Abdul El-Sayed Denies Family Ties to Muslim Brotherhood Amid Sister's Social Media Posts
Michigan Senate candidate's denial on 'Meet the Press' contrasts with past social media statements from his half-sister regarding their mother's alleged involvement.
Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has faced renewed scrutiny after denying any familial ties to the Muslim Brotherhood during a recent interview on NBC's "Meet the Press." When pressed by host Kristen Welker about allegations of such connections, El-Sayed responded with a definitive "No."
However, El-Sayed's half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, a professor at the University of Chicago, shared posts on X (formerly Twitter) in 2012 and 2013 that appear to indicate a different family history. In one post from 2012, Abdelhadi wrote, "Had an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early 70s while she was in college #respect." According to a Brookings Institution report, their mother, Fatten Elkomy, attended Egypt's Alexandria University, an institution that reportedly had significant Muslim Brotherhood activity in the 1970s.
In subsequent posts, Abdelhadi referenced her family's connection to the group. In another 2012 post, she stated, "My family has long been MB, but I've always felt that it has navigated the political sphere poorly/destructively." A 2013 post showed her praying "for all my family that supports the #MB in #Egypt. Lie low, stay safe."
El-Sayed's campaign spokesperson addressed the issue in a statement to Fox News, asserting that independent fact-checkers have debunked claims made by his opponent, Mike Rogers. The spokesperson characterized the accusations as "bad faith attacks on Abdul's faith and family" and stated that the Muslim Brotherhood accusations have been "debunked as racist and untrue." The campaign suggested that Rogers was attempting to distract from economic issues impacting Michigan families.
During the "Meet the Press" interview, El-Sayed also suggested that questions about his faith and background were being used by his Republican opponent to distract from his campaign. NBC News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on the matter.