By: Selina Guevara

Leaders of multiple Muslim organizations gathered today in Chicago, host of next week's Democratic National Convention, to demand Democrats formulate policies to address the war in Gaza and hate crimes against Muslim Americans during the convention.

“It is imperative that no political party takes the Muslim American vote for granted,” said Oussama Jamal, secretary general of the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations. “This election cycle they are more determined than ever to make their voices heard and their votes count.”

Cook County is home to Chicago and the largest population of Palestinians in the U.S. Local activists say having the Democratic convention in Chicago at this point in history is something “the whole Palestinian and Muslim community are talking about.”

Jamal said that his organization has more than 60 delegates attending the convention and that it is working to arrange special meetings with representatives and candidates while they are in town.

Syed Khan, board president of the Illinois Muslim Political Action Network, said he has been hopeful for a shift on U.S. policy toward Israel ever since the top of the ticket changed from Biden to Harris.

“We do see a change, but the change is in tone and not in practice,” Khan said. “What we need is real change whereby we, as [the] American government, people who give billions and billions of dollars to Israel, we should exercise our influence and say enough is enough. No one has come up and said that yet.”

Khan said many uncommitted voters are waiting to see exactly what Harris does in terms of a policy proposal but added that he is grateful that Walz was chosen as her running mate over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, citing concern about Shapiro’s Israel Defense Forces background and praising Walz for listening to Muslim voices in Minnesota in the past.

Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, highlighted the increase in domestic hate crimes against the Muslim community — highlighting the killing of Wadea Al-Fayoume, the 6-year-old Palestinian boy who authorities say was stabbed by his landlord in an anti-Muslim attack in a Chicago suburb in October.

“This legacy looms heavy as the DNC descends on this great city next week,” Rehab said.

Leaders also thanked Chicago’s mayor, Brandon Johnson, for casting the tiebreaking vote in the City Council to pass a resolution in January calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, making Chicago the largest U.S. city to do so.