Democratic vice presidential hopeful Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) sought to appeal to Muslim American voters on Thursday during a virtual meeting with Emgage Action.
While speaking during the online meeting hosted by the Muslim American advocacy organization, Walz vowed to give Muslim Americans a voice in a Harris-Walz administration should they win the presidential election, Reuters reported. The Minnesota governor announced to viewers in attendance that Muslim Americans would be actively engaged and “serve side by side.”
Emgage Action announced its endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris last week. Walz’s participation in Thursday’s event coincided with the debut of Arab Americans for Harris-Walz, NBC News reported.
“Vice President Harris and I are committed that this White House… will continue to condemn in all forms anti-Islam, anti-Arab sentiments being led by Donald Trump, but more importantly, a commitment that Muslims will be engaged in this administration and serve side by side,” Walz declared.
His statement comes as the Harris-Walz campaign tries to make inroads with the Muslim-American voting demographic after a contentious year of political messaging that saw Democrats lose some support from the group over U.S. support for Israel. Matters were further complicated during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August when the DNC denied a Palestinian American from the Uncommitted National Movement an opportunity to speak at the convention.
Tensions within the Muslim American community have increased over the last year after the terrorist group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Since then, Israel has been at war with Hamas in the Gaza region, leading to much criticism from people around the globe, including the U.S., where protests plagued college campuses nationwide earlier this year. In recent weeks, hostilities have significantly increased between Israel and other paramilitary Islamic groups in the Middle East, such as the Houthis and Hezbollah.
Walz spoke about the conflict in the Middle East and empathized with Muslim and Arab Americans.
“As-Salaam-Alaikum,” Walz said before discussing the crises in the Middle East. “I know the pain of this community is deep. Our hearts are broken.”
“The scale of death and destruction in Gaza is staggering and devastating,” the Minnesota governor stated. “Tens of thousands of innocent civilians killed, families fleeing for safety over and over again. We all know on here, this war must end and it must end now.”
“The vice-president’s working every day to ensure that, to make sure Israel is secure, the hostages are home, the suffering in Gaza ends now. And the Palestinian people realize the right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination,” Walz added.