According to the Associated Press, the package included tanks and ammunition worth $7 million.
According to a report by the American Watson Institute, since the beginning of the Gaza war, the United States has provided about 18 billion dollars in military aid to Israel.
According to observers, the way the United States continues to support Israel after the start of the Gaza war has caused resentment among Muslim voters living in the United States, and Trump has channeled this resentment toward his political opponents. Used in favor.
Dr. Fazlur Rahman, senior fellow associated with the Indian Council of World Affairs, says that the Muslim world's full attention is on 'Palestine' and their wishes, politics and concerns are all centered on 'Palestine' at the moment.
He said that Muslims and Arabs did not suddenly start liking Donald Trump. However, they had no other option because Kamala Harris was on one side and Donald Trump was on the other side.
Fazlur Rahman says that opposing Kamala Harris and Trump winning are two different things. After the Israel-Gaza war, the protests that took place across the United States were due to the silence of the Biden administration and its support and assistance to Israel.
According to Fazlur Rehman, "Despite all this (in this regard) there should not be too much expectation from Trump." In the past, he has openly supported Israel. Donald Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem during his first term as president, which was considered a controversial move internationally but popular in Israel.
He added that this is only Trump's rhetoric and since the Muslim and Arab voters of America have no other option than him, they have come out in support of him.
According to BBC News Jerusalem correspondent Joe Enod, Donald Trump's election victory has been described by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "the greatest achievement", while the Israeli president called Trump a "champion of peace" and the Israeli opposition leader called him " Israel's true friend.
According to him, it is likely that as President Donald Trump will continue and perhaps even increase military and diplomatic aid to Israel. But there is another opinion on Trump's expected policy regarding Israel. He has said that he will 'stop wars'.
According to Joe Inwood, there were reports in the Israeli media that Trump told Netanyahu that he wanted an end to the war in the Middle East. But one thing we know about Donald Trump is that it is very difficult to predict any of his decisions or actions.
Why does the Muslim world want Trump?
It should be remembered that in the year 2020, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed a historic agreement with Israel, which is called the 'Abraham Agreement', with the mediation of the United States, and under this, these Muslim countries recognized the existence of Israel and the same. Meanwhile, talks with other Muslim countries were ongoing, but in the meantime, Trump's presidency ended.
According to an analysis by James Landell of Diplomatic Affairs of the BBC, "Trump's second term in office will probably give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more leeway to take action against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran." In such a situation, an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities cannot be ruled out.
However, it is also possible that Trump will support a grand deal in the Middle East that includes both Saudi Arabia and Israel.
However, Iran is also a major party in the Middle East issue, and relations between Iran and the United States were constantly strained during Trump's first term.
During Trump's administration, the US withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal. It should be noted that this agreement was signed in the year 2015, i.e. during the era of Barack Obama. Under this agreement, severe sanctions were lifted in exchange for Iran to halt its nuclear program, but in the previous administration of Donald Trump, this agreement was terminated and large-scale sanctions were once again imposed on Iran.
Reshman Qazi, a professor of political science at Jamia Millia Islamia, says that Trump helped a lot in establishing new relations between the Arab world and Israel during his tenure.
She says that 'under this agreement, Israel postponed plans to annex large parts of the West Bank and after almost fifty years, diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates were established, which was a big deal in itself. '
On the other hand, Fazlur Rehman says that Trump is a politician as well as a businessman who sees things in black and white.
He says that Trump does not interfere in things like internal politics, culture, sovereignty and monarchy of Muslim countries. On the other hand, Democrats talk about banning Saudi Arabia, human rights and power sharing, while Trump does not use this language at all.
According to Fazlur Rehman, this is what the Muslim leaders like.
Reshma Qazi says that when Trump became president in 2016, he surprised everyone by choosing Saudi Arabia for his first official foreign visit. Most American presidents go to Canada or Mexico on their first foreign trip.
On the other hand, Fazlur Rehman says that "most of the Muslim world is now tired of raising the flag of 'Palestine' because they know that nothing is going to be gained from it (i.e. only by protesting)."
According to Fazlur Rehman, there is also an economic aspect to this whole issue. This is the century of making money. The Muslim world now feels that it cannot improve relations with Europe because of its support for Palestine and its opposition to Israel. The world is talking about climate change, investment, knowledge economy and they are stuck only in the issue of Palestine.
Can Trump stop the Gaza, Israel war?
The modern history of the Middle East has essentially been a history of failed attempts at peace.
Peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians began in 1993 with the Oslo Peace Accords.
After that, there were negotiations between the two for several decades, but this region could not be successful in achieving peace, neither Israel's occupation of the occupied territories ended nor the formation of two separate states was possible.
But since October 2023, the Israel-Gaza war has completely changed the Middle East, and the biggest question now is whether Trump will be able to do what many people and his voters expect him to do. are
In response to this question, Reshman Qazi says that "these possibilities will increase after the arrival of Trump, although the role of Israel and Hamas in ending this war will be very important."
She says that Trump has already proven that he is "not in favor of war" by making announcements such as the withdrawal of US troops from the Middle East and the end of the war in Afghanistan.
On the other hand, Fazlur Rehman says that Trump will not mediate but will try to impose a solution. They know America is very powerful. He is an aggressive politician who does not believe in hanging things up or delaying things.
He further says that Trump has a lot of faith in the supremacy of the United States, which is the basis of his politics and foreign policy. If this happens, the Palestinians will suffer more than Israel because the solution can only be imposed on the weak.
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#US_Presiential_Election_2024 #Saudi_Arabia #Gaza #Donald_Trump #Kamala_Harris #Joe_Biden #Israel #America
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