Cornel West courts Muslim and Arab-American voters in quest for presidency

Independent presidential candidate Cornel West has been courting a group President Joe Biden may struggle to attract in the upcoming 2024 election: Muslim and Arab-American voters.

Muslim and Arab community leaders rallied around the prominent activist, author and philosopher by recently hosting fundraisers for him in Michigan — a key battleground state — and California.

«We got to do something,» West said at a rally in Dearborn, Michigan, in December. «That's why I'm here to tell the world and especially straight to Gaza, where they're dealing with a genocidal assault. We believe that a Palestinian baby has the same value as any baby in the world.»

Biden has faced mounting criticism over the way his administration has handled the Israel-Hamas war. According to a recent New York Times/Siena College poll, 57% of Americans disapprove of how Biden is handling the conflict with an even deeper divide among young voters. Three quarters of young voters between 18 and 29 say they disapprove of the administration's handling of the war.

Although there's less reliable polling on the extent of their feelings, some Muslim voters tell ABC News that they are struggling to support President Biden as he seeks a second term. While the president has stated he is campaigning to save «democracy and freedom,» West is hoping to seize on that feeling by highlighting his own commitment to Muslims.

Xena Shawarev, a Muslim from Pittsburgh, told ABC News that the 2024 election feels like it could force her to choose the candidate who is the lesser of two evils: former President Donald Trump or Biden.

«It just seems that campaigning that the other side is more evil doesn't represent who's good. It just represents who's less evil. And if we're gonna keep