Did Kamala Harris Misuse Palestinian DJ’s Image in Campaign Ad?


A popular Palestinian DJ demanded this week that Vice President Kamala Harris quit using her image in a campaign ad and threatened to take legal action against the Vice President.

Sama' Abdulhadi, whose nickname is "the queen of underground Palestinian techno music," says she hasn’t endorsed the Democratic candidate and didn’t give permission for her to be shown in the Harris campaign’s ad focused on the rebirth of Detroit.

Abdulhadi said the use of her image in the ad was done without her approval, adding, "The use of the footage was unauthorized and was done without my consent, and the footage implies that I endorse VP Harris."

Abdulhadi criticized the use of her image in a political campaign, which features footage of her performing at the Movement festival in Detroit. The DJ emphasized that she does not endorse any U.S. political party and found the use of her image misleading and offensive.

She has stated that she is taking legal steps to have the ad retracted to prevent any false association with the Harris/Walz campaign.

Since Harris and Trump are tied up in the polls and with only two more weeks to go until the election, VP Harris is getting nervous and more desperate. So, in a deceptive move to attract more voters, she took a video recording of Abdulhadi's performance in Michigan and used her image in a TV ad labeled "Michigan vs Trump" theme without consulting Abdulhadi. Since Michigan is one of the battle states, the ad would have given Muslim and Arab voters in Michigan the impression that the Palestinian DJ is endorsing Harris, which she was not.

It takes a nerve for VP Harris to use the image of a Palestinian woman in a campaign ad without her consent while actively supporting and funding the Israeli genocide in Gaza. I'd say, Palestinian DJ Sama Abdulhadi should sue VP Kamala Harris for copyright infringement.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph is a Palestinian freelancer for Islamicity.com and ColumbusFreePress.com. He can be reached at [email protected].


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