Supporters turned “habibi” into shirts and music video clips
Abdul El-Sayed, who will become the first Muslim American U.S. senator, won Michigan’s Senate race and prompted celebrations from Michigan to the Middle East. Arab and Egyptian social media users delighted in the senator-elect’s introduction of Arabic terms like “habibi” and “inshallah” into American political speech. In his victory speech, El-Sayed addressed Vice President JD Vance as “JD, habibi” and said President Donald Trump could call him “senator” once Vance swears him in in January.
Reporting from Beirut, the Associated Press said El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, had faced Islamophobic rhetoric on the campaign trail, mocked critics on the right and leaned into his faith and Egyptian heritage while championing the Palestinian cause. He said “JD, habibi” in his victory speech, addressing Vance, who had warned that the candidate would lead rioters in burning down Detroit.
El-Sayed followed the greeting with the quip: “There is this delicious irony in the fact that you’re constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January.” The Associated Press said Arabs were particularly delighted by the gentle ribbing of Vance, with many posting music video clips featuring “habibi” to social media.
The Associated Press explained that “habibi” literally translates to “my beloved,” is peppered through Arab pop songs and often means “buddy,” “pal,” or “bro” in everyday speech. El-Sayed’s supporters wore shirts reading “Habibi for Abdul.” El-Sayed said his campaign had turned “inshallah” — “God willing” — into “hamdulillah,” which means “thank God.”
Many users extended the celebration by posting music video clips featuring “habibi” on social media. One X user posted a video of Egyptian diva Shireen Abd El-Wahab dancing to one of her most popular songs and joked that El-Sayed would make it the new national anthem.
The Associated Press connected the response to Egyptians’ reputation in the Arab world for cracking jokes in the face of life’s difficulties, a spirit popularized in films and by famous comedic actors. Riffing off El-Sayed’s victory speech, some users shared a meme from an Egyptian film in which a man attends a funeral while high and cannot stop laughing. The caption read, “I came here to crack jokes,” quoting a line from the film.
Egyptian academic Khalil al-Anani praised El-Sayed on X, saying, “‘Habibi’ is the sweetest word.” He thanked the senator-elect for bringing joy to Egyptians.
The Associated Press said Arab and Muslim Americans have faced prejudice for decades, including popular films depicting them as terrorists and politicians on the right fanning baseless fears about the imposition of sharia, or Islamic law. During the campaign, Trump called El-Sayed a “jihadist,” invoked the Sept. 11 attacks and deliberately misstated the candidate’s name.
Social media users responded to those attacks with lighthearted videos, including Lebanese diva Haifa Wehbe belly dancing and young veiled women breakdancing in the streets. El-Sayed also addressed Trump in his victory speech: “Donald, look, I know you’ve struggled with my name,” he said. “So after JD swears me in in January, you can just go on and call me ‘senator.’”
The report called the response a rare outpouring of joy in a region traumatized by past and present conflicts, which have also fueled negative stereotypes in the West.