El-Sayed, Opponent Clash Over Alleged Muslim Brotherhood Ties Amid Tight Senate Race
A viral town hall exchange and resurfaced social media posts by El-Sayed's half-sister have intensified scrutiny of his family's past connections to the Muslim Brotherhood.
A heated exchange at a campaign town hall has reignited debate over Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed's alleged family connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, becoming a central issue in his tight race against Republican opponent Mike Rogers.
During the event, Tommy Teepell, a former staffer for Senator Josh Hawley, asked El-Sayed if he would disavow the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed responded affirmatively, but then launched into a lengthy defense, suggesting the question was rooted in Islamophobia and comparing his situation to that of President John F. Kennedy, the first Catholic president.
"I think it's you who needs to understand the Constitution, not me," El-Sayed told Teepell. IMAGE4
The exchange quickly gained traction online, accumulating millions of views. CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford initially sided with Teepell in a deleted post on X, criticizing El-Sayed's response. Crawford later deleted the post and apologized, stating it violated CBS News standards.
Scrutiny Over Family Ties
The viral clash has also revived scrutiny of past social media posts by El-Sayed's half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi. In posts from 2012 and 2013, Abdelhadi discussed relatives in Egypt who supported the Muslim Brotherhood and described their mother's alleged activism within the organization during the early 1970s.
"My family has long been MB," Abdelhadi wrote in one 2012 post. In another from the same day, she referred to their mother's "activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early 70s while she was in college." By 2013, Abdelhadi stated she did not support the organization but acknowledged relatives who had been jailed for their membership.
Rogers has made these resurfaced posts a cornerstone of his campaign against El-Sayed, releasing ads that highlight the alleged family connections and questioning El-Sayed's background and national-security views. IMAGE5
President Trump has also repeatedly claimed El-Sayed is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, urging voters to support Rogers in a recent video. IMAGE6
El-Sayed has consistently rejected these allegations. In a recent interview with NBC News, he stated, "I have no ties. We have no ties." He explained that he was raised by his father, Mohamed, and stepmother, Jacqueline, after his parents divorced when he was three, and had never discussed his mother's alleged activism with her. IMAGE2
El-Sayed's mother, Fatten Elkomy, previously worked for the Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA), a charity whose parent network was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2004 over alleged links to terrorism financing. The U.S. branch of IARA shut down, and the American arm pleaded guilty to funneling funds in violation of sanctions. Elkomy was not charged with a crime, and no evidence has emerged suggesting she was aware of or involved in any alleged terrorist financing.
Tightening Race
Despite the controversy, recent polling indicates a close contest. An InsiderAdvantage poll conducted October 9-10 among 1,200 likely voters showed El-Sayed with a narrow 2.3-point lead over Rogers, 47.8 percent to 45.5 percent, with 5.4 percent undecided.