Muslim Women for Harris-Walz disbands after DNC rejects hosting a Palestinian speaker

A small grassroots movement known as Muslim Women for Harris-Walz has rescinded its support for the Democratic presidential nominee. 

The group released a statement on its Facebook and Instagram pages saying they withdrew their support because the DNC declined to have a Palestinian American speak at the convention. 

“We cannot in good conscience continue Muslim Women for Harris-Walz, in light of this new information from the Uncommitted movement, that VP Harris’ team declined their request to have a Palestinian American speaker take the stage at the DNC,” the group wrote. 

Muslim Women for Harris-Walz is a small group that only has 87 followers on its Facebook page and 850 followers on Instagram. Unlike other grassroots groups like Win With Black Women and White Women for Harris, which have raised millions of dollars for Harris, it is unclear how much fundraising Muslim women for Harris-Walz did. 

Controversy first sparked at the DNC after the Uncommitted Movement found it to be unfair that the parents of a hostage kidnapped by Hamas took the stage at the DNC on the third night, but the DNC did not extend that same invitation to a member of the uncommitted movement or a Palestinian American. 

The movement started when voters in Michigan, North Carolina, and Minnesota decided to vote “uncommitted” in protest of how the Biden administration was handling the war in Gaza. As a result, 30 uncommitted delegates have been sent to the DNC. 

The delegates have called on the Biden-Harris administration to impose an arms embargo on Israel and to back a permanent ceasefire. However, just last week, the administration approved a $20 billion weapons sale to Israel.  

The uncommitted delegates had staged a sit-in outside the DNC in protest of being told they could not have a Palestinian speaker. The sit-in was joined by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

While a forum was held on Monday to discuss the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, the Uncommitted Movement said it was unfair to exclude a Palestinian voice from taking the stage while allowing a family member of a hostage to speak.  

“The difficulty in approving even a single Palestinian American speaker among the dozens of speakers on the convention stage sends a troubling message to our anti-war voters, suggesting they aren’t truly included in this party,” the Uncommitted Movement said in a statement.

With Michigan being a highly contentious state, Harris losing support from Muslim and Arab voters could negatively affect her chances of winning the swing state.