Inside di state wia di Middle East war fit impact di outcome of di US elections

As voting day dey near for di US presidential election, di Arab American community for Michigan dey find demsefs at a point wia dem gatz make ogbonge decision.

Di state wit dia 15 electoral votes (wey dey important for di election outcome) dey hang, many Arab Americans dey fight wit di choice wey don dey hard pass. Di decision to choose between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump no dey as straightforward especially for voters wey get interest for both domestic concerns and di Middle East conflicts wey dey hit close to home.

Opinion polls show say di race between di two candidates na one of di closest for modern history as Kamala Harris wey be di Democratic candidate currently dey lead for di kontri popular vote. But, as dem dey do for di US elections, na di electoral college system go still determine who win and Michigan wey be one of di swing state, fit be di key deciders.

Arab Americans for here, most especially for cities like Dearborn wey get large Arab population fit move di vote for state wia elections don dey decided by small gaps.

A diverse, divided community

Arab Americans for Michigan don just dey vote one way. Wit hundreds of thousands of dem wey dey live across di state, dia political affiliations and priorities dey veri different wen you reason dia different cultural backgrounds and dia views about US domestic and foreign policy.

Rima Meroueh wey dey direct di National Network for Arab American Communities for di Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services for Dearborn tell BBC say to estimate di exact amount of Arab vote dey tricky.

Di US Census no officially look Arabs as dia own racial group, wey make am hard to track numbers but Ms Meroueh estimate say di number of Arab Americans for Michigan fit reach at least 300,000.

To put di number in context, Trump win Michigan for 2016 wit just 10,000 votes. While Joe Biden bin win wit 100,000 for 2020. So even though Arab voters na just small portion of Michigan electorate, dem fit make ogbonge difference for dat kain type race.

Ms Meroueh tok say normally Arab American voters no just gada around one issue. But dis election dey different. Since di war for Gaza star, Ms Meroueh say di Middle East don turn to di koko of wetin many Arab Americans dey care about.

But even wit dis shared focus, voters still dey divided on wetin go be di best way to go. Some dey lean to Trump, say im "America First" position fit end di wars for di region. Odas dey argue say Harris go fit tok diplomatically to find long-term solutions. And den, group still dey wey dey support Jill Stein from di Green Party, wey dey call out US support for Israel and e dey sweet dia belle.

Battle over Middle East policy

Kamala Harris don dey toast di Arab community wit promise say she go work for ceasefire for di Middle East even as she dey hala say di Democratic Party don dey support Israel for long. Yet she don also tok on top Palestinian rights, as she dey call for security, dignity and self-determination for all di pipo for di region. Na position wey dey nuanced but e be bad market for voters like Sam Abbas.

For im busy restaurant for Dearborn, oga Abbas tok say wetin dey make many Arab Americans vex be say Biden and Harris dey directly responsible for di bloodshed for di Middle East, say evribodi wey im know say dem no go vote for Harris.

Oga Abbas say dis election na to choose "di lesser of two evils", say im no even sure who e go vote for and go only decide on election day.

Trump wey im immigration policy wey dey look like anti-Muslim and anti-Arab and even wit im pro-Israel position and im relationship wit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, don manage to win some Arab voters ova.

Im claim say no war bin start during im presidency and im claim say di wars for Ukraine and di Middle East for dey avoided if to say e remain for office, don strike a chord wit pipo wey don dey tired of kasala.

Trump don also showcase im pikin Arab father-in-law Massad Boulous, wey im son marry Tiffany Trump. Di former president don come outside wit pride and tok say di grandpikin wey dem go soon born go be half Arab.

Shifting loyalties

Di frustration wey di Democratic party don dey get don cause dem to be more organised opposition for di Arab American community. One campaign wey start last year first wit di name Abandon Biden and now Abandon Harris don dey gain ginger. Di founders accuse di Democratic Party say na lip service dem dey do for mata wey concern di Arab and Muslims while dem get hand for di continuation of kasala for di Middle East.

One of di campaign founders, Hassan Abdel Salam tok say dia opposition no dey against any candidate gan-gan but na just ansa to di party pro-Israel stand.

E tok say, "we don reach di conclusion say both political parties dey horrible". E add say Muslim Americans still need to ginger vote, but say dem "gatz reject di two political parties".

Di group don endorse Green party candidate Jill Stein, even if to vote for Stein mean say Trump fit win. Oga Abdel Salam tok say Democrats need to dey accountable say dem neglect Arab and Muslim votes.

Samara Luqman, wey be Yemeni-American political activist and estate agent, don support di Democratic Party for long, but surprisingly, she don decide say she go vote Donald Trump for dis election.

Ms Luqman say becos Trump campaign dey purposely reach out to di Arab American community. Di Trump campaign bin personally contact am and invite am to go meet di former president for one one of im rallies. She say dat gesture change how she dey see di man.

She say she feel like for dia tok, Trump show level of "humanity". Politically e shock am as Trump on im own tok say dem need to "stop di war for di Middle East".

She believe say her vote wit many oda Arab Americans wey she know go be like protest against di Democrats.

She say, "na punitive vote".

Harris go fit win over Arab voters?

Even wit di growing appeal for Trump for Michigan, di Democratic Party neva give up. Dem don get strong support wit many Arab Americans since di 11 September attacks and all di bashing to community wey come afta.

Sami Khalidi wey be di oga of di Democratic Club for Michigan still dey confident say Harris fit still win ova Arab voters.

Oga Khalidi say di Democratic Party na di only political entity wey dey give Arab Americans di kain recognition wey dem deserve. E also believe say Kamala Harris approach to di Middle East dey different from Joe Biden and dey more favourable to Arab Americans.

But e point out say many for di community neva know her views and positions, so e believe say di Democratic Party need to continue for dia work to ginger engagement and communication for di community.

Frustration and apathy

But for some, no amount of outreach go change anytin. Jenine Yassin wey be Palestinian-American artist, don decide say she no go vote at all.

For her, US policy on Israel na non-negotiable issue, and she dey accuse both candidates say dem dey support wetin she call "genocide" against di Palestinians.

Ms Yassin choice not to vote show di deep frustration wey plenti Arab Americans dey feel.

She say, di Democratic Party no understand say for Arab Americans, "Palestine na our whole issue" and say Democrats no fit "claim to care about abortion, women rights and reproductive justice" wen dem no dey ginger for di same rights for Palestinians.

She get hope for di future, though she cite a shift in attitude among her generation of young Americans wey dey voice opposition for US policies wey dey support Israel.