Leading U.S. Muslim scholar and activist, Imam Omar Suleiman has warned that the American Muslim community must brace for further challenges in the second term of President Donald Trump.
Speaking to Daily Sabah on Nov. 30, Suleiman expressed his concerns over what he described as "draconian laws" that could stifle Muslim activism in the U.S., especially on the Palestinian issue, further alienating Muslims from the political process.
Suleiman’s comments come amid an ongoing genocide in Gaza which he argued has exposed the deep-rooted issues of Israeli occupation and apartheid in the region.
He pointed out that despite the historical unity that Palestine once inspired within the Muslim world, recent shifts, especially the normalization of relations between some Arab nations and Israel through agreements like the Abraham Accords – have weakened this solidarity.
"The genocide in Gaza has brought to light much of the underlying disease of occupation," Suleiman said during the interview on the sidelines of the TRT World Forum, which took place on Nov. 29-30.
"What the genocide has done is that it has made it too costly for these governments to sustain, you know, to maintain relationships at status quo or to enter into new normalization agreements with Israel,” he added.
However, it was his comments about the future of U.S. Muslims under a potential second Trump administration that formed the crux of his concerns.
Suleiman criticized Trump’s incoming Cabinet for being the most pro-Israel in U.S. history, predicting that the Muslim community would face significant hurdles under the former president’s leadership in the second term.
"Donald Trump has already assembled the most rabidly pro-Israel Cabinet that we’ve ever seen," Suleiman said. "I have no hope in Donald Trump – he’s simply a new opponent to resist in the empire that is staunchly dedicated to Israel as its colonial outpost."
He also warned that U.S. Muslims may face even stricter laws aimed at limiting their ability to organize around key issues, particularly Palestinian rights.
Under Trump, Suleiman suggested that the community could see heightened restrictions on political activism, especially regarding the fight for Palestinian self-determination.
Suleiman also emphasized that Trump’s political success in the presidential elections was partly due to Joe Biden’s alienation of not just the American Muslim community but also any group that opposed his stance on Gaza.
“I think that the Muslim community should be prepared to fight back against even further draconian laws that would stop U.S. Muslims from being able to organize for Palestine, to fight back against annexation of the West Bank and what's existent of Palestinian territories, and to remind Donald Trump that one of the main causes of his victory was the alienating of not just the American Muslim community but really any community of conscience over the issue of Gaza.” Suleiman said.
He warned that if Trump were to double down on his support for Israeli policies, particularly those enabling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza, it could backfire politically.
“But as the American Muslim community we need to just effectively organize against a new reality which I think would not catch anyone by surprise,” said Suleiman.
