A coalition of Islamic leaders in a must-win battleground state is now urging their respective communities to get behind Vice President Kamala Harris in November.

The New Republic reported that more than 100 progressive Democratic Palestinian, Arab and Muslim leaders in Arizona have now co-signed a letter in support of Harris' candidacy. The letter, which was posted to X (formerly Twitter) by Arizona-based progressive activist Kai Newkirk, acknowledges that while many Muslim voters are understandably upset about how President Joe Biden's administration has handled Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza, affected communities cannot afford to have former President Donald Trump return to power.

"In our view, it is crystal clear that allowing the fascist Donald Trump to become President again would be the worst possible outcome for the Palestinian people," the letter read. "A Trump win would be an extreme danger to Muslims in our country, all immigrants, and the American pro-Palestine movement."

In the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel — which killed approximately 1,200 people — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched an unprecedented attack on the Gaza Strip, which has been controlled by Hamas since 2006. The United Nations (UN) estimates that more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Netanyahu's retaliation campaign began last fall with 97,000 more wounded. And the UN's Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine has said that Israel's military campaign, which it has referred to as a "genocide," has killed 16,000 children while orphaning 17,000 more with the help of American-made weaponry.

"Israel continues receiving an unlimited supply of weaponry from its allies, despite the growing calls for an arms embargo, including by the General Assembly in its resolution ES-10/24 of 18 September 2024 in follow-up to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 19 July 2024, in which the Court determined, inter alia, that Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, is unlawful and must end as rapidly as possible," the Permanent Observer to the State of Palestine wrote earlier this month.

The letter from Arizona's progressive Muslim leaders acknowledged that the 2024 election is an "awful situation where only flawed choices are available," and that they "respect those who feel they simply can’t vote for a member of the administration that sent the bombs that may have killed their loved ones." Still, the signatories insisted that "voting for Kamala Harris is the best option for the Palestinian cause and all of our communities."

Signatories cited multiple examples to make the case that Trump would be far worse for Palestinians. In May, for example, the former president told a roomful of wealthy donors that he would "set that movement back by 25 or 30 years," in reference to the pro-Palestine protests sweeping college campuses. He's also admitted to having personal calls with Netanyahu, even though the Logan Act prohibits private citizens from talking to foreign leaders without prior approval from the sitting administration.

The Washington Post further reported that Trump has vowed to deport foreign-born students who participate in anti-Israel demonstrations on college campuses.

"One thing I do is, any student that protests, I throw them out of the country," he told donors in May. "You know, there are a lot of foreign students. As soon as they hear that, they’re going to behave."

Additionally, Trump has sought support for his 2024 campaign from Israeli billionaire Miriam Adelson, who is the widow of the late GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson. Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported earlier this year that Adelson insisted that Trump promise that if elected, he would allow Israel to fully annex the Palestinian-controlled West Bank in exchange for a $100 million infusion of funds to a pro-Trump super PAC.

Reprinted with permisson from AlterNet