Muslim Women for Harris-Walz disbands in uproar after Palestinian speaker refused slot at DNC

Uncommitted delegates descended on Chicago and urged Kamala Harris’s campaign to host a Palestinian American speaker on the main stage at the convention

The group Muslim Women for Harris-Walz has announced that it is disbanding in uproar after a request to give a Palestinian speaker a slot at the Democratic National Convention was denied.

The Biden-Harris administration has received heavy criticism for its steadfast support for Israel during the war in Gaza that has so far killed more than 40,000 people.

During this week’s DNC, uncommitted delegates descended on Chicago and urged Kamala Harris’s campaign to host a Palestinian American speaker on the main stage at the convention.

Abbas Alawieh, a Michigan delegate who is acting as a spokesperson for the uncommitted delegates, said on Wednesday evening that he got a call telling him “the answer is no”.

In response, the delegates – who were elected in state primaries in protest of current president Joe Biden’s support for Israel – staged a small protest outside the United Center on Wednesday night and the group Muslim Women for Harris-Walz announced that it was shuttering its operations.

In the statement, Muslim Women for Harris-Walz said they “cannot in good conscience continue” with the group in light of the decision.

A small group of uncommitted delegates hold a sit-in just outside the United Center to protest the lack of a Palestinian American speaker at the Democratic National Convention (EPA)

The group added that the parents of the 23-year-old Israeli hostage, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who appeared onstage on Wednesday night, showed “more empathy towards Palestinian Americans and Palestinians than our candidate or the DNC has”.

“This is a terrible message to send to Democrats. Palestinians have the right to speak about Palestine. We pray that the DNC and VP Harris team makes the right decision before this convention is over. For the sake of each of us,” the statement added.

Protesters said that the impromptu sit-in, which initially began when the group was waiting for a phone call from the Harris campaign, would continue until their demands are met.

Alaweih told reporters outside the DNC that “the vice-president’s decision to suppress us is unacceptable”.

“I’ve run out of options from my position as a delegate, so I’m leaning into my power as an everyday person. And I’m not going anywhere,” he said.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appeared via FaceTime to speak to the group and reassured them their protest was “paired with a very strong inside push”, referring to those inside the DNC.

She added that the request for a Palestinian speaker to appear is “not an irrational thing to ask for, it’s a basic thing to ask for”.

Protesters rally at a demonstration in Union Park during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday (AP)

The Democratic National Committee provided space for two panel discussions during the convention - one focused on Arab and Palestinian issues, which featured leaders from the Uncommitted movement - and another focused on Jewish American issues, including rising anti-semitism and hate speech.

Campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez also met with local Arab American and Jewish American leaders in Michigan last week.

Democratic voters in states like Michigan, North Carolina and Minnesota used their state primaries to vote “uncommitted” in protest of the war in Gaza, resulting in sending 30 delegates to Chicago.

Since the start of the convention, at least 55 protesters have been arrested following clashes with police.

More pro-Palestinian protests are expected later today when Harris will officially accept the Democratic party’s nomination for president.

Margaret DeReus, the executive director for the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project, told The Independent earlier this week: “I think we’re [at] a moment of real opportunity where vice-president Harris can turn the page on what has been a disastrous chapter in President Biden’s administration.”

DeReus’s organization hosted a meet-and-greet and panel about Israel and Gaza on Tuesday morning where she said the encouraging words must also reflect deeds from Harris – and Biden.

“I think [Biden] should realize that if he wants vice-president Harris to win in November, there are things that he could do as president now to make that more likely,” she said.

“And I think she can indicate, and should indicate, how her administration would be different in terms of its policies on Gaza.”