Ep 176. - A Man on a Mission to Punish Genocide - Dr Hassan Abdel Salam
The Abandon Harris campaign has been making waves across the US. It has galvanised largely Muslim and conscientious Americans so build a coalition together to resist the genocidal administration through the ballot box. They have a lot of detractors, paid democratic people ready to defame them. But my guest today is relentless. Hassan Abdel Salam is one of two founders of the Abandon Harris movement. He is also the Executive Director of the Civil Rights Alliance for America, which is the organization that is organizing and coordinating the Abandon Harris movement. Hassan Abdel Salam has been a professor of strategy, movements, and human rights, for 12 years. Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. / thethinkingmuslim
You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate
Read Muhammad Jalal's full article here: https://jalalayn.substack.com/p/harris-genocide-must-come-at-a-political
https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/contribute
Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim
Join our Telegram group here: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim
Sign up to Muhammad Jalal’s newsletter https://jalalayn.substack.com
Transcript - This is an automated transcript and some of the language may not reflect the actual conversation
0:00
that we show that we were the deciders of all of these swing States we have a movement a movement
0:05
that's clearly dedicated to punish the vice president for her genocide you should never
0:11
never have ignored us send a message that the vice president lost at the hands of Muslim Americans
0:18
we will never endorse any genocide the genocide was actually bombing our people and the genocider
0:24
who says they'll finish the job my address is basically the swing States we have won this debate
0:32
the abandoned Harris campaign has been Making Waves across the United States it has galvanized
0:37
largely Muslims and conscientious Americans to build a coalition together to resist the genocidal
0:44
Administration Through The Ballot Box as you all know elections are coming up on November the 5th
0:51
uh but the campaign has a lot of detractors paid maybe unpaid Democratic people ready to
0:58
defame them but my guest today is Relentless in his motivations Professor Hassan Abdul Salam is
1:05
one of the two founders of the abandoned Harris movement he's also the executive director of the
1:10
Civil Rights Alliance For America which is the organization that is coordinating the abandoned
1:16
Harris movement Hassan Abdus Salam has been a professor of strategy movements and human rights
1:23
for the past 12 years and he joins us from the key Battleground state of Michigan Professor ABD
His movements
1:31
and welcome to the thinking Muslim it's amazing to connect de brother and to be here with you and
1:37
our audience all around the world asalam alaykum to everyone well it's wonderful to have you with
1:44
us I know it's taken some weeks for us to to get together and that's really because masah
1:49
you guys have been very very busy uh just tell us about your movements in the last week or so
1:54
where have you been and what have been what have you been up to yeah so I'm largely based here in
2:00
Michigan very nearby Dearborn we have a campaign operational a large team supporters volunteers
2:08
and so a lot of work is being conducted here in Michigan but we're also traveling to ensure that
2:14
our operations in all the swing states are Full Throttle ready to go heading towards November
2:21
5th so that's Arizona Georgia Pennsylvania Nevada North Carolina Wisconsin Minnesota and
2:30
right here uh in Michigan and so I've been also traveling just recently been in Arizona Minnesota
2:37
as well as Wisconsin we had a press conference in Wisconsin and then we turned to have a fundraiser
2:43
with Jill Stein in Minneapolis in Minnesota and then I headed for Arizona where we met with
2:48
volunteers a really an amazing amazing campaign that's being set in Phoenix and Tucson and as well
2:56
as uh a fundraiser as speaking to people from from all different backgrounds for us uh every single
3:04
one of these states are critical many many people have emphasize Michigan and it truly is a critical
3:10
State it's very likely that Michigan will be the state that will determine the presidency but we
3:16
are greedy we want to be sure that we have the highest level of real estate that we show that we were the deciders of all of these swing States and every single state that falls that swings away
3:27
from the vice president because of abandon Harris because of the Muslim American vote increases our
3:33
prowess and ensures that we're a credible threat as we move in to capture the two parties and send
3:39
a signal to the political landscape as you know our strategy is not that we have a candidate
3:45
it's that we have a movement a movement that's clearly dedicated to punish the vice president
3:51
for her genocide take the blame for her for her defeat on November 5th and in so doing by power
3:59
to send a signal to the political landscape that you should never never have ignored us and that
4:05
now we can set the tone the stage for the future of the democratic party to bring a reckoning to
4:12
the party and then to also create a reorientation in the Republican party and we feel that as the
4:20
signal will be undeniable and extremely clear resounding if many states many of the Swing states
4:28
where Muslim Americans can make the difference 1% .5% perhaps 10,000 votes a thousand votes
4:34
maybe even a 100 votes in States like Michigan Georgia States like Arizona Wisconsin and in
4:42
so doing we will be able to establish that we were the deciders because of Gazza and because
4:48
of the pernicious effects pernicious impact of American foreign policy on the umah so to create
4:57
a remobilization and ensure in the future that we can have a significant say not just a reckoning
5:04
that will come to the Democratic party that will look at the map and recognize that they can't win
5:10
in 2028 without our blessing for the candidates but also a reorientation in the Republican party
5:17
that will now finally see right before them for the first time in the history of America that
5:24
Muslim Americans decided an election a huge feat and one which will Garner us respect as well as an
5:32
opportunity for us to transform the Republican party as well and so our task is great but the
5:39
first step is November 5th for all of these states to resoundingly send a message that the vice
5:48
president lost at the hands of Muslim Americans their allies people of conscience that's really
The Greens
5:55
amazing so you've got a number of objectives there uh one objective is of course to punish
6:00
the vice president and punish the Democrats for their uh for for their genocide and this genocide has happened through them and on their watch and then you've got some post uh and you've
6:10
got an objective to to to ensure that uh that the blame for the loss is put on their position
6:20
on Gaza and how they acted towards Gaza uh and then you've got the post elction objective of
6:28
um of changing the behaviors I suppose of the of the two big political parties now where does the
6:34
green party fit into all of this because of course unlike many uh in in America you've actually come
6:40
out and endorsed the green party so how does a green party fit into into this mix yes we've
6:47
endorsed the green party as part of our strategy a strategic vehicle that we think advances our
6:53
goals in this in significant ways we looked at the landscape we've been researching since
6:59
February at abandon and Biden abandon Harris are leaders in the committee on candidate selection
7:05
we've been working hard interviewing uh many of the candidates including Cornell West and Dr Jill
7:10
Stein and Claudia De La Cruz and what we've come to see is that we need a vehicle that attracts
7:18
Americans from all backgrounds all across the nation a vehicle that can have a clear message
7:26
that can promote and provide us with a clear message that we were the ones behind the defeat
7:33
and so the idea here is for people to see that the percentages of folks who voted for the green party
7:42
is far greater than numbers of people voting for The Green part is far greater than the difference
7:48
the disparity between the two major candidates in the swing States so that it's extremely clear
7:54
that we are the source of influence the power behind this election we also feel that the green
8:01
party best demonstrates on the issue of Raza our position seeking the end of the the genocide this
8:10
reign of Munitions and bombardments falling upon an innocent people on the verge of disintegration
8:16
the candidate Dr Jill Stein has been arrested she's been dedicated she's proven herself she's
8:23
also shown in the past she doesn't fear the repercussions of attacks and slurs she's extr
8:29
confident when she believes that she's on the side of conscience and so we feel that she is a partner as many might know we don't agree with policies that she has promoted but we believe that
8:41
as a strategy to promote our power she is as good as it gets in American politics we do not believe
8:50
that the green party will win the White House and for us Victory is a demonstration of our
8:56
prowess and we are here to recapture the political landscape after demonstrating through our vehicle
9:05
the green party that we have been successful will turn to the two major parties and seek to capture
9:12
each of them some may say your detractors may say that um it's a good in itself for sure to
Is this realistic ?
9:18
punish the Democrats for what they've done and it's certainly correct not to transfer those
9:24
votes to Trump and we'll come back to that in a second as to whether that is a wise thing or not
9:30
uh but the discussion then uh goes to whether it's a an appropriate strategy to to Really create a
9:38
revolution within the two political parties like how how um uh realistic do you think that is
9:44
in four years time do you really believe even if you're successful in your immediate objectives but
9:50
the Democrats uh and the Republicans will be far more attuned to the voices of the Muslim Community
9:58
uh and and and Foreign Affairs when uh thinking about their manifestos and thinking about uh
10:05
their their political programs going forward yes and so that's there's a there are two parts uh to
10:11
this question there's a Democratic party and the Republican Party in the Democratic party what we
10:16
expect after a win in other words a victory that demonstrates that we were the decisive actors or
10:22
one of the main players that led to the defeat of the Vice President we expect as happened in
10:28
the past that many Democrats both leaders Elites um as well as supporters voters everyday voters
10:37
in the Democratic party will have a moment of shock depression followed by rationalization
10:45
then Despair and finally reconciliation when they come to realize that they have no other choice but
10:52
to attract Muslim Americans back to the table many in the party will begin putting pressure and will
10:59
actually go quite far in accusing the elites who came up with their strategy of ignoring us make
11:06
no mistake that the Democratic party decided to ignore us this past year and so people will come
11:12
to recognize that um and they will be seeing their leaders as being out of touch tonee and
11:21
begin a transformation this is happened before the most recent was 2016 when the party believed
11:28
that there was absolutely no way that they could lose this thing even though the polling showed aggregate polling demonstrated that it was neck and neck in many of the Swing States Hillary
11:37
Clinton versus Donald Trump when Hillary Clinton lost uh immediately the supporters the media went
11:45
sniffing around who caused this and the culprit that they came to to stating was again within the
11:54
house of the democratic party and we have been for many around the world who might not not know
11:59
now many decades Muslim Americans have put their lot with the Democratic party we're seen as part
12:06
of the democratic family many count on us we are not just voters but many of our wealthy brothers
12:13
and sisters gave enormous dollars donations to Mr Biden fundraisers that were happening right
12:21
in front of everyone in the entire country and so this is something folks must understand we're
12:28
deeply embedded in the Democratic party we've had conversations with folks in the Democratic party
12:33
who are just holding on to their seats hoping that the abandon Harris threat is not going to
12:39
come to fruition and so what we saw in 2016 is people tried to identify the culprit the culprit
12:47
for them with Bernie Sanders that Bernie Sanders did not come full-fledged behind Hillary Clinton
12:53
Bernie Sanders was someone who ran against Hillary in the primary for us in American politics we have
12:59
a primary before the presidential candidates go head-to-head in the actual election and so
13:05
the primary decides who is the candidate within the two parties the Democratic party selects a candidate the Republican Party selects a candidate and in that process candidates run and there were
13:15
two main candidates in 2016 Bernie Sanders who was far more Progressive left and fighting for
13:22
climate change trying to promote policies like universal healthcare and Hillary Clinton more
13:27
establishment um the the white wife of the former President Bill Clinton who was running previously
13:32
a Senator Senator of New York and uh and a Secretary of State under Barack Obama during
13:37
his presidency when they ran against one another Bernie Sanders managed to win many many States
13:43
during the primary but he eventually lost there was enormous frustration from the supporters of Bernie Sanders they felt cheated for good reason the Democratic establishment ensured that Hillary
13:54
Clinton their candidate would win and so what took place was as as soon as the election results were
14:00
in and people were shocked three states were lost Pennsylvania Wisconsin Michigan which was
14:06
perceived one time before 2016 as the blue wall or a wall in which Democrats could never lose in
14:13
these states in the Midwest and each one fell to Donald Trump the shock rippled Across the Nation
14:21
and the Democratic party literally supporters were crying they were in the streets they were
14:27
asking questions they were putting pressure on the Democratic party the Democratic party was cast in the media as foolish as fool hearty and people were trying to uh make clear that the decisions
14:38
being made in this campaign were completely out of whack which is curious because just a few
14:44
days before they were moving towards claiming that the victory for Hillary Clinton was in the works
14:53
was very evident and so the it was a very very difficult experience what what happened then in
15:00
2020 so the election following was that when Biden won the Primary before he ran for the presidency
15:09
he understood what the landscape was like and he ensured that leftist policies Progressive policies
15:15
that Bernie Sanders was promoting for years would be part of his platform they did a policy
15:21
exchange they brought people from his campaign and he promoted Le domestic legislation to fight
15:26
for climate change in this past four years and so domestically Biden who is extremely conservative
15:33
for a Democrat uh he moved towards the left and so he demonstrated uh one of the very typical things
15:40
that happens in American politics is in order to win you ensure that you respond to those demanding
15:48
uh policies within your party and and not only to ensure a win and consolidation and in anticipation
15:55
of the actual election such as the one where uh moving towards on November 5th but also to
16:01
maintain consolidation as well as Unity throughout your Administration and he passed a legislation
16:08
called the infrastructure Bill to promote climate change in response to these demands what we expect
16:15
is that Democrats again will cry experience depression put pressure on Elites and recognize
16:23
that this issue is of very little concern to them at the very least you don't now need to worry
16:29
or fear or feel distress at the picture we had hoped that people would feel this feel distress
16:35
at the pictures of the amputated bodies of the of the bones that we see through people's skin
16:41
our children but instead they will now feel the pressure knowing that four years under a
16:48
Despicable presidency and why we came out and we warned them and we provided an ultimatum by
16:56
October 31st to the president and then we vowed to actively campaign against the president and so we
17:02
gave ample time why did this happen why did they ignore us just to stop a genocide so they risked
17:09
the country and they brought Trump just because of a genocide and so we expect supporters will
17:15
say what's clearly rational it's only the end of a genocide we have to shift our policies we can't
17:23
continue this way because we need Muslim Americans and in the Republican Party we're expecting a
17:28
orientation of them seeing us as a credible threat and the fear of us running back to the Democrats I
17:35
can tell you right now we will never endorse any genocider the genocider is actually bombing our
17:41
people and the genocider who says they'll finish the job Donald Trump and so we will never come
17:47
close to any of these candidates we are a movement of conscience and we believe we can win without
17:53
ever endorsing either of these two political parties but what I can tell you is is that
17:59
despite people worrying so badly that today and Allah T's witness both parties are running after
18:07
us including the Republican Party constantly seeking our endorsement and we push them away
18:14
they're seeking to negotiate they want to come halfway they claim they want to compromise and
18:21
this is news that we here constantly in AB abandon Harris we have stood our ground and we will never
18:26
we will never side with this candidate in the Republican party but this is for me to say that
18:32
leverage Works punishment Works imagine what we could achieve if we are the ones who have defeated
18:39
the vice president no I I think there there is a sensible argument there but but there is then a
A return to Democrats
18:46
a conversation to be had about postelection and whether in effect your relationship with uh the
18:54
green party is an instrumental one it's a temporary relationship and in reality uh you are basically calling for Muslim voters to return back to their home for Democrats and and
19:05
that's out of sync actually with for example more maybe call them radical voices but other voices
19:11
within the community who are saying that uh to hell with the Democrats you know the Democrats
19:16
have now never served the Muslim Community on a social level and on International level and we
19:22
need to look permanently at third options so are you claiming that the Muslim Community has a home
19:32
in in a reformed Democratic party what I would say is that the green party that we're deploying
19:39
while temporary we might have to be deploying and operating within the green party for some time and
19:46
so we would actually consider it our headquarters our base from which we will operate to recapture
19:53
Washington DC and so this is a critical point that we don't know the expiry and we will have
20:01
to play hard ball and deploy our leverage on an ongoing basis and so when to rephrase your
20:08
question we can actually ask but when is that expiry date and so the idea is that we don't
20:16
quite know when but we have clear conditions that we have to demonstrate that we will not
20:24
ever Buckle until the parties provide us options that protect this umah and we are hoping to use
20:32
the Palestinian cause to mobilize our people as we have this past year in order to protect the umah
20:38
broadly right now people shouting in prisons in Egypt and Syria and Arabia the rinka being thrown
20:43
by the by the Myanmar militia and refugee camps in Bangladesh a good man a just man imprisoned in
20:50
Pakistan and the weaker in millions in detention massive human rights violations as we speak all
20:57
of these promoted Ena AED by American foreign policy we could transform Washington DC to at
21:04
least barricade the evil that it has promoted and and and stop it so that prosperity and Justice can
21:13
be restored in an um that's filled with potential and and hope and possibility so yes absolutely uh
21:21
brother uh there is a type of paradox a paradox that we are right now positioning ourselves on the
21:32
nonviolent Battlefield in which we are deploying the green party as a means to communicate to these
21:38
two parties we are seeking to build infrastructure from within the green party to bring in candidates
21:46
for us to use it as a platform to voice our concerns and to negotiate with the parties
21:52
but the idea is to transform the parties who are seeking our votes and so the capturing component
21:58
is not that we will suddenly find ourselves uh uh in the party at working within it as candidates
22:06
who are calling for some of the Despicable policies that approach we will no longer do
22:12
that that was a that was the approach of the past in which people end up get themselves getting captured if you can't Capture One they'll capture you and so we will have to maintain our distance
22:24
but also negotiate the idea is that we we want to be sure that we are the ones for which these
22:33
two parties seek our blessings before they even put up their so-called establishment candidate
22:40
in the primary that precedes the presidential races so the race before the primary race and
22:47
that is where the power lies and that is the part of the discussion in the Muslim Community
22:53
that's never actually taken place and it comes from an understanding by strategist meets in the
22:59
party who come to see that they cannot win without certain constituencies it's happened in the past
23:06
with other minorities and we will be in constant conversation with these parties immediately after
23:12
November 5th to ensure that they understand what our needs are what our policies are and that they
23:19
hear from us in terms of our recommendations of the candidates and similar by the way with the Republican party that's seeking our interaction and our inclusion in the last months as we move
Trump
23:32
towards the election so let me then turn to the Republicans and Donald Trump now Donald Trump has gone on an offensive in these key Bagan States uh I believe it was in Michigan a few days ago
23:43
and he's meeting with Arab American leaders and actually some leaders have come to endorse him uh
23:49
I I note that the mayor of hamrak uh in Michigan state has endorsed um Donald Trump as well as a
23:57
slew of other uh Muslim organizations now I know you've said that um the Republican part is equally
24:06
genocidal as the Democrat and so that's you're morally uh uh objecting to the Republican party
24:12
and their stance uh but wouldn't it pragmatically at least be the correct or the strongest position
24:21
as a way of punishing the Democrats in effect you have two votes you have the vote that you
24:26
take away from the Democrats and then the vote give to the Democratic to the opposition to the Democrats wouldn't that be the most pragmatic move how would you respond to that there is a logic to
24:37
that argument and that no doubt that your vote actually counts twice mathematically versus your
24:43
vote in the green party we do believe that we can be victorious singly deploying the green party the
24:50
idea of voting for The Republican unfortunately is a losing cause as a community why because
24:59
by actually putting your lot in the Republican party they now see you as having a single home in
25:07
which you're bound to promote or put your hand in promote the party and its logic and so what could
25:14
take place is that they see us as having no other choice but to be in the Republican party because
25:21
we haven't gotten responses from the Democrats and because they're in a type of competitive bid
25:28
with each other they'll look at the Democratic party and say well the Democrats have literally
25:33
given this community nothing and so we can give them crumbs and still manage to salvage this
25:40
thing and because of that minimalism that's taken place uh because our system is binary this logic
25:51
itself puts us again on this continuous slippery slope that led us to this very point where have
25:58
no voice even when it's genocide and so we have to hold both parties responsible for the Gen side we
26:07
have to show we are a credible threat and that we will not put our lot in either party except when
26:13
they respond to our demands a permanent ceasefire unconditional as well as a full arms embargo that
26:22
the relationship between the state of Israel and the United States must be ruptured that the state
26:29
of Israel is an autocracy this is what we and my personal experience having done research on
26:35
the occupation 2022 that led to my detention and torture that we discovered my research assistant
26:41
khed KSU and I with the youth the 20 or 40 who worked with us that the state of Israel
26:47
is brilliant it's brilliant in its marketing to cast itself as a light of righteous liberalism
26:55
despite what we saw at every turn in Jerusalem in San in Al Khal that they are an autocratic State
27:05
destroying attacking imprisoning innocent people every single day and so we have no other choice
27:14
but to ensure that we have a clear message and that both parties withdraw their support from the
27:19
state of Israel and that finally we will not be funding the state the United States is the single
27:27
reason is the single ultimate reason for this genocide for this 76- year occupation for the
27:36
continuous uh attacks on Palestinians and so this is why we cannot put our lot in either party we're
27:45
in fact for everyone to know in a battle with both parties we're trying to establish ourselves as a
27:53
credible threat with both parties and to do so we need to stand distance away and look at
28:00
them and then cast ourselves as singular United demonstrating our numbers and our power in the
28:09
votes that the green party will cast and showing that we were the reason deciding this election
28:15
with Clarity and so uh this is a critical piece of our strategy uh professor abam as you know I'm I'm
Are you winning?
28:24
a foreigner as one commentator mentioned and I I look at the politics from outside and I've been
28:30
following the polls quite closely and nationally Kamala Harris is leading in the PO and I know
28:36
that's misleading because of course it's really the seven or so swing states that really matter
28:41
and it may come down to a handful of Swing states where Muslims are uh a substantial minority and
28:47
so you know I completely agree with you that we've got a disproportionate uh impact on the outcome of
28:55
this election but if I was to follow social media I'm seeing a slew of uh positive stories towards
29:03
the Democrats black Americans are supporting the Democrats Arab Americans have written a letter
29:08
in support of the Democrats in W Wisconsin I think it was uh we've got uh key media personalities who
29:16
are against the genocide but who are very openly supporting uh Kamala Harris we've got writers in
29:22
newspapers and so the I I suppose the uh the the impression is given that uh Kamala Harris has got
29:32
support from within the community uh is that how you're reading the impact of the Democrats
29:39
and and your impact in fact on on B swing States and voters on on the ground campaigning and me uh
29:46
delivering Friday prayers in different mosks in the swing States currently I live my address is
29:51
basically the swing States as we travel from one state to the other uh one of our primary
29:56
sites of campaigning is a Friday prayer on the mimar of the Prophet may peace and blessings be
30:02
upon him and on that mimar whenever I speak about the importance of voting people come right after
30:09
theba they hug me I still remember one man hugging me hard saying tell me who to vote tell me that
30:16
person and I will vote and I uttered Jill Stein my mouth close to his ear he said S I will do it and
30:25
um I could tell you people come hugging crying wanting to do the right thing when we launched
30:31
in in November on November 1st when abandon Biden emerged I could tell you when we were campaigning
30:36
and bringing in community members people were far more skeptical today I could tell you there's been an evolution we have won this debate our data is showing that overwhelmingly when Muslims think
30:48
about this question they are ready to vote third party they are denouncing both political parties
30:54
there are small minorities within the community voting for The Democrats and Republicans they are extremely small singled digigit percentages uh where we feel we have to do work and that's why
31:05
I'm campaigning it's not even to make the the case the argument why that the vice president must be
31:11
punished although we do always uh make that case it's to get out the vote many people come to me
31:18
smiling saying brother Hassan doctor I'm not going to vote I'm not gonna vote because uh because both
31:24
parties are genocidal and then I say brother this this what you just said is a forfeiture of your
31:30
power oh what should I do and so that is our task it's turnout it's people knowing that there is an
31:36
option because they have bought into the binary structure of American politics understandably
31:42
and so that is what we are seeking to do is getting people out to vote we have planning canvasing car pooling busing we've been doing now for weeks flying a tabling mosques groceries uh
31:55
at community centers we want to be sure that we have our digital ads out that we have our phone
32:01
banking reaching all our likely voters as well as our texting to be sure that the vice president is
32:08
defeated requires that our people know there is hope and that's really been the task that
32:15
we have uh in terms of the democratic party uh the Democrats do this all the time put up uh an
32:22
eror of confidence as you as you recall earlier I mentioned 2016 they were headed for defeat
32:28
but they presented themselves as as heading towards Victory what I seen the polling since
32:33
the summer even when the vice president was just named the presumptive nominee I was actually
32:40
concerned um and what I've been seeing is that the vice president is actually extremely weak uh when
32:47
I saw that at it should have been her height her peak in the summer and she was just a few points
32:54
ahead of her opponent and I knew that typically what takes place in American politics is when
33:00
someone is first nominated or they go uh they they go through their convention meaning this
33:07
this whole theatrical event in which the party puts up the candidate and speaks to the nation
33:13
after that convention they typically get something called a bounce in the polling and when I saw that
33:20
her bounce was just a few points I knew that this race was going to be extremely close by the time we hit October and so that's what I'm seeing in the numbers and for all Muslims in the umah who
33:30
are watching now I could tell you something really intriguing about American democracy
33:36
is that in America the majority does not get to the presidency what T what happens is that there
33:44
are very particular swing States as we call it states where it's typically known that the two
33:50
candidates the Republican and the Democrat are neck and neck and it's in these five to nine
33:56
states where the contest actually takes place if you win these states then you win the presidency
34:02
and in fact this is to the extent to which you can win a minority of Americans but by winning
34:09
these states you win and in and Trump previously in 2016 won a minority of Americans but because he
34:15
won Pennsylvania Wisconsin and Michigan he became the president you win the electoral college and
34:22
not the majority of Americans and so we uh knowing in our data what being two points ahead for the
34:32
Democrat to be two points ahead as you might see in some polls in aggregate polling implies that
34:39
the opponent can win this not the popular vote but the Electoral College vote and so we're focusing
34:46
singly in the swing States we're very confident and we we know full well that the data is showing
34:55
exactly what we're hoping for which is that all these states are very close and that then we are
35:01
the deciders there's a paradox by the way go yes please no there there's a there's there's Paradox
35:07
here that what we needed was a map this was the strategy devised in October of last year we need
35:14
a map in which we have multiple States in which the aggregate polling is neck and neck hence the
35:20
population of Muslims will be the deciding factor because we voted in droves for President Biden in
35:26
2020 and so when we withdraw support in these states these States can be lost by 10,000 votes
35:35
a thousand votes 100 votes in other words clearly resoundingly Muslim Americans decided these states
35:43
and so paradoxically for a strategy to work we need these states to be neck and- neck and not that the opponent to the vice president is so way ahead right I understand now um are you appealing
Is the appeal just Muslim?
35:56
really to religious Minds Ed voters is that your main appeal when it comes to the Muslim Community
36:01
our uh Communications is one of of moral reasoning and conscience we have been calling out to Muslims
36:10
and non-muslims and in fact in our campaign there are many non-muslims from all backgrounds
36:16
gen Z progressives um uh African-Americans Latinos Mothers Against genocide uh people who Progressive
36:24
in their ideology that have joined the campaign and that are engaged with us in interacting at at
36:31
the deepest levels our commitment is to follow our forefathers and foremothers Martin Luther
36:37
King Rosa Parks John Lewis people who have fought hard for civil rights we constantly
36:42
mention in our press conferences in our messaging in our Communications with differing groups Across
36:49
the Nation that we remember and are Guided by the Martin Luther King who spoke out against
36:55
the Vietnam War while we admire and constantly remember Martin Luther King who sung songs we
37:01
shall overcome on that Salma Bridge or the man who wrote a letter from a Birmingham Jail being
37:07
imprisoned fighting for civil rights and the end of discrimination and the vicious vicious Jim Crow
37:14
segregation that plagued America we are Guided by the light of a man who believes and who believed a
37:23
year before his assassination that Amer America had a pernicious impact on the world in Vietnam
37:32
and that the last chapter of Human Rights is for us to promote and expand civil rights not
37:38
just to Americans but to all people around the world here in America were beset by a plague
37:45
of exceptionalism one in which we believe that we stand above all other people and that we're
37:52
indifferent to the shouts as they are subject to bombardment torture imprisonment and we say
37:59
this not just for those who suffer unjustly at the hands of dictators promoted and lodged their seats
38:09
set by the American government throughout our umah from Pakistan to Egypt to Arabia but also in
38:17
the non-muslim world in Latin America in part in many parts of Africa and Southeast Asia and so we
38:23
believe that we're heralding a movement to promote goodness in our foreign policy that we should
38:30
not be a warmongering power as we are today a colonial settler power one that totally transforms
38:40
societies invades insurrectos attacks kills drones as well as military in all in many countries
38:51
around the world and so we ask all people of conscience to come and we also call on people
38:57
of Faith Christians Jewish Americans Hindus that join us every day in our campaign uh uh we we have
39:05
folks from all different backgrounds all religious backgrounds but we also believe fundamentally that
39:11
Muslim Americans they want to do the right thing and so we also talk of the words of our beloved
39:20
Prophet sallallah alaihi wasallam a man who sought goodness not just for the umah but for the entire
39:27
of humanity and so we believe that we are here to tell our people uh remembering the words of our
39:35
beloved Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam peace and blessings be upon him that this umah is like
39:40
a body when one part of it feels pain its entirety feels pain this umah is feeling excruciating pain
39:48
after this horrifying year and for us we believe and we follow the words ofat in the 17th verse
39:57
the 28th Surah in when he said yaah Allah you have favored me and I will never side with the
40:02
criminals we ask our brothers and sisters in America never side with the criminals the ones
40:09
who promise you Healthcare and Social Security forgiveness of student dead fighting climate change and yet they shed blood across the planet that when you save one person you save all of
40:19
humanity and when you kill one person you kill all of humanity and so we indeed we speak to
40:27
to all our communities and we remind them of the words that come from within their Traditions the
40:33
tradition of promoting goodness that righteousness doesn't belong to a single single Community a
40:39
single people that were all motivated to do good to follow our conscience and hand in hand we can
40:46
work together I can never forget that day a few feet away from the president's home on Delaware pavement the bullhorn being passed from one person to other youth from all different backgrounds
40:55
colored hair progressives African-Americans youth elderly and there they made me speak I must
41:04
encourage resisting tears I grabbed the bullhorn and brought it to my mouth and there I said my name is H Abdus Salam I'm a professor of Human Rights strategy and movement making and in 2022
41:14
I was imprisoned and tortured at the hands of the Israeli government and forever I can never forget
41:21
the moments in which again and again handcuffed blindfolded claustrophobic laces out dragged
41:28
impatiently to my dungeon cell poorly lit there at my company a toilet hole in the ground the stench
41:37
evid sent profuse my heart rate increasing I hear the clanking of the keys behind the two metallic
41:44
doors the interrogators have come back blindfold lifted why are you here what does it mean that
41:51
you're ending the occupation amran is Behind These Walls shik Sam is Behind These Walls telling us
41:57
that the youth who are working with us calling for peaceful protest with us were also being tortured
42:03
and detained and people come to us and ask us why are you doing this why are you speaking out don't
42:10
you know that they would have attacked you and our single answer my research assistant and I is how
42:16
can we not speak in this era of genocide and so torture imprisonment attack with these youth when
42:26
I shared this story people from all backgrounds telling them about the imprisonment the youth
42:32
we worked with the torture I experienced at the hands of the Israelis we saw tears tears people
42:42
their hands under their eyes people who we never met in MOS people who are not Muslim this movement
42:50
that we have pursued since October doesn't just belong to Muslims this is the Pinnacle of doubt
42:57
for us to go to our brothers and sisters in humanity to side with them to hold our hands
43:03
people of Courage people of conscience to do the right thing this is genocide we want to all live
43:09
in a safe Planet at the very least many Americans are not malicious all they want is goodness and
43:18
they fear the trajectory that America has said and the path that has been laid out and they're
43:25
there to say we reject it and and their hearts clean filled with hope and they cry with just
43:32
a few stories of someone they just recently met Professor Abdus Salam I think the world
43:37
owes you a uh gratitude for the work you and your um fellow members and organization has
Speaking truth
43:44
been doing since November last year may Allah subhana tala um give you success and inshallah
43:50
tala allow us to uh to reap the benefits of the work that you've done over this past year
43:58
thank you very much for your time today Professor ABD Salam my dear brother and for everything you
44:04
do and speaking truth every single day promoting goodness for our umah and constantly making sure
44:11
that everyone receives the information they need as we move in we call on all Americans to vote
44:20
against genocide we're seconds away seconds away from November 5th a moment written in Destiny
44:28
that one day textbooks in 21st century American history courses will tell the
44:34
story of this time be sure that when you go out and walk gently behind the curtain at
44:42
The Ballot Box you speak the truth speak the truth against the Pharaohs in the White House
44:49
who blistered and bond attacked ignored us for a year when we merely asked for the end of genocide
44:57
and be sure that when you vote that your great great great great grandchildren will
45:06
valorize you and not be puzzled when they see the pictures of razza in that history
45:11
textbook and they wonder how could it have been that there were a people who voted for the vice president and who are those Heroes who voted and voted their conscience towards truth defied the
45:24
genocides in both major political parties and ensured that it was the beginning of the end
45:30
November 5th is our destiny vote vote as your great great grandchildren would wish you would
45:36
vote thank you very much brother please remember to subscribe to our social media and YouTube
45:49
channels and head over to our website Thinkin muslim.com to sign up to my Weekly Newsletter