During the US presidential elections of 2024, several political lunacies emerged, and some had even resurfaced. Among these is a long-debunked conspiracy theory that involved the former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and her capacity to run for the president.
Often dubbed the ‘Kamal Aroush’ hoax, this theory claims that Kamala does not qualify due to her supposed lack of American identity.
In this case, the hoax was fundamentally misinformed and has been disproven several times, yet it continues to persist.
The Birth of the “Kamal Aroush” Narrative
The Kamal Aroush Conspiracy came into existence in conjunction with Harris rising in the US political sphere around 2020. Wielding significant influence in the Democratic Party and becoming Joe Biden’s running mate, she quickly became the center of attention.
Her opponents and conspiracy theorists set their sights on her as she began to gain recognition. The hoax states that Kamala Harris is a lie—the person is a man who was born in Benghazi, Libya and is actually named Kamal Aroush.
These claims, which are designed to undermine her credibility, are completely baseless and rest on straw arguments about her history and identity. The claim about “Kamal Aroush” is a form of propaganda invented out of pure malice with zero proof, just like other claims made about various politicians.
Its proponents include groups operating on the fringes, such as QAnon, who have spread it on multiple other occasions—most notably when Kamala’s political ambitions grew. These myths, which aim at women politicians, especially women of color, try to cloud their legitimacy and authority.
Social Media’s Role in Spreading Misinformation
Social media networks like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have played a key role in propagating the “Kamal Aroush” hoax. Different posts use Kamala Harris’s pictures and even altered ones of her to propagate the narrative.
The posts usually show edited photos of her official portraits or even pictures taken when she was a student at Howard University. A lot of these pictures are edited with FaceApp to claim that she is a man.
Different manipulated pictures of Kamal Aroush, which were not factually checked, further helped the concept spread. Fake news and manipulated footage has been a common weapon of choice for politicians for years now, and the spread of numerous hoaxes is an example of this.
Countless posts have been created linking Harris to the made-up Kamal Aroush, who is a British citizen born in Libya, to justify why she is not constitutionally eligible to run for president.
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Fact-Checking Kamala Harris’ Eligibility
Since she was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, Kamala Harris is a natural-born citizen. To be eligible for the presidency in the United States, a person has to meet certain requirements, one of which is being at least a US citizen from birth.
Harris fulfills all criteria as she is born a citizen, over the age of 35, and has resided in the country for more than 14 years. Nonetheless, the “birtherism” movement made abuse of her citizenship alongside the same practices they exerted on Obama.
The argument against Harris’s citizenship stems from her having immigrant parents. The facts are that her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in India and was a naturalized U.S. citizen while her father, Donald Harris, came from Jamaica.
This means that Kamala’s parents were legally United States citizens, which qualifies her as a US citizen by birth. During the year 2020, this was addressed while vetting Harris for Biden’s VP pick.
Scholars and legal experts were clear that no one questioned her ability to serve in that office. In fact, her eligibility was confirmed over and over again as a response to the rampant conspiracy theories online. Campaigns of disinformation still continue against Harris and other public figures despite the reality of the situation.
Gendered and Sexualized Attacks on Women Politicians
The “Kamal Aroush” hoax is only one of the many disinformation campaigns surrounding the violence, which has a gendered and sexualized undertone.
More women have taken up positions of responsibility, and especially with the office of the vice president, there has been an increase in information aimed at contesting their power and credibility.
With Kamala Harris, the ‘Kamal Aroush’ story is not only an effort to discredit her capability to contest for the position but also an attack on her gender and identity.
The use of gendered political imagination has always existed, but it has taken on a new dimension with the rise of the Internet. Women political leaders, especially those from minority ethnic groups, suffer from some form of bias that is more vicious when compared to their male counterparts.
The Wilson Center’s 2021 report on gendered disinformation pointed out how women politicians, including in the US, are important targets of harassment and disinformation.
The report claims that these campaigns target women politicians, in particular, because of their gender, creating conditions that are extremely unfriendly for women in politics.
As one of the most influential women of color in US politics, Kamala Harris has certainly become one of the most sought-after women for these campaigns.
Kamala Harris’ Social Media Presence
Kamala Harris has been politically active on various social media platforms for most of her political career. As she served as vice president, her presence on social media served her initiatives by keeping in touch with the public and addressing political matters. Her handles are:
- Twitter: @KamalaHarris
- Instagram: @kamalaharris
- Facebook: @KamalaHarris
Through these platforms, Harris engages millions of fans who follow her for political reasons and personal interests. Her personal posts, however, also attract political ridicule and cyberbullying, including the “Kamal Aroush” hoax, which she has to deal with.
Conclusion
The “Kamal Aroush” hoax is one of the primal and secondary examples of how misinformation and it’s campaign tactics are used in the political sphere, especially with the boom of social media.
Harris, being a natural-born citizen of the US, was eligible in her contest for the presidency. The reality is that all these hoaxes about Kamala Harris show how female politicians, particularly female politicians of color, are affected by false information campaigns targeting them.
