A major political development that has received little attention following the Democrats’ surprise defeat in the November 5 elections in the United States is the success of Arab American political organizing.
A new generation of political activists has emerged who have garnered unprecedented numbers of representation and influence for the 3.5 million strong Arab-American community in elected and appointed political offices. It put Arab Americans on the electoral map for the first time by launching the Uncommitted movement during the Democratic primaries and making a foreign policy issue – Israel’s genocide in Gaza – a national moral issue.
The Democratic Party underestimated the power of this new generation and the intensity of citizens’ anger, which cost it dearly in the elections.
What happened in the Arab American community is an old all-American story. They, like other communities, began their quest for political influence as a low-profile immigrant group who became mobile citizens after political developments threatened their well-being and inspired them to take action.
Arab American mobilization began with small-scale participation in Jesse Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns for the Democratic Party. Jackson was the first serious presidential candidate to include Arab Americans as Democratic Party convention delegates, part of a rainbow coalition of “whites, Hispanics, blacks, Arabs, Jews, women, Native Americans, small farmers.” . Businessmen, environmentalists, peace activists, young, old, gay, lesbian and disabled [who] Make an American Quilt”.
His campaign sparked a voter registration drive within the Arab American community, which continued for the next three decades. By 2020, approx 90 percent Arab Americans were registered to vote. By 2024, the Arab American voter block – in its broad coalition with other groups – had grown large enough to influence outcomes in key swing states, particularly Michigan and Pennsylvania.
The 9/11 attacks and the subsequent response inspired Arab Americans even more to become involved in meaningful politics. Many members of the community refused to live in fear, seeking to escape the intimidation and stigmatization that had long kept their parents and grandparents politically subjugated and silenced.
As Omar Kurdi, founder of Arab Americans of Cleveland, told me, “We were no longer silent because we saw the dangers of remaining quiet and politically inactive. We refused to live in fear of politics. From then on, we We have been proud, confident, and active in the public no longer accepting crumbs, but want our share of the pie, and now we understand how we can work for it.
As a result, over the past two decades, Arab Americans have entered the public sphere and politics at all levels: from local, city, and county positions to state and federal positions.
Elected officials say they succeed because their constituents know and trust them. Candidates who won state and national congressional seats – like Rashida Tlaib in Michigan – inspired hundreds of young Arab Americans to enter the political fray.
Successful experiences in city politics educate newcomers about how they can influence the decision-making process, improve their lives, and serve the entire community. They mastered the basics of politics at the local level, “like lobbying, pressuring, protesting, educating the public, building consensus, and building relationships based on shared values, problems, and goals,” one Ohio activist told me. But forming a coalition”.
All this momentum built over the years came together in the Uncommitted Movement in 2024. As the Biden administration extended unconditional support to Israel to carry out genocidal violence in Palestine and Lebanon, Arab-American activists moved to use their newfound leverage as electoral voters. Politics.
They joined like-minded social justice activists from other groups that mainstream political parties had long valued—including Muslim Americans, blacks, Hispanics, youth, progressive Jews, churches, and unions—and in the primaries. sent a strong message that they would do so. Unless Biden changes his stance on Gaza, we will not support Biden’s re-election bid.
The campaign hoped that thousands of voters would send a big message to Democrats by voting “uncommitted” in the primaries, but in reality, hundreds of thousands of Democrats did so in a half-dozen key states. These numbers were enough to send 30 uncommitted delegates to the Democratic National Convention in August, where they could lobby their colleagues to shape the party’s national platform.
An activist involved in this process told me that he convinced 320 of the other 5,000 delegates to support his demand for a Gaza ceasefire and the party’s commitment to an arms embargo on Israel – not enough to change the party’s position. Yes, but this is enough to prove that work is being done from within. With time the political system can take things in a better direction.
Intergenerational support and inspiration were major factors in the success of the Uncommitted Movement. Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute, who has been involved in such activities for three decades, told me that Arab Americans had always held political positions, but in small numbers, so they had little influence. However, they learned how the system works and provided valuable insight when it came time to act this year. He cited as an example Abbas Alawiyeh, who was co-chairman of the Uncommitted National Movement and worked as a congressional staffer for many years.
The exact contribution of the Uncommitted Movement to the Democratic Party’s defeat is still hotly debated. One activist told me that the movement “put Arab Americans at the center of Democratic Party politics, led progressives, helped Harris lose in swing states, and shaped those ways at the national level on Gaza, divestment, and ethical issues.” “Attracted attention that we were never able to.” First.”
All this takes place in uncharted territory, with no clarity as to whether Arab Americans can influence both the Democratic and Republican parties that now compete for their votes.
“We are freed from the Democrats who took us for granted, and we Arab Americans are now officially a swing vote,” said an Arab-American activist in his 30s.
Other activists I spoke to thought the election experience could set the stage for a larger movement to counter the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, although this would require establishing political action committees (PACs) and raising sufficient funds. The next obstacle will need to be overcome.
This is a possibility for the future. For now, it is important to recognize that the national-level Arab-American political effort is born out of the fire and destruction of the American-Israeli genocide in Palestine and Lebanon. Whether it can improve the well-being of Arab Americans and all Americans will be revealed in the years to come.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of Al Jazeera.
