Abdul El-Sayed's Father on Board of Charity Accused of Funding Saddam Hussein Regime

The father of Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed is a board member of an Islamic charity previously accused of channeling funds to the regime of late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Imam Dr. Mohammed El-Sayed has been associated with Life for Relief and Development since at least 2020, according to the organization's tax filings. In 2004, the U.S. military and FBI raided the charity's Baghdad facilities, seizing documents amid suspicions that it was aiding insurgents. The San Francisco Chronicle reported at the time that the FBI suspected the charity was involved in a conspiracy to transfer funds from the United States through Jordan and into Hussein's Iraq.

Later, the charity's public relations coordinator, Muthanna al-Hanooti, pleaded guilty to violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and serving as an unregistered agent for Hussein's government. Life for Relief and Development ultimately reached a $780,000 settlement with the U.S. government, which dropped its case against the charity in 2014.

The Washington Free Beacon first reported on the senior El-Sayed's connection to the charity. The organization has also faced other accusations of ties to terrorism. In 2006, the FBI raided the Michigan-based charity, and in 2007, its then-CEO was indicted for violating money-laundering and sanctions laws. During the 2006 raid, authorities confiscated documents pertaining to the Islamic African Relief Agency, a group later shut down for supporting al-Qaeda. Abdul El-Sayed's mother, Fatten Fathy Elkomy, reportedly had a brief stint at the Islamic African Relief Agency.

Additionally, Life for Relief and Development allegedly sent funds to an entity the FBI identified as Hamas's Jordanian operation, as previously reported by The Post. Abdul El-Sayed's father-in-law, Jukaku Tayeb, also previously served on the board of Life for Relief and Development.

Abdul El-Sayed is currently in a competitive race against Republican opponent Mike Rogers, with recent polling aggregates showing El-Sayed holding a narrow lead. The Post has reached out to El-Sayed's campaign and Life for Relief and Development for comment.