Arab and Muslims to join conference countering Democratic Convention “silence” on Gaza genocide
By Ray Hanania
Chicago, IL — As thousands of delegates gather in Chicago next week for the Democratic National Convention to officially confirm a successor to President Joe Biden, Arab and Muslim community leaders will join African American and progressive activists in challenging the Democratic Party’s hesitancy to address Israel’s violence in Gaza.
Organizers of the South Side conference said they will respond to the “DNC convention’s silence on Palestine” with their own activism including speakers, rallies and panels exploring America’s need to address the ongoing genocide in Gaza and increasing violence in the West Bank.
The conference will be held August 19 through 21 at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s headquarters at 930 East 50th Street on Chicago’s South Side, 10 miles from the United Center where Democrats will gather on Chicago’s West Side to officially nominate Biden’s successor at the convention August 19 through 22nd.
“It is a form of liberation when conscience-minded people come together to reflect of human suffering and chart a course to make crooked paths straight. What happens over there, matters over here – whether in Chicago, Cleveland, or Washington DC,” Nina Turner, the former Ohio State Senator, said in a statement to Arab News.
“I applaud the Arab American Institute for bringing people of conscience together to discuss critical issues that should be discussed at the convention.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been criticized for not speaking out more forcefully for a ceasefire in Gaza, is expected to win the nomination though convention rules allow for challenges to be made during the four day party political nominating convention.
Turner will join other Democrats including former Michigan Congressman Andy Levin, and former Nevada Democratic Party Chair Judith Whitmer to show support for the demands of Arab Americans for a ceasefire to end the violence in the Gaza Strip.
The RainbowPUSH Coalition is a powerful African American political and social movement founded by the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, who rose to prominence as a close ally of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in 1968.
Jackson ran as a candidate for the Democratic nomination in 1988 winning capturing 6.9 million votes and winning 11 primary elections in seven primaries including Alabama, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico and Virginia. He won four election caucuses including in Delaware, Michigan, South Carolina.
Jackson, who founded Operation PUSH in 1971, advocated in the 1980 and 1984 elections to convince Democrats to endorse the “Two State Solution” as a formal party of their Party Convention Plank. The Convention Plank defines the wide array of issues and principles that serve as the party’s campaign foundation.
A keynote speaker will be California Congressman Ro Khanna, who served as the deputy assistant secretary in the US Department of Department of Commerce under President Barack Obama.
“This programming will address not only the concerns of Democrats but also those of everyday Americans who want to see an end to the killing in Gaza. These conversations will confront the elephant in the room – the U.S.’s unquestioning support for Israel in its unrelenting genocidal war on Palestinians,” Zogby, AAI President and a member of the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement Wednesday.
“It’s an issue the majority of Democrats want the party to discuss and a policy they want the administration to change.”
Zogby is co-organizing the conference with Jackson.
“It’s time for our Democratic Party to come to grips with a gathering crisis. If we allow unlimited money from Republican billionaires to flow into *our* primaries where we are supposed to pick *our* Democratic candidates, we will both lose our autonomy as a political party and further undermine the integrity of our democracy,” Levin, who is Jewish, said.
“The people expect each party to pick candidates that represent that party’s views in the primaries so they have a meaningful choice in November. We allow this travesty to continue at our peril.”
Samir Khalil, president of the Arab American Democratic Club based in Chicago, said that Arab and Muslim Americans are changing from supporting political parties to being selective and supporting individuals.
“Republicans and Democrats betrayed our communities in every election they come for our votes. But once they are in office they change to follow the lobbyists who are working for foreign governments,” said Khalil, noting that the Democratic Party has excluded prominent Arab American voices from participating in the convention program.
“The Arab and the Muslim communities for the most part have been supportive of Democratic candidates but this election we will be very selective and only support those who support us and who address our concerns and needs.”
State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, a Democrat and an elected Illinois legislator, said the Democratic Party needs to get back in touch with its true constituency and embrace Democracy and human rights by taking a stand to force an end to the Gaza war and killing of civilians.
“The Democratic party platform should reflect a commitment to human rights, justice, and the well-being of all people. We cannot claim to stand for democracy and freedom while supporting a government that’s committing genocide,” Rashid told Arab News.
“The time for half-measures and empty rhetoric is over. The DNC must take a clear, unambiguous stand against the genocide in Gaza while also committing to bold action on healthcare, climate change, and economic justice.”
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(Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and political columnist. This column was originally published in the Southwest News Newspaper Group in the Des Plaines Valley News, Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers. For more information on Ray Hanania visit www.Hanania.com or email him at rghanania@gmail.com.)
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