Is Kamala Harris of Muslim or Arab heritage?

Contrary to rumours, Kamala Harris is not Muslim nor Arab, and many of the hints that circulated in the past that she may be are likely an Islamophobic conspiracy theory meaning to discredit her among xenophobic audiences.

Harris identifies as Baptist and is a member of the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco. Her religious background is diverse: her mother was Hindu, and her father is Christian. Harris practices Christianity and her husband Douglas Emhoff is Jewish.

In recent years, Vice President Kamala Harris has been the subject of numerous rumours regarding her heritage, particularly claims suggesting she has Muslim or Arab roots. These claims have circulated widely on social media and certain right-wing media outlets, but they lack any factual basis.

Kamala Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California. Her mother hailed from India, while her father, Donald Harris, is of Jamaican descent. This diverse background has played a significant role in shaping her identity and political perspectives. Harris grew up in a multicultural environment, which influenced her advocacy for various communities throughout her career.

Kamala Harris’s first name, “Kamala,” is of Sanskrit origin, a classical language of India. The name “Kamala” means “lotus” and is common among people of Indian descent. This reflects her maternal heritage, as her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a breast cancer scientist from India. Despite its Sanskrit roots, the name’s resemblance to the Arabic male name “Kamal,” meaning “perfection” or “completeness,” has led to some confusion. The female equivalent in Arabic can be “Kamala” or “Kamalat,” though these forms are less common.

Some public figures, including former President Donald Trump and Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham, have mispronounced her name, leading to accusations of deliberate disrespect. Mispronunciation of ethnic names is seen by many as a form of cultural insensitivity and exclusion.

After earning her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, she served as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County. In 2003, she was elected as the District Attorney of San Francisco and later became California’s Attorney General in 2010. Her election to the U.S. Senate in 2016 marked another milestone, making her the second African American woman and the first South Asian American to serve in the Senate.

In 2020, Joe Biden selected Harris as his running mate, and their subsequent election made her the first female Vice President of the United States, as well as the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history.

In a significant political development, President Joe Biden decided on Sunday not to seek re-election and has endorsed Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate for the 2024 presidential race. This decision came after increasing calls from Democratic and Independent lawmakers for Biden to pass the torch. Harris has quickly emerged as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, buoyed by endorsements from prominent figures such as Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and the Clintons.

The development is likely to anger the rival Republican Party and its official nominee former President Donald Trump and his running mate Senator J.D. Vance. Reports suggest they would have preferred to run against a Biden-led ticket, seeing the ailing incumbent president as easier to beat.

Harris’ gender and diverse background is also likely to rile up the xenophobic and misogynistic corners of the American right, much of whose champions revel in conspiracy theories. Due to obvious racist undertones, the American hard right and Donald Trump himself long questioned Barack Obama’s lineage, for example, championing the ‘Birther’ conspiracy theory that falsely suggested he was not born in the United States.

For the same reasons, Harris’ political opponents are likely to stoke xenophobia and Islamophobia following her ascent to most likely lead the Democratic ticket.