The Kamala Harris campaign kicked out a prominent Muslim Democrat from the vice president’s rally in Royal Oak on Monday, further driving a wedge between the Democratic Party and Arab and Muslim Americans.
Ahmed Ghanim, a Democrat, says he accepted an invitation to the event and was seated in the Royal Oak Music Theatre when a campaign organizer ordered him to leave.
“She took me to the door, and she closed it, and I found two police officers waiting there, and she said, ‘You have to leave right now,’” Ghanim tells Metro Times. “I asked why she was kicking me out. She wouldn’t answer. I was very calmly asking why I was being kicked out.”
He continues, “I was just wearing a suit and a white shirt. I said, ‘OK,’ and I left. The police officer said, ‘You either leave now or I’ll put you in the back of my car.’”
Ghanim, who immigrated to the U.S. from Egypt in 2001 and is vehemently opposed to U.S. support for Israel’s military actions, says he still has been given no reason why he was removed from the event.
Ghanim says he and many other Muslims feel alienated by the Democratic Party and that Harris’s campaign will be impacted by it.
“They keep saying they want the Muslims and the Arabs, but we aren’t even welcome at an event,” Ghanim says. “They know me. I ran there. It’s my district. I canvassed all over Royal Oak.”
In a statement late Monday afternoon, the Harris campaign didn’t say why Ghanim was removed but said he’s welcome at future events.
“The campaign was swiftly informed by Emgage Action of yesterday’s incident and looked into it,” the statement reads, referring to a Muslim American advocacy group. “Our campaign regrets this action and its impact on Dr. Ghanim and the community, and he is welcome at future events. We value our relationship with the Muslim American community and are committed to ensuring all community and political spaces are welcoming and respectful to every American.”
Be the first to reply to this general discussion.
Join in on more popular conversations.
