Shapiro has had the back of the Muslim and Arab community in the face of Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism

On Oct. 8, 2023, my annual visit with my college friends in Arizona was interrupted by a phone call from Gov. Josh Shapiro. He called to check up on me as well as to ask how our community was in light of the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, and the subsequent Israeli counter operation in Gaza. He wanted our community, the Arab American community in Pennsylvania, to feel safe and protected.

He was clear that he had our back. This was important for us, especially those of us who lived through 9/11 and had been subjected to discriminatory behavior and retaliation. It meant a lot to hear from the leader of our commonwealth, making a personal phone call to make sure my community was doing OK.

I mentioned to him that my daughter was studying abroad at the American University of Beirut and our family worried that the conflict could escalate into Lebanon. He wanted me to keep in touch and said he would help with the State Department if needed.

I have known Josh Shapiro for more than two decades, since he was first elected to the General Assembly. Back then, I was serving on an Obama-era task force convened by the U.S. attorney for eastern Pennsylvania to address issues of discrimination experienced by Arab, Muslim, Asian, and other communities.

This task force would surely have been killed by the Trump-appointee, but Shapiro took it over when he became the attorney general — and it’s still operating today. Later, when Shapiro was running for governor, I took him to community events and mosques.

The war in Gaza has been traumatic for our community. Since that October phone call, I have regularly kept Gov. Shapiro up-to-date on how our community has been processing this entire situation. He understands the pain that Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim Pennsylvanians feel.

While we may disagree on some issues, I applaud him for listening to us and working together. He has on numerous occasions condemned antisemitism, which I and others in our community echo, and he has also condemned anti-Arabism and Islamophobia. He has spent time meeting with several different Arab and Muslim representatives since October and listening openly as we shared with him our concerns and fears for our community and the people of Gaza.

One more thing that the governor and I have in common: We both think Benjamin Netanyahu is awful. In fact, Gov. Shapiro has called him the worst prime minister that Israel has ever had. He has expressed anger over the more than 39,000 deaths in Gaza. Earlier this year, when a counterprotester pulled out a weapon at a peaceful pro-Palestinian rally in Pennsylvania, he acted swiftly and his administration was quick to make sure the perpetrator was arrested.

But more importantly, Gov. Shapiro has always been with the Muslim and Arab community in the face of Islamophobia, anti-Arab racism, and discrimination. When he took office, he appointed the highest ranking Muslim to ever serve on a cabinet seat in Pennsylvania. He proclaimed April as Arab American Heritage Month. He visited Arab American mosques and churches. He spoke at an Eid-al-Fitr prayer.

Josh Shapiro is a friend and advocate for our community and I am convinced will use his current position as governor and any other position that he may be selected for, in the near future or further on, to remain engaged with our community throughout our commonwealth or in our beloved Middle East.

Marwan Kreidie, the executive director of the Philadelphia Arab American Development Corp., teaches political science at West Chester University.