As Michigan Democrats gear up for the 2026 U.S. Senate primary in August, one candidate stands out not for his moderation or commitment to American values, but for his long record of Islamic radicalism: Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a Michigan-born, Muslim, progressive Democrat of Egyptian descent currently running for the state’s open US Senate seat. While El-Sayed claims he is campaigning on affordability and healthcare, a closer look reveals a troubling history of supporting Islamist causes, including the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic terrorist organization the Trump administration has designated as a terrorist group, and a pattern of reluctance to condemn America’s adversaries, raising serious questions about his fitness for higher office.
El-Sayed, whose father immigrated to the United States from Egypt, has deep personal roots in the Middle East, particularly Egypt. In 2011, as a young contributor to the Huffington Post, El-Sayed penned an op-ed titled “Why the U.S. Should Support the Protesters in Egypt.” In it, he urged American backing for the uprising that ultimately brought the Muslim Brotherhood and its leader, Mohamed Morsi, to power. Far from a neutral call for democracy, the piece aligned with forces that sought to transform Egypt into an Islamist state under Sharia-rule.
Morsi’s brief tenure was marked by authoritarian moves, crackdowns on dissent, and efforts to embed Muslim Brotherhood ideology into governance, steps many Egyptians rejected in massive protests leading to his ouster.
El-Sayed didn’t stop at words. He signed a pledge in support of Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood figurehead, as investigative journalist Laura Loomer first reported in 2018 when El-Sayed ran a failed Gubernatorial campaign on the Democrat ticket in Michigan.
This wasn’t a casual endorsement; it was public backing for a leader tied to an organization long viewed as a gateway to jihadism, with ideological and operational links to groups like Hamas. Egypt itself has cracked down harshly on the Muslim Brotherhood, labeling it a terrorist threat. For an American seeking the U.S. Senate, openly pledging support for such a figure and terrorist organization should raise red flags, especially now that the Trump administration has formally designated key chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood, including the Egyptian branch, as terrorist organizations for their material support to Hamas and other Islamic terrorists.
The designation process, advanced through executive action and Treasury/State Department measures, recognizes the Muslim Brotherhood’s dual nature: presenting a “moderate” face while funding and inspiring terrorism behind the scenes. Supporting Morsi and the protesters who empowered the Muslim Brotherhood isn’t ancient history, it’s a disqualifying pattern for anyone aspiring to represent Michigan in the US Senate, where national security decisions are made daily. Aligning with a designated terrorist-linked movement undermines U.S. interests and the fight against Islamic jihad.
This isn’t El-Sayed’s only brush with Islamist sympathies. He has shown a pattern of soft-pedaling or deflecting criticism of terrorist regimes and figures. In recently leaked audio, El-Sayed advised his team against commenting on the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, citing sadness among Muslim constituents in Dearborn, Michigan, a city with a large Arab and Muslim population. Khamenei oversaw a regime responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans through proxy terrorists, nuclear ambitions, and brutal repression. El-Sayed’s hesitation to clearly denounce one of the world’s top state sponsors of terrorism speaks volumes about his priorities and unfitness for public office.
Additionally, El-Sayed’s associations and rhetoric on Israel and Jewish issues is alarming and further highlight his commitment to his Islamic ideology, which openly calls for the killing of non-Muslims, including Jews and Christians.
He has campaigned alongside controversial figures like Muslim communist streamer Hasan Piker, who has made antisemitic comments, including justifications for the October 7th Hamas attacks and past remarks suggesting America “deserved” 9/11. This week, El-Sayed brought Piker to Michigan where they campaigned together at two Michigan universities. El-Sayed was asked to disavow Piker’s pro-Islamic terror comments, and he refused to.
El-Sayed has emphasized anti-Israel positions, framing Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” while appearing reluctant to forthrightly condemn Hamas or Hezbollah terrorism. His response to a recent synagogue attack in Michigan in which he linked it to broader Middle East conflicts in ways that struck many as equivocating rather than condemning Jew-hatred outright also raised alarm bells over his defense of the Hezbollah inspired terrorist who wanted to murder American Jewish children.
El-Sayed presents himself as a mainstream Democrat, a doctor, former health official, and Rhodes Scholar focused on domestic issues. Yet his record reveals a consistent thread: advocacy for the Muslim Brotherhood’s rise in Egypt, a signed pledge for its leader, Egyptian heritage that may inform his worldview, Islamic faith, and a reluctance to strongly oppose the Ayatollah’s regime and associated Islamic terror networks. In an era when the U.S. faces ongoing threats from Islam—from Hamas and Hezbollah to Iranian-backed militias—voters deserve clarity.
Designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization under the Trump administration wasn’t symbolic; it was a recognition of its role in fueling global jihad. A U.S. Senate candidate advocating for its empowerment and the backing of its leader should be disqualifying.
Michigan voters, and Americans broadly, must ask: Can someone with this history be trusted to prioritize U.S. national security, support key allies like Israel, and reject Islamic terrorism?
El-Sayed’s campaign may tout progressive credentials, but his past actions suggest a deeper ideological alignment with Islamic jihad and Sharia Law that puts radical causes ahead of American interests. In the US Senate, such views could weaken the US resolve against Islamic terror and embolden our enemies. Michigan voters, the Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, and law enforcement officers and agencies should scrutinize El-Sayed’s record closely. The stakes for national security are too high to ignore. Abdul El-Sayed must drop out of the US Senate race in Michigan.
