Among Middle Eastern diasporas in the United States, there is growing discontent with the major parties, fueled by the American response to the unrest in their home countries. How do these communities view the presidential race? First stop: Little Arabia in Anaheim, the heart of the Arab community.
“Little Arabia has the atmosphere, the smells and the flavors of our home.” Hani Haidar, administrative specialist of the Arab American Civic Council (AACC), describes with a peaceful smile this neighborhood of Anaheim where the language, tastes and colors of his native Lebanon mingle with those of other communities present in the area: Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Iraq…
In Anaheim, a city located about forty kilometers southeast of Los Angeles, Brookhurst Street has been the cradle of California’s Arab community since the 1980s. The signs you see as you walk along the street are almost all bilingual, in Arabic and English. One of the many strip malls (linear shopping malls) on the street are decorated with a multitude of flags on the roof, ranging from Morocco to Jordan.
“Little Arabia makes us visible,” says Rashad Al-Dabbagh, executive director of the AACC. The nonpartisan association, which has a strong presence in the neighborhood, has long campaigned for its designation within the city of Anaheim (which it did in 2022).
The AACC has also been at the heart of the mobilization for the Palestinian cause following the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023 and the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip that followed. “It’s heartbreaking to see the devastation, the destruction of the people of Gaza,” said Mr. Al-Dabbagh, who grew up in Palestine. “And to see that Israel has received support, funding and weapons from our government to do absolutely whatever it wants with them, without worry.”
“We have lost our importance,” says Mirvette Judeh. Of Palestinian descent, she has been a Democratic delegate in California for more than a decade. But she feels betrayed by her party since October 7. She cannot stomach the exhortations to vote for an administration that supports Israel, in the name of the need to block Donald Trump. “You are talking to me about electing someone, when you are committing war crimes against our people? And you dare to put the weight of everything that is happening, the entire future of this country, on us?”
A feeling of abandonment
This loss of trust in the American government and democratic institutions since the start of Israel’s offensive on Gaza is reflected in voting intentions. A poll conducted in October 2023, just weeks after October 7, showed a drop in support among Arab-American voters for the Democratic camp. The poll, conducted by the Washington-based Arab American Institute, indicated that support for Joe Biden had fallen from 74% in 2020 to 29% in 2023.
In another poll conducted in May by the same institute, this time of Arab voters in four key states, half of respondents said they were undecided or considering voting for a third party. That was down from just 10% in 2020.
“Of course we don’t trust anymore,” says Amin Nash, coordinator at the AACC. Of Iraqi origin, he is concerned about the rise in hatred towards the country’s Arabs and Muslims, and the indifference he perceives from authorities, both local and national. “How can we continue to trust this government that is supposed to represent us? Who do you want us to vote for, right now? There is a certain apathy.” [dans la communauté]. And it is legitimate.”
He points out, however, that on the ground, this loss of confidence has also translated into an even more vigorous mobilization for the Palestinian cause than before. “It has been a real source of encouragement to see people pleading this cause and joining us.”
A resurgence of commitment
In Little Arabia, the echo of Palestine within the community leaves its mark everywhere. On both sides of Brookhurst Street, the various restaurants, shops and service centres in the neighbourhood proudly display the Palestinian flag in their windows. Calls for demonstrations, rallies and mobilisation are posted on the doors of establishments or on lampposts.
When passing the Dutyat the beginning of the summer, Ayah Shiadah, a project manager at the AACC, was busy putting up stickers calling for a ceasefire in Gaza all over the neighborhood. “One thing I notice now is that the world seems to be waking up, standing with us, even if their governments aren’t,” says the young Palestinian-Mexican woman.
Even though the feeling of abandonment by the authorities and politicians persists, the AACC continues to campaign for people to show up at the polls in November. Mirvette Judeh also notes that in recent months, some members of the community have entered politics at the local level, in order to better represent their own people.
“I think our community is showing its strength,” she said. “A lot of us, we took for granted what it meant to be American. Now we have to use this system, put our candidates forward, create a space where we are a force to be reckoned with.”
“We are doing our best to educate the public, we must not lose hope,” says Rashad Al-Dabbagh. “Voting is not the answer to everything or the solution to everything. But it is a piece of the puzzle, it is part of the process.”
With Julien Forest
This report was financed with the support of the Transat International Journalism Fund-The duty.