Shapiro’s Muslim outreach raises disturbing questions.
In the 1950s and 1960s, To Tell the Truth was one of the most popular shows on television. Three contestants, all claiming to be the same person, were quizzed by a celebrity panel after which the host asked the real person in question to stand up and reveal themselves.Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, up for reelection in November, could easily appear on that show were it on TV today as three different versions of himself. A master at tricky shape-shifting, the “real” Shapiro could appear as three persons in one, or an unholy trinity with the sales ability of a super shyster.
A supporter of a Palestinian state, a lukewarm supporter of Israel which sometimes dips into the “strong” category (with a lot of “yeses” and “buts”), he makes sure to visit mosques while building unusually close relationships with Arab communities.
But when you comfortably position yourself in the middle — the milquetoast option — you are especially vulnerable to attack from both sides.
Some news headlines:
PennLive, Patriot News (October 2023): “PA Muslim Groups admonish Shapiro for not Speaking in Support of Gaza civilians.”
New Lives magazine (August 2024): “Once Popular with Arabs and Muslims, Jewish Shapiro Has Alienated Supporters with His views on Israel-Palestine.”
Forward (Jewish, Independent, 2024): “Shapiro’s position on Gaza tests close bonds with Arab, Muslim Community.”
Although Shapiro stated Israel had “a right to defend itself” after the October 7 attack, when he was Pennsylvania’s attorney general in 2017, he led much of the opposition to the Trump administration’s travel ban targeting Muslims. By the time he became governor, he was savvy enough to recognize that Pennsylvania’s Arab population was second only to Michigan’s in numbers, meaning he had to temper his support of Israel and not go out on a limb the way PA Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity does when she states she is not in favor of a separate Palestinian state.
Senator John Fetterman put it succinctly when he said, “Palestine is a failed nation — not even a failed nation. There is no real leadership, except for Hamas. And it’s clear Hamas refuses to change their views.”
Shapiro, ever the politician, is too mindful of Pennsylvania’s Arab population numbers to go the Fetterman-Garrity route, so he supports a separate Palestinian state. Muslim numbers, after all, are powerful. In Michigan, for instance, Dearborn and Hamtramck have a majority Muslim population and are Muslim-controlled, but cities like Detroit, Livonia and Macomb aren’t far behind. In these places you will find an extensive mosque network, cultural institutions and immigrant communities.
In many ways, it seems that Pennsylvania, and especially Philadelphia, are following Michigan’s lead.
Philadelphia, known as “Muslim Town,” is in the running to succeed Dearborn as the nation’s next big Muslim enclave. It’s been a slow buildup in that direction since the late 1960s and ’70s, when Nation of Islam missionaries in suits and ties filled City Hall Courtyard hawking Muhammad Speaks newspapers. After 1975, the Nation of Islam shucked much of its black-only identity and merged with the larger trans-racial Islamist movements. (I can recall walking through City Hall courtyard at that time and hearing references to “blue-eyed devils.”)
Consider the growth of Islam in the Germantown section of the city. The year 2021 was the most violent in the history of Philadelphia but especially in Germantown, where there were shootings every day. In 2021, three people were shot in front of Germantown’s Musjid on Germantown Avenue. After the shooting, people from the mosque helped the injured; following that, the Musjid embarked on a campaign to fight street violence by initiating a campaign to buy up boarded-up properties and turn them into small businesses. This was an admirable endeavor. By Ramadan 2024, the level of street violence in Germantown had decreased drastically. The Musjid reported that for nine days straight that year 222 people a day took Shahada (conversion to Islam).
These are astounding numbers and they point to Philadelphia becoming a “Liberty Bell” version of Dearborn sometime in the future. I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say this.
In 2026, both the City of Philadelphia and the state of Pennsylvania opened their hearts and coffers to all things Islamic.
There are 300,000 Muslims in Philadelphia, and those numbers are growing. In 2024, the city appointed Dr. Quaiser Abdullah as the first Director of Muslim Engagement. One might ask: Why is Islam being singled out for special status in city government? Is there an Office of Ukrainian Catholic Engagement? And what about those Orthodox Jews in the Overbrook section of the city?
Last time I checked, Muslims are not persecuted in this city, but they are being given special status and recognition. --->READ MORE HERE
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