El-Sayed could become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate
Trump alleged that El-Sayed was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and made additional allegations about El-Sayed’s family. The BBC described the Muslim Brotherhood as an Islamist organization founded in Egypt and reported that Trump designated certain chapters as Foreign Terrorist Organisations earlier in the year. El-Sayed’s opponents have sought to link him to the group.
Some of the scrutiny of El-Sayed’s and his family’s affiliations concerns writings and posts from more than a decade ago. A 2012 social media post by El-Sayed’s half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, appeared to refer to the Muslim Brotherhood, saying, “my family has long been MB.” El-Sayed’s team previously distanced him from other comments by Abdelhadi. Critics also pointed to a 2011 Huffington Post opinion article by El-Sayed about pro-democracy protesters in Egypt. In it, he acknowledged concerns that “supporting democracy in Egypt might allow the country to fall to the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood.”
A year later, El-Sayed allegedly signed an open letter by Egyptian Americans. The letter urged Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president and a Muslim Brotherhood leader, to “purge the media and police” following the toppling of the authoritarian regime in the Arab Spring. The letter has not been discussed by El-Sayed.
In 2012, El-Sayed’s current opponent Mike Rogers, then a U.S. representative and chair of the House Intelligence Committee, told Reuters: “Do I think there are moderate Muslim Brotherhood individuals we are going to have to reach out to and talk to? Yes but we are going to have to watch it carefully.”
At a rally in Michigan on Sunday, Donald Trump invoked the 9/11 attacks while targeting Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Trump called El-Sayed “a jihadist” and said El-Sayed would have to pass a metal detector before entering the Senate. He introduced Todd Beamer’s father as a guest speaker; Beamer was from Michigan and was among the passengers who fought back against the United Airlines Flight 93 hijackers before the plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.
Trump said that if El-Sayed and the Democrats won, they would “open the floodgates and invite hordes of jihadists to our shores, creating a nightmare of violence and terror until you cannot even have a Christmas.” He also said, “Michigan needs to stand up and fight, just like Todd did, to stop a jihadist from walking into the Capitol.”
El-Sayed responded at a rally of his own to Trump’s use of his middle name, Mohamed, saying, “I’ll be Senator Mohamed to you, bro.” He said, “They think that by pointing at my name and my faith, that somehow you’re going to ignore the fact that you can’t afford your gas or your groceries, can’t see a doctor.” He rejected Trump’s remarks, denied any connection to extremist groups and had previously denied ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Asked at a recent town hall event whether he would disavow the organization, he responded, “Absolutely.” He has also stressed his loyalty to the United States.
Bernie Sanders, who appeared with El-Sayed, said, “The reason they are using Islamophobia against Abdul is because they have nothing to say about the real issues.” Other critics condemned Trump’s remarks as Islamophobic.
Bishara Bahbah, the founder of Arab Americans for Trump and a key Trump supporter ahead of the 2024 presidential election, also criticized the remarks. Bahbah told the Associated Press, “The president’s statements are out of line. They are crossing a red line. They are racist.” The group was believed to have been important in helping Trump connect with a wider range of voters during the 2024 campaign, but later changed its name to remove the reference to Trump. Trump clinched the White House in 2024 after victories in Michigan, which has a prominent Arab American population, and other swing states.
The confrontation is taking place in a Senate contest scheduled for November 3. El-Sayed is facing Republican Mike Rogers in a race expected to be among the closest in the midterm elections. The BBC described the race as “particularly bitter.” The seat is currently held by Democrats and is considered one of a handful that could decide the balance of power in Congress.
El-Sayed, a former public health official born in the United States to Egyptian parents, would become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate if he wins. He has previously dismissed attacks from Trump and Rogers.
The BBC said it had asked the White House for comment.