Abdul El-Sayed likens GOP attacks on his family to Kennedy's faith scrutiny

In a recent interview, Michigan Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed drew a parallel between the scrutiny of his family's alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and the doubts raised about John F. Kennedy's Catholic faith during the 1960 presidential race. He argued that the line of questioning is designed to cast suspicion on his allegiance to the United States. The Michigan GOP’s communications director, Ted Goodman, dismissed the comparison, stating that the Catholic Church and the Muslim Brotherhood are not comparable and that the allegations are based on documented facts, not mere hearsay.

The issue resurfaced after one outlet highlighted social-media posts by El-Sayed’s half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, referencing her mother’s activism in the Brotherhood during the 1970s and describing the family’s historical affiliation. El-Sayed has repeatedly denied any personal involvement, and his campaign has accused Republican opponent Mike Rogers of exploiting the matter to attack his faith. Additional reporting linked El-Sayed’s father-in-law, Tayeb Jukaku, to the Islamic Society of North America and a Michigan CAIR chapter, organizations previously named in a terrorism-financing case.