Abdul El-Sayed’s Race Has Been Defined Islamophobia. Will It Be Determined By It?
As the Michigan Senate race finishes with a focus on the Democratic primary loser’s gripes over Israel, the party nominee has endured a barrage of anti-Muslim attacks. The post Abdul El-Sayed’s Race Has Been Defined Islamophobia. Will It Be Determined By It? appeared first on The Intercept .
As Abdul El-Sayed’s rival attempts to shift focus to Israel and antisemitism during the Michigan Senate race’s closing days, the Democratic nominee finds himself battling a slew of offensive attacks targeting his race and religion. President Donald Trump referred to El-Sayed as a "jihadist," while Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launched a racist tirade against Arabs.
One mailer even featured El-Sayed's face alongside the Twin Towers, sparking outrage. Mallory McMorrow, a former Democratic Senate nominee who abandoned the race, decried it as the most bigoted, hateful Islamophobic campaign she has ever witnessed.
Meanwhile, Rep. Haley Stevens, the primary runner-up, has spent the campaign’s final days portraying El-Sayed as an angry antisemite, even crossing party lines to endorse Republican contender Mike Rogers. Observers, including Muslim Republicans, have found these accusations to be rooted in Islamophobia. A recent poll indicated that 38% of Michigan voters would be less likely to vote for a Muslim candidate, prompting Muslim and Arab organizers in Dearborn to remain undeterred.
Dearborn’s Arab American community, led by Layla Elabed of Arab Americans for Progress, expressed excitement about potentially voting for the first Muslim in the U.S. Senate. The Uncommitted movement, which rallied anti-war and anti-genocide voters, has evolved into a campaign to energize Muslim and Arab voters. According to Elabed, El-Sayed's platform aligns well with their priorities, and she believes that the coalition that backed the Uncommitted movement could propel El-Sayed to victory.
The Islamophobic attacks on El-Sayed's identity, according to political science professor Nazita Lajevardi, are a deliberate strategy to sway voters. While such tactics may mobilize action, their effectiveness remains an open question. Elabed and Siblani of the Arab American Political Action Committee concur that the attacks have been a familiar occurrence and are disgusted by them, but also believe they will galvanize their communities to vote.
Stevens's switch to support the Rogers campaign has apparently rallied El-Sayed's base, leading to a record fundraising day for his campaign.
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