Michigan Muslims shun Harris over Mideast turmoil

DEARBORN, United States: Haunted by the daily violence ravaging the Middle East, Soujoud Hamade, a registered Democrat, felt compelled to back Green Party candidate Jill Stein in the US presidential election.

“It is very emotional,” the 32-year-old real estate lawyer told AFP after casting her ballot on Tuesday at a school in Dearborn, the nation´s largest Arab-majority city, where voters could prove decisive in the key battleground of Michigan.

“Every time I watch the news or get on social media, I see my people being decimated, I see my home country being destroyed,” added the Lebanese-American, disillusioned by the Biden-Harris administration´s unwavering support for Israel. Hamade says she´s clear-eyed about the two-way nature of the race between Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump.

Still, she insists her vote is far more than just a protest. She´s banking on helping Stein crack five percent of the national popular vote, a threshold that would unlock future federal funding for the Green Party and “move the needle forward” toward breaking the two-party hold on US politics.