Abdul el Sayed deflects criticism by accusing opponents of Islamophobia

Abdul el Sayed, a Democratic Senate hopeful in Michigan, has begun to frame criticism of his record as Islamophobia. He told a rally audience that his opponent Mike Rogers reduced a debate to a comment about his religion. When pressed about his sister’s public admiration for the Muslim Brotherhood and his own 2012 endorsement of Mohamed Morsi’s call to purge Egypt’s media and police, el Sayed offered no response.

Observers highlight his family’s links to the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and note his minimization of Iran’s hostile stance toward the United States. The campaign also featured a California Twitch streamer, known for saying America deserved the 9/11 attacks, brought to Michigan as a campaign figure. Instead of addressing these issues, el Sayed accused critics of bigotry, echoing a common defensive tactic in partisan politics.