As with all Americans, the reasons why some Muslims chose Trump are hard to pin down; they include financial or political considerations that impact Americans across the board. Indeed, Republicans have traditionally dominated the ‘Muslim constituency’ where many of the common conservative values overlap.
But on the flip side, what was it about Biden that plenty of Muslim voters didn’t like? Biden’s contribution in perpetuating war in the Middle East is a reason why Trump — a man whom, for all his faults, was not a warmonger in the region — may have been their preferred pick. Other Muslims have described themselves as part of the ‘silent majority’ that supports Trump, with some deeming ‘coming out’ as a Trump supporter as being synonymous as ‘breaking’ the Islamic covenant of Nikkah. This overlaps with the ‘shy’ Trump supporter theory and perhaps explains why pollsters have been wrong on two consecutive US elections.
So for all his faults, many Muslim voters liked what Donald Trump was doing as president — and voted to reelect him. They’ll be disappointed with last week’s result.
