Two Muslim Women Rejected from Joe Biden-Kamala Harris Campaign Event
- VIVA.co.id/Arianti Widya
United States – Two hijab-wearing women were denied entry to a campaign event for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in Nevada this week, sparking widespread anger and raising questions about how the Democratic Party will navigate the 2024 election cycle amid growing public disapproval of the U.S. government's support for the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The incident, captured on video and quickly going viral, occurred at the entrance of the "Get Out the Vote" event featuring Vice President Kamala Harris. A man at the door informed the women that they were not allowed in, despite having invitations.
The women then questioned the officer, asking if it was because they were Muslim and wearing hijabs. "Why won't you let us in when we have an invitation?" one woman asked.
"Are you singling us out?" added the other. "Is it because we wear hijabs?" the first woman inquired.
As quoted from the New Arab site, the women accused the guard of racism and Islamophobia, expressing regret for attending the event.
This was followed by an awkward silence as the women, affiliated with the Nevadans for Palestinian Liberation group, told attendees at the entrance that they were not allowed in because of the headscarves they were wearing.
The Biden administration responded to the incident, though it only raised more questions from critics.
"These individuals were among a group not allowed to attend the event on Saturday, having disrupted and shut down events with elected officials from the Democratic Party previously," wrote Biden administration rapid response team member Ammar Moussa on X account three days after the event.
"If so, why weren't they informed at that time?" countered Robert McCaw, director of government affairs for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
While the government's explanation for the rejection of the two women from the event may be valid, it also raises questions about their tactics during the campaign amid the Israel-Gaza conflict, which has claimed the lives of over 27,000 Palestinians.
Instead of listening to supporters of a ceasefire and considering their stance, which polls suggest reflects the views of many Americans, will the government continue to prevent Muslims from being heard at campaign events
In response to the viral video, many argued that it's not just Muslim women disrupting government campaign events.
This implies that an informal ban on hijab-wearing women won't stop protests, given the increasingly diverse ceasefire movements.
"I'm sure it's because they think Muslim women are at greater risk of disrupting the event by shouting about Palestine/for a ceasefire or the like. This underscores why it's crucial for other ethnicities, especially white people, to speak up at these events," wrote X user.
In another response to the video, X user Prof Zenkus wrote, "Looks like the Democratic Party just implemented a ban on Muslims at their campaign events. How delightful,"
News of Muslim women being denied entry to the event follows repeated disruptions by ceasefire supporters at campaign events.