Abdul El-Sayed Retorts Over Muslim Brotherhood Allegations
A resurfaced clip shows the Michigan Senate nominee confronting accusations of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and remarks about Muslims hating his opponent.
During a 2018 Michigan gubernatorial forum, Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed directly addressed accusations from then-state lawmaker Patrick Colbeck regarding potential ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Colbeck had questioned El-Sayed's religious affiliations and his past role as vice president of the Muslim Students Association (MSA) chapter at the University of Michigan.
Colbeck's line of questioning centered on a memorandum allegedly written by a Muslim Brotherhood member, which listed the MSA as part of a broader network. Colbeck characterized the issue as "civilization jihad." Fox News Digital has not found evidence of direct ties between El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood.
In response to a moderator's question about concerns over Sharia law in Michigan, El-Sayed stated that he would uphold the U.S. Constitution and the state's constitution if elected. He asserted that Sharia law was not a concern in Michigan and that he would take his oath to the Constitution seriously, which he noted guarantees his right to religious practice.
"Now, you may not hate Muslims," El-Sayed said to Colbeck at the forum. "But I’ll tell you, Muslims definitely hate you."
The Muslim Brotherhood is designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Russia, due to its history of armed activity, though it renounced violence in the 1970s. The group has continued to advocate for the codification of Muslim religious beliefs into law globally.
Concerns about the potential implementation of Sharia law in the United States have been voiced by some lawmakers. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, has stated that Sharia law's tenets are incompatible with American values and the Constitution, warning of adherents seeking to replace the U.S. legal system. In Dearborn, Michigan, a city with a significant population of Middle Eastern or North African ancestry, some critics have expressed concerns about the influence of Islamic law.
A spokesperson for El-Sayed stated that he believes in the separation of church and state and opposes any efforts to write religious laws into the country's legal framework. The campaign indicated that El-Sayed, while living by his faith, would not pursue the implementation of Sharia law if elected.