The group Muslim Women for Harris-Walz announced Thursday that it is disbanding and withdrawing its support for the campaign in response to Vice President Kamala Harris's team denying anti-Israel uncommitted delegates a speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention.
"We cannot in good conscience continue Muslim Women for Harris-Walz, in light of this new information from the Uncommitted Movement, that VP Harris’ team declined their request to have a Palestinian American speaker take the stage at the DNC," the group said in a statement released Thursday.
The Uncommitted Movement for months has been pressuring Democratic leaders to impose an arms embargo on Israel and seek a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The movement, which emerged and gained traction during this year's Democratic primaries, called on Democrats to vote "uncommitted" in protest of President Joe Biden's failure to end the war in Gaza.
On Wednesday evening, dozens of delegates from the Uncommitted Movement and several congressional members of the left-wing "Squad" staged a sit-in outside the convention, vowing to remain until the Harris campaign agreed to allow a Palestinian-American speaker on stage.
Muslim Women for Harris-Walz, in its Thursday statement, slammed Harris and the DNC for showing less empathy toward Palestinian Americans and Palestinians than the Israeli hostages’ family members on stage, two of whom called for an end to "the suffering of the innocent people in Gaza."
"This is a terrible message to send to Democrats. Palestinians have the right to speak about Palestine," the group added. "We pray that the DNC and VP Harris’s team makes the right decision before this convention is over. For the sake of each of us."
Brianna Wu, executive director of the progressive Rebellion political action committee, is among the Democrats who have urged the Harris campaign not to give the Uncommitted Movement a platform at the convention.
"The Free Palestine people tried to hijack that moment and disrupt this event, many openly stating they wanted a repeat of the 1968 violent riots," Wu said Thursday morning. "Not giving them a platform to hijack our convention is so obviously the correct play. Welcome to politics. We do what we have to do to win."