Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Pushes Back Against Islamophobic Smears at Town Hall
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Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed firmly rejected Muslim Brotherhood allegations during a town-hall meeting, calling attacks on his faith and family bigoted and baseless, and said his only loyalty is to the U.S. Constitution.
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed used a town-hall forum in Caro to firmly reject claims that he is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist political movement that critics routinely invoke to stoke fear. When an audience member repeatedly pressed him to disavow the organization, El-Sayed made clear that his allegiance is to the U.S. Constitution, saying, "> You assume … that because I am Muslim, that somehow I would have some allegiance to something that is not our Constitution. For me, that Constitution is the guiding light."
El-Sayed said it is absurd to weaponize his family history against him, calling attacks on his family’s past connections "an insane thing to assume" and urging voters to judge him on his record rather than on insinuations and prejudice, stating, "> I’m running for office. Judge me by my actions and my work."
The questioning comes after recent comments from Republican opponents, including his challenger Mike Rogers and President Donald Trump, who have floated suggestions of possible ties to the group. The controversy was further inflamed by resurfaced tweets from El-Sayed’s half-sister referencing her mother’s activism with the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1970s. El-Sayed said he has no knowledge of his mother’s activities in Egypt during that period.
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt, officially rejects violence but has offshoots that have been linked to attacks. In November, President Trump signed an executive order allowing certain chapters of the group to be considered for designation as foreign terrorist organizations. El-Sayed described the line of questioning as rooted in bigotry, saying, "> To insinuate that because of my Muslim faith I would have anything but allegiance to the Constitution should be called into question."