The political and social tensions stemming from the fierce competition in the presidential race, as well as the support of most American officials and elected representatives for the brutal war that Israel has been waging on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip for almost 10 months — which was blatantly highlighted last Wednesday during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in the U.S. Congress — alongside local challenges in cities and counties with high Arab American presence, all demonstrate the importance of the Aug. 6 primary elections. Once again Arab Americans have before them serious challenges to demonstrate their growing political influence in the Great Lakes State.

Previous experiences and facts have proven the importance of the Arab American and Muslim votes and their significant role in the chances of candidates for various public offices, including the race to the White House. Arab and Muslim Americans  voters have become a decisive factor this election in some swing states, mainly Michigan, which is fiercely contested by both the Democratic and Republican Parties.

The influential electoral power of Arab and Muslim communities in Michigan, which was clearly evident in the “uncommitted” vote campaign during the presidential primaries in February, achieved remarkable success after the majority of Arab American and Muslim Democratic voters refrained from voting for President Biden’s re-election for a second term, in protest against his administration’s complicity with Israel’s brutal aggression and war crimes committed against Palestinians in Gaza.

Therefore, we at The Arab American News emphasize the importance of participating in the Aug. 6 primary elections to choose candidates who are committed peace and justice in the Middle East and to our important issues here at home such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law, in addition to healthcare, education and many other issues that we share with the majority of our fellow Americans.

We also express our rejection of candidates who persist in ignoring our concerns. Our votes are the best and most effective tools to express our aspirations and ambitions in enhancing our political and social role, ensuring the protection of our constitutional rights, understanding our cultural and civilizational uniqueness and our strong ties with our homelands and the issues of our Arab peoples, foremost among them the rights of the Palestinian people.

From this standpoint, The Arab American News adopts the list of candidates supported by the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) in the primary, who have shown their loyalty and understanding of the issues of Arab and Muslim Americans in Wayne County and across Michigan through their early calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, freezing financial and military aid to Israel and their continuous condemnation of genocide crimes in the occupied territories.

In this context, The Arab American News endorses African American candidate Hill Harper in the U.S. Senate race on the Democratic ticket, as well as African American candidates Detroit City Council Member Mary Waters and Michigan State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh in the Democratic primaries in Districts 13 (Detroit area) and District 8 (Flint area) respectively, for the U.S. House of Representatives, for their courageous condemnation of genocide crimes in Gaza on the one hand, and for the necessity of ensuring representation of Michigan’s Black communities, which currently lack any Democratic representation in the U.S. Congress.

While Pugh was the first elected official in Michigan to call for a ceasefire in the occupied territories on October 9, Waters supported issuing a resolution for the same purpose in the Detroit City Council. Harper, on the other hand, was the first candidate for the U.S. Senate nationwide to call for peace in Gaza, at a time when many American officials and elected representatives either supported continuing the war against defenseless civilians in the beleaguered Gaza Strip or remained silent and buried their heads in the sand, ignoring the daily bloody massacres against children and women in full view and hearing of the entire world.

Additionally, Harper rejected a $20 million offer to withdraw from the U.S. Senate race and instead run against Palestinian American U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) to ensure his opponent, U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin — a candidate overwhelmingly supported by the pro-Israel lobby in the United States — wins the Democratic nomination on August 6. However, Harper refused to sell his conscience and insisted on running for the U.S. Senate with a campaign that includes promises to freeze U.S. aid to Israel and redirect it to fund domestic needs and humanitarian aid programs for Palestinians instead.

The Arab American News endorses the re-election of Democratic U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell for District 6, which includes all of Washtenaw County, significant parts of Wayne County and communities in Monroe and Oakland Counties. Debbie Dingell has been and continue to be a reliable friend and an effective representative on Capitol Hill.

In addition, The Arab American News endorses the re-nomination of Tlaib, who is running to retain her seat representing the 12th District, which includes Dearborn and part of Dearborn Heights, among other neighboring cities.

For the Michigan House of Representatives races, The Arab American News endorses the re-election of  State Representative Alabas Farhat, who seeks to retain his seat for an additional two years representing the Third District.

The Arab American News also endorses candidate Layla Taha for the 25th District race for the Michigan House of Representatives in the Democratic Primary, where the anti-Israel war on Gaza activist adopts the causes of social justice and supports labor unions to protect the interests and rights of middle and poor class workers.

If successful, Taha will join the Michigan House of Representatives as the second Arab American alongside Farhat after Arab American State Representative Abraham Aiyash (Hamtramck) decided not to run for re-election in the Seventh District.

Despite Farhat running in the Democratic primaries against two Arab candidates, Ziad Abdulmalek and Guss (Ghassan) Tarraf, the young representative’s impressive achievements over the past two years make him the most qualified candidate to represent the interests of the district, which includes most of Dearborn and limited neighborhoods of Warrendale in Detroit.

During his first legislative term, Farhat successfully allocated millions of dollars to the city of Dearborn to enhance public safety, infrastructure, environment and replace lead pipes in the city’s water network.

While some other races are already decided in favor of Democratic candidates in the August 6 elections in Wayne County, both AAPAC and The Arab American News have decided to renew support for several officials with strong ties to the Arab American community in the Detroit area, including Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, County Sheriff Raphael Washington and Treasurer Eric Sabree. We also endorse Sam Baydoun for Wayne County Commissioner, representing Dearborn and Allen Park, and David Knezek for Wayne County Commissioner, representing Dearborn Heights Garden City and Inkster.

In addition, we endorse proposals “A” and “P”, which include amending the Wayne County Charter and renewing the property tax (millage) dedicated to funding public parks.

The Arab American News urges Dearborn voters to vote “Yes” on the proposal to amend the Dearborn City Charter, which was last amended in 2007, to align with Michigan state laws and new legal and regulatory necessary revisions.

Alongside supporting the candidacy of African American Derrick Jackson in the Democratic primaries for Washtenaw County Sheriff and the candidacy of Michael Siegrist for Canton Township City Clerk, which is witnessing a steady increase in the number of Arab Americans, The Arab American News also endorses several candidates in non-partisan races in the three major counties of Michigan, including Wayne County Court Judge Lawrence Elassal, Oakland County Circuit Court candidate Nicole S. Huddleston, Macomb County Circuit Court candidate Jevona Fudge and Livonia City Court candidate Robin Persiconi for the 16th District Court.

It should be noted that the primary elections are conducted through partisan voting, either on the Democratic or Republican ticket, while referendums and non-partisan races will be listed on both tickets. Absentee voting began earlier in July and early voting started on July 27 at designated polling centers.

The Arab American News urges Arab American voters in Michigan not to hesitate to go to the polling stations and cast their votes to make their voices heard on August 6; and to continue solidifying their presence on the American political map by supporting candidates committed to their issues and qualified to address the challenging problems facing Arab American communities, including the sense of oppression and betrayal due to U.S. policies supporting Israel and ignoring the rights and lives of Palestinians in the occupied territories and other conflict zones in the Middle East.

Vote on August 6. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

Always remember, the loudest voices are the ones in the ballot boxes.