Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic contender for Michigan’s Senate seat, has drawn attention for a protest he led in 2007. At the time, El-Sayed opposed a talk by individuals who described themselves as former terrorists turned Christians. This protest occurred during an event at the University of Michigan, featuring Walid Shoebat, Zachariah Annani, and Kamal Saleem.
El-Sayed, currently engaged in a competitive race against former Rep. Mike Rogers, has continued to face scrutiny for his past actions. The protest, covered by the Michigan Daily, involved a walkout by students, which El-Sayed later praised, stating, “We’ve done something good today, and we need to keep that going in the future.”
Addressing the situation, Cole Wozniak, the spokesperson for El-Sayed, emphasized the nominee’s firm stance against terrorism. Wozniak asserted, “Two decades ago, he protested against speakers who have been widely condemned by experts, including in national security, for spreading misinformation and fabricating their backstories.”
Questions persist regarding the backgrounds of Shoebat, Annani, and Saleem. The New York Times noted in 2008 that their appearances at events like the Air Force Academy attracted criticism. Arab-American civil rights organizations questioned the lack of legal action against them, given their alleged links to terrorist groups.
The 2007 event aimed to inform attendees about the risks of Muslim extremism. However, protesters argued that it unfairly generalized Muslims. El-Sayed held the role of vice president in the Muslim Students Association (MSA), an organization accused of connections to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Lara Burns, a research fellow at George Washington University, highlighted in a Senate Judiciary Committee testimony that the Muslim Brotherhood had established a presence in the U.S. by the 1960s, primarily through student unions like the MSA. This organization has faced attempts by Donald Trump’s administration to label certain chapters as foreign terrorist organizations.
The MSA has not provided comments regarding these allegations. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has endeavored to classify various Muslim Brotherhood chapters as globally recognized terrorist entities for their affiliations with groups such as Hamas.
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