Uzair talks to Shadi Hamid on the US elections and the difficult choice American-Muslims are having to make in this cycle given the choices on offer. Shadi shared his own thoughts on how the Biden administration utterly failed when it comes to stopping the ongoing orgy of violence in Gaza. We also talk about why Kamala Harris has failed to engage with the community during the campaign, and the threat Trump represents to both Arab and Muslim lives at home and abroad.

Shadi Hamid is a columnist at the Washington Post and author of the book The problem of democracy: America, the Middle East, and the rise and fall of an idea. He also co-hosts the podcast The Wisdom of Crowds.

Episode Links:

- https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/shadi-hamid/

- https://www.amazon.com/Problem-Democracy-America-Middle-East/dp/0197579469

- https://wisdomofcrowds.live/podcast

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

3:00 Is this an inflection point for Muslim-Americans?

11:28 Democrats v. Republicans

18:10 Why do people think Trump is better?

24:50 Democrat’s failure to engage

32:45 US policy on democracy

40:15 Nuance and politics

44:25 Engaging on foreign policy

50:29 Conclusion

Reading recommendations:

- Light Years by James Salter

- The Study Quran