Trump supporters at a rally in Warren. Photo by: The Arab American News

DEARBORN — Donald Trump won the Michigan Republican primary in a landslide on Tuesday.

The
victory gave the controversial candidate a major boost in the race following an
upset by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz last Saturday in Kansas and Maine.

Hundreds
of protestors lined up outside the FOX Theater last week to denounce Trump and
the Republican party’s hate rhetoric during the GOP debate, but the polls apparently
told a different story. Republican Michiganders came out in droves to back
Trump’s White House bid.

Trump’s
win in Michigan was no surprise to the candidate, as he had been boasting for
weeks that he was likely to win the state.

With
36.5 percent of the vote, Trump was well ahead of Cruz (24.9 percent) and Ohio
Gov. John Kasich (24.3 percent), with some polls indicating that the latter
could see a surge in the state following a string of shutouts.

In
Dearborn, Trump took 39.2 percent of the vote; a notable victory, considering
the city’s large Muslim population heavily condemned his anti-Islamic rhetoric.

In
Dearborn Heights, which also includes a large Arab and Muslim population, Trump
took 48.3 percent of the Republican vote.

In cities
with a large White population, Trump’s lead widened even more. In Taylor, he
received 52.8 percent of the vote.

Looking
at the data by county, Trump received 40.53 percent in Wayne, 36.24 percent in
Oakland and 48.43 percent in Macomb.

For
many Muslim Americans in Michigan, the news of Trump’s victory was unsettling. At an Arab Democratic Caucus viewing party at the Arab American
National Museum on Tuesday night, local Muslims stood by in disbelief as Trump
was declared the early winner for Michigan’s Republican primary.

“It’s
very disheartening to see a presidential candidate get this far with the
destructive rhetoric that he’s using,” said Asha Noor, a community activist.

She
said she believes the heavy turnout for Trump reflects a population that
resents Michigan’s growing ethnic communities.

“Some
people in Michigan are threatened by the fact that there’s a large number of
Muslims and Arabs,” Noor said. “So, this is a clear statement on their part.
Voting for Trump shows, ‘yes we are uncomfortable with the Muslims and Arabs
presence. Yes, we are going to elect an official who is going to oppress and
marginalize the community.’ It just shows that people are drawing a line in the
battleground.”

Local
resident Rashid Baydoun believes Michigan voters will make a wiser decision if
Trump becomes the Republican nominee.

“I
think American voters, specifically voters in Michigan, need to be very weary
of this phenomenon that’s going on,” Baydoun said. “Donald Trump is a vile
individual. Michigan voters clearly have the same bug the rest of America has.
I think it’s just a bug that we need to let run its course. I think when it
comes to the national elections, Americans will wake up and make the right
choice.”

Dawud
Walid, executive director of the Michigan Chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), said the heavy turnout of Trump
supporters in the metro Detroit area reflects the history of segregation in the
region.

“There
are invisible walls,” Walid said. “We have areas that are almost all Arab and
areas that are White Americans who are Christians. It doesn’t surprise me that
there are a significant amount of people who voted for the anti-Muslim bigot.”

Walid
noted it’s also concerning that some Muslim and Arabs are openly supporting Trump,
calling it a “Stockholm Syndrome.”

“You
all have a small segment who will identify with people that marginalize their
own community,” Walid said. “It’s not something new or unique. There are a
number of Arab Americans who support people with known racist histories.”

Some
Trump supporters argue that people who support his campaign shouldn’t be
labeled bigots, as there’s a wider appeal emerging beyond his hate speech.

Dr.
Muzammil Ahmed, chairman of the Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC), said
he believes the Trump bandwagon goes beyond the anti Immigrant and Muslim
rhetoric he’s been spewing. Many are
fed up with the political system and find Trump as an appealing candidate that
is going against the establishments.

“People
who support him are more voicing their disappointment with the political
structure and are griping for straws at any alternative,” Ahmed said. “There
are people who are hoping he doesn’t do what he says he’s going to do and
hoping he becomes more moderate and has a little more logic in his policies.
While I applaud Arab and Muslim members for being involved in both parties, I
think Trump as a candidate is a very troubling proposition and needs to be
opposed.”

Ahmed
does believe the Muslim community in Michigan has a lot of ground to cover
following the election results. Despite the decades of positive economic
contributions in the metro Detroit region, it appears the community is heavily
resented.

Anti-Muslim
rhetoric had already gained major traction even before the Trump train came to
town. Last fall, residents in Sterling Heights railed against a proposed
mosque. A few months later, West Bloomfield residents made a fuss about a
resolution that welcomes immigrants.

 “It is really an
indication of how much work our community has for outreach and knowing our
neighbors,” Ahmed said. “If people really understood the message and impact he
[Trump] has on new Americans and immigrants they wouldn’t support him because
he has the potential to harm the progress we made in our country over the last
few decades. The good thing about him winning is it will motivate the majority
of our community who didn’t vote to get involved in the next elections.”

On the verge of Trump’s takeover in Michigan, WXYZ/The
Detroit News published a poll last week, which found that 61% of Republicans in
Michigan agree with Trump’s stance to bar Muslims from the country. 

Paul Sophiea, an Arab Republican candidate running for
state representative in the 15th District, told The Arab American
News that Dearborn fell in line with the majority of the state who selected
polar opposite candidates on behalf of each party.

While Trump took a victory on the Republican end,
Sanders soared on the Democratic front in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights.

“I haven’t heard any derogatory remarks about Middle
Eastern people or Muslims on the campaign trail,” said Sophiea. “I’ve heard we
need to get the country back on track with manufacturing jobs. We need somebody
whose going to take care of that in Dearborn. I would like to think it’s based
on the economical narrative more than anything else.”

Sophiea said he is a little puzzled at Trump’s
victory, having pegged Kasich as the winner in Michigan. However, he said the
anti-Muslim rhetoric isn’t as prevalent in this region as it might be
elsewhere.

“You can’t deny that there are some people saying it,”
Sophiea said. “But Dearborn has always been a hands on, roll up your sleeves
and get the job done kind of community. I live on the west side and obviously
there is still this stigma of two cities. If it’s there, it’s not something
that’s coming up to the surface. In the Dearborn area, people seem to get along.”