Black Muslim group endorses Harris after its 'uncommitted' stance on Biden

A national Muslim organization that had declared itself "uncommitted" on President Joe Biden's re-election bid is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris' candidacy.

Salima Suswell, the founder and chief executive of the Black Muslim Leadership Council Fund, first shared the group's decision with NBC News on Thursday. It's believed to be the first Muslim group in the uncommitted camp to now back Harris.

“She has shown more sympathy towards the people of Gaza then both President Biden and former President Donald Trump,” Suswell said of Harris. “During Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress, she decided not to attend. She has repeatedly called for a cease-fire, and I believe she has also expressed empathy towards civilian life and has been very caring as it relates to getting aid to the people of Gaza."

The fund is the political action arm of the nonprofit Black Muslim Leadership Council. Both organizations were started in March with the hope of pressuring elected officials, including Biden, to call for a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

The group’s endorsement is significant given the backlash the Biden administration has faced from the Muslim community over its handling of the war. Many Muslim groups pushed for an effort they dubbed “abandon Biden,” which called for voters not to support him at the ballot box in uncompetitive primaries and potentially in the fall election.

“We’re grateful to BMLC for their support," a Harris campaign spokesperson said in a statement. "The Vice President is committed to combating Islamophobia wherever it exists and advancing opportunity for black Americans. We look forward to working with BMLC to win this November and defeat Donald Trump’s divisive, unpopular agenda.”

Since Biden's decision to drop his re-election bid, some other Muslim groups have said they remain uncommitted to Harris' candidacy while saying she has a chance to earn their support by differentiating herself from Biden on Middle East policy.

In March, Suswell made it clear that many of her group’s members were focused on U.S. domestic challenges and did not support abandoning Biden. “At the present, I have not abandoned Biden,” she said at the time. “But I am uncommitted.”

The same month, Harris made headlines in a speech commemorating Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, where she called for a six-week cease-fire and described the situation in Gaza as a “humanitarian catastrophe.”

“Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate cease-fire — for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table,” Harris said. “This will get the hostages out and get a significant amount of aid in.”

Then, last week, just days after she launched her presidential campaign, Harris met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House after he spoke with Biden. Following the meeting, she said Israel had her “unwavering commitment” and a “right to defend itself” while also calling attention to the plight of the Palestinian people.

“What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating — the images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time,” she said. “We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering. And I will not be silent.”

Harris also spoke about her message to Netanyahu. “I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu it is time to get this deal done,” Harris said. “It is time for this war to end and end in a way where Israel is secure, all the hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self-determination.”

For Suswell and leaders of the Black Muslim Leadership Council Fund, the remarks underscored the need to come out and support Harris. The group plans to launch voter turnout efforts in critical swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, Suswell recognizes that Harris is still part of the Biden administration and has publicly supported Biden's policy positions on the war. She also said she was one of a group of Muslim leaders who met with Biden and Harris at the White House during a tense gathering one leader walked out of just minutes into the meeting.

“It wasn’t an easy meeting for the president,” Suswell said. “We were really tough on him. We were committed to expressing the needs of our community, as well as what we expected in terms of justice for the people of Gaza. I mean, we want as a community to see this war come to an end. So many lives have been lost. It’s time for the war to end and for there to be a safe return of the hostages.”

Pressed about whether she saw a big policy difference between Harris and Biden, Suswell said: “I am not going to speculate that there is a huge difference. … She has also been more empathetic as it relates to civilian life. I think she’s more open to having conversations around ending the war.”

Suswell added that her group was also moved to support Harris publicly because of her stances on domestic issues. “Economic opportunity, pay equity, jobs, health care, education, public safety and policing, criminal justice reform, all of these things matter to the American Muslim community, as well, specifically to Black Muslim Americans,” she said. “Vice President Harris has been strong and has been a leader on these issues.”

In addition, Suswell said she and other leaders in the group were worried about former President Donald Trump’s possible actions against Muslim people and Americans as a whole if he returns to the White House.

“I think that this election comes down to the decision between an authoritarian regime and a democratic government,” she said. “During the first debate, [Trump] said that Israel should finish the job [in Gaza]. This is very, very concerning.”

She went on: "He has also committed himself to reinstating the Muslim travel ban. He has also stated that he would deport pro-Palestinian protesters, specifically on college campuses. So this is absolutely concerning — just a few of the concerns that we take into consideration as we weigh the future of democracy and justice and our fundamental freedoms.”

“Now, Vice President Harris and I do not align on all of her stances pertaining to the crisis in Palestine," Suswell said. "However, I do believe that she is more empathetic.”

EDITOR'S CORRECTION (Aug. 2, 2024, 12:28 a.m. ET): A previous version of this story mischaracterized the timing of the Black Muslim Leadership Council Fund’s earlier “uncommitted” position. It’s believed to be the first Muslim group to endorse Harris after being uncommitted, not the first to have declared itself uncommitted on Biden.