Democrats and allied institutions in traditionally liberal strongholds (blue states, universities) failed to protect the free speech and safety of pro-Palestinian student activists, instead using state and institutional power to suppress dissent, leading to the political disengagement of a key youth constituency.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse
• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "more than 3,600 students were arrested uh from the pro Palestinian sort of movement with many schools in Democratic states like UCLA being the top arresters UCLA arrested over 250 students over the course of that year which is almost an arrest a day so I just want to make sure that framing is very clear and that we clear um the the fog on that sort of uh the misrepresentation that took place"

  1:04:00 Watch ↗

• "as a result of all this they answer the question the vast majority of students have stopped engaging in political action on campus uh for Palestine and I would say are dis disengaging on a broader level as well with the political process many voices on campus have gone silent and we've seen a sharp drop off in campus protests in both the number and frequency of the protests taking place but also in terms of the intensity of the protest taking place"

  1:02:48 Watch ↗

• "it's important to note to your question that dozens of universities have updated their student conduct policies and student handbooks to limit Free Speech limit the ability of students to protest limit the ability to hold encampments and and to just Dam this movement broadly speaking and many of these changes took place over the summer so that students came back from the previous Academic Year to a new set of rules on the ground"

  1:04:40 Watch ↗

• "at Swarthmore College we saw some even more I would say ridiculous instance uh incidents 11 students are now facing assault charges uh because of the use of a megaphone during a protest right so the university had updated their student handbook to make loud chanting a form of assault so these students are at risk of being expelled now given this incident"

  1:05:57 Watch ↗

The Democratic-aligned establishment, including university administrations, failed to support pro-Palestinian voices and instead capitulated to pressure campaigns, creating a hostile environment that left student activists feeling abandoned, defenseless, and alienated.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse
• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "we saw president claudian gay at Harvard Manu shafik at Colombia and Elizabeth Mill at Penn and a few others afterwards actually as well being forced to resign from their position as University presidents because they were not because they were Pro Palestinian not because they called for Palestinian self-determination they were forced to resign because they were seen as too lenient on Pro Palestinian students who had the audacity to speak up on campus"

  55:32 Watch ↗

• "if we did we left our students defenseless this past year and a half in many instances and let's just clarify that we're talking about University spaces these are supposed to be bastions of free speech bastions of academic freedom for dialogue for conversation and we saw at this in these spaces that universities were resorting to violence universities were calling local and State uh police departments to remove student protesters from campus"

  58:23 Watch ↗

• "truthfully I don't think we were ready for this moment as a community and if I'm being honest I think on many fronts we actually failed our students uh with few rare exceptions our students really experienced the consequences and lived through this unprepared ESS on so many different levels"

  55:10 Watch ↗

• "I think the vast majority are going to be much more quiet especially in light of the lack of community support that we've seen right and so they're just going to focus on their studies not disrupt the waters too much focus on graduating not try to get docs and not try to experience any of the negative things that we've sort of talked about and outlined"

  1:08:08 Watch ↗

Democrats are failing to address the concerns of socially conservative men within the Muslim community, leading to feelings of marginalization and abandonment.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse
• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "I would even you know just advise even some of the Democrats the Muslim Community cannot be afraid to speak the men and you know the the philosophy and the approach to progression to equality Equity it it's not a a zero sum game right it's but what's happening is that in the effort you know to really grow and like sister Lind said to become politically mature a lot of times a lot of people feel abandoned and and left to the Wayside."

  24:33 Watch ↗

• "what we have to start doing is actually speaking to that. we can't turn away from we can't consider people backward or people U misogynistic if they're saying hey you know um what about the men so that's something that I just really want to highlight we cannot be afraid to talk to men we have to give safe spaces uh for men and this is coming from a pastoral care perspective"

  25:54 Watch ↗

Democrats and the national political discourse are overly focused on presidential politics, failing to address the local, kitchen-table issues that directly impact the daily lives of voters in the Muslim community.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse
• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "lower your gaze as Muslims when it comes to politics oftentimes we're always worried about who's in the White House when really what happens in the white house or what happens in Congress doesn't actually trickle down to your local community in the same way that who your mayor is or who your city council members who your school board members is so instead of worrying about who's in the White House who's in your city hall who's sitting in your state legislator that's making decisions about whether your property taxes are 10% higher than they were last Su whether your water bill is higher or who's monopolizing your electricity grid"

  46:07 Watch ↗

• "the message that I have for people and I say this to people all the time all politics is local folks I promise you that is where the real impact is I need you to participate on a local level there are elections every single year in your local areas"

  50:42 Watch ↗

The Democratic party failed to recognize that foreign policy, specifically Gaza, had abruptly replaced domestic issues as the top priority for Muslim voters, a major shift from the previous election cycles.

• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "prior to October 7th 2023 I was fully expecting that you know domestic issues around you know a lot of things that um you know were kind of coded as you know socially conservative issues regarding sexuality regarding gender identity I was fully expecting those to be you know the things that that really uh motivate American Muslim vot Choice going into uh 2024 obviously a lot changed um on October 7th."

  11:45 Watch ↗

• "immediately post 911 and and for a number of years thereafter foreign policy was was very top of mind when American Muslims and Arab Americans kind of went to the polls uh however in you know the past couple of election Cycles uh you know prior to 2023 uh domestic …"

  9:39 Watch ↗

The Democratic party can no longer take the Muslim American vote for granted, as the community's attachment has significantly weakened and their future as a reliable Democratic voting bloc is uncertain.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse
• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "I think that there was certainly a um a a a a sense among you know uh just any number of polls leading up to the election uh that there was no there was no attachment to uh the Democratic party uh or that attachment had certainly kind of uh waned … how you know reliable I guess uh American Muslims are when it comes to being Democratic voters that is certainly up in the air um and I don't think we have any kind of definitive answer on it now."

  8:11 Watch ↗

• "there is this kind of skepticism when it comes to um you know the Democratic party and uh by no means uh should it be taken for granted that American Muslims moving forward will be uh kind of stalwart uh Democratic voters."

  10:58 Watch ↗

The Democratic party, under President Biden and then candidate Kamala Harris, alienated Arab and Muslim voters by facilitating Israeli actions in Gaza and failing to take a principled stance on the issue.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse
• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "one of the Hallmarks of this movement uh was the effort uh to first you know quote unquote abandoned Biden uh for his facilitation of Israeli atrocities in Gazza and then subsequently to push back against kamla Harris for not taking a principal stance um on the genocide uh once she uh once she uh assumed the nomination."

  1:49 Watch ↗

The Democratic party's specific failure with Arab and Muslim voters was masked by a broader Republican wave, or 'red shift,' which made Trump's victories in swing states large enough to dilute the measurable impact of any single voting bloc.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse
• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "things didn't quite play out that way with Donald Trump winning all the swing states by a comparatively comfortable margin and so really this across the board red shift um as many have dubbed it uh diluted Arab and Muslim Americans kind of ability to influence any kind of uh uh individual State race let alone the overall presidential outcome."

  4:33 Watch ↗

The Democratic party has failed to make Muslim Americans feel like they belong, leaving the community politically homeless and believing the establishment does not care about their priorities.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse
• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "what we saw from our own Community as I analyze some of the data is that our community doesn't feel like they belong in any political party they just don't they don't feel Republican they don't feel Democrat they don't feel like the the kind of political establishment is really taking into account our concerns the our priorities the things that move us and it makes me sad."

  34:31 Watch ↗

The Democratic party, particularly the Biden administration and Kamala Harris, horrified and alienated Muslim voters with their perceived complicity in the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse
• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "we were horrified by the Biden Administration and and comma silence which translated to a lot of people as icity in the genocide of the Palestinian people."

  33:50 Watch ↗

Democrats failed to present a compelling alternative to Trump for Muslim voters on key issues like Gaza, leading many to skip the presidential race entirely.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse
• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "Gaza was top of mind for many voters which is why many voters decided that they didn't feel like they saw a resolution under a second Democratic Administration under a kamla Harris or a Biden and they also knew that it isn't going to be that much better for us under a Donald Trump so a lot of people said sister Linda I'm skipping the top of the ticket I'm going to go to the polls and we actually saw that."

  31:31 Watch ↗

The Democratic party's weakness is not confined to specific demographics but is a broader, systemic issue, as evidenced by surprisingly poor results even in traditional strongholds like New York City.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse

• "we also saw New York as another example Donald Trump won 46% of the vote in New York City I mean this is New York my friends like there's something that's bubbling here and I think finally what I I walked away from this election with a little bit heartbroken."

  34:11 Watch ↗

The Democratic administration's foreign policy, specifically its unwavering support for Israel's actions in Gaza, caused a major rupture with the Muslim American community, who felt powerless and betrayed.

• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "when we think about most recently the last 15 months of genocide uh are we really building the community that our people in gazda are proud of do you believe that the people of Gazza believe that we are a powerful effective Muslim American community that is using every privilege every Power every leverage that we have to help alleviate the suffering of our people I don't believe that we are the community right now because it is American planes that have dropped those bombs for the last 15 months and we have not been able not a single one of us has been able to even move foreign policy even a minute a second we have not stopped a genocide sisters and brothers in 15 months we did nothing for the Palestinian people"

  47:51 Watch ↗

The Democratic party can no longer take the Muslim American vote for granted, as the 2024 election exposed deep fractures in the coalition and a growing desire for independent political power.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse
• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "as the November election approached Muslim political coalitions began to Splinter long long known as the religious group with the largest portion of Voters considering themselves independent poing shows a majority of Muslims voted for the Democratic candidate for president since the bush era the fault lines exposed in the 2024 election raised important questions about the future of those relationships and the path forward for movement building and allyship"

  37:21 Watch ↗

The Democratic party's failure was most acute at the presidential level, creating a contentious environment that masked significant agreement and successful coalition-building on local and congressional races.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse
• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "I said earlier that you know we need to organize towards 2028 and I meant that on the presidential level because that was where it was the most contentious it seemed like oftentimes on a local level we agreed on candidates people supported Jamal Bowman they supported Corey they supported members of Congress and people running for school board but it was very contentious on the federal level"

  45:29 Watch ↗

The Democratic party's failure with Muslim voters manifested primarily as depressed voter turnout, not a significant shift to third-party candidates, despite loud calls to do so.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse
• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "a lot of the rhetoric that we saw coming out of um some element of our community did not translate into political power at the polls and the Muslim American Community has unfortunately found people to take credit for the kind of Defeat of commala Harris and the defeat of the democratic party but in fact the ones that were the loudest voices were asking people to vote for Jill Stein so in fact if that was true …"

  29:59 Watch ↗

The Democratic party's ground game was insufficient to reach and persuade Muslim voters, allowing the political narrative to be dominated by social media personalities rather than effective, on-the-ground organizers.

• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "it's about organizing it's about it's not about what you're post on social media it's not about having a big following on social media it's not about getting head headlined in the papers because the Muslim Community the people were trying to organize most of them are not reading the Washington Post they're not reading political they're not reading the the social media accounts that are putting these flashy headlines about abandoning any certain certain candidate."

  32:39 Watch ↗

• "instead of giving the the power to those with the strategy those with the history those with the expertise we just let anybody get on the internet and start telling us what to do politically when they have never invested in the long-term plan or the long-term work that we've been doing to build political power in the Muslim American Community."

  37:03 Watch ↗

Political parties, including Democrats, failed to engage with the Muslim community's actual political experts and organizers, deferring instead to religious leaders who lack political expertise, resulting in flawed strategies.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse
• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "there should be no reason why imams in our community are setting forth a political strategy that is not their expertise that is not the role that they play in the community they should continue to play their important role and there could be more relationship building between the kind of activist organizer and the kind of religious scholarly folks in our community because I think that there could be much more productive work"

  43:03 Watch ↗

• "I'd say the biggest challenge that I have I think I've said multiple times here today and that is the challenge of really asserting some of our own expertise right and having to compete with folks that do not have the same expertise as we do and so that's been a challenge to try to either get folks who are trying to advise our community politically to at least at some point have a conversation so we can provide the resources the tools the talking points the power analysis that we have"

  49:12 Watch ↗

The Democratic party was vulnerable to even a small shift in the Arab and Muslim vote, as a hypothetical loss of 40% of this bloc (35% to third party/abstention, 5% to GOP) would have been sufficient to flip key swing states based on past election margins.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse
• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "if say 35% of Arab and Muslim voters from 2020 chose to either vote third party or not vote at all um in 2024 uh and another 5% actively switched their vote from the Democrats to the Republicans uh that potential net loss in votes would have exceeded the margin of victory in Michigan and Pennsylvania in 2016 and uh would have exceeded the margin of victory in Georgia and Arizona in 2020."

  3:38 Watch ↗

Democrats and their allies failed to help counter misinformation and internal divisions within the Muslim community, which created confusion and prevented a unified political front.

• Neglected Coalition & Demographic Collapse
• Foreign Policy & Security Failures

• "… unfortunately we don't do that in the Muslim Community and we end up with these different tracks and then our people are in a situation where they have to choose do I follow the student groups do I follow sister Linda's advice do I follow so and so is advice do I do this do I do that"

  41:46 Watch ↗