Michigan Imam Urges Muslims to Vote for El-Sayed, Calls Opponent a Zionist Puppet

Hassan Qazwini, the leader of the Islamic Institute of America, delivered two sermons urging his followers to turn out for Abdul El-Sayed in the upcoming Democratic Senate primary, depicting the contest as a battle between a "clean" candidate and a "Zionist" opponent. He accused Haley Stevens of being a puppet for Israel and warned congregants of a plot by the pro-Israeli lobby that allegedly exploits American money. Qazwini’s endorsement follows El-Sayed’s appearance at the institute’s grand opening, where he lauded the mosque’s facilities.

The imam’s past remarks have drawn criticism for spreading antisemitic tropes, praising Iran, Hezbollah and the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and accusing lawmakers supporting the Antisemitism Awareness Act of treason. Republicans are likely to use Qazwini’s extremist rhetoric against El-Sayed in the general election, while the candidate has avoided condemning the imam publicly to preserve support in Dearborn’s Muslim community. The Islamic Institute of America and the candidates did not respond to interview requests.