Michigan Senate hopeful Dr. Abdul El-Sayed participated in a panel at the Islamic Society of North America’s annual convention in Detroit on Saturday. The event has drawn criticism for including speakers who have questioned the official narrative of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
El-Sayed, a Democrat, spoke alongside Cenk Uygur, founder of "The Young Turks," and Muslim cleric Zaid Shakir. Both Uygur and Shakir have previously made statements expressing skepticism about aspects of the 9/11 attacks. This appearance occurred six days before the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
During his remarks to approximately 1,000 attendees, El-Sayed focused on the challenges faced by Muslim Americans, addressing what he described as rising anti-Muslim sentiment. He stated, “We found ourselves in a moment now where, as people point to us, Muslim Americans, they want to tell us that we don’t belong.” He added, “They want to tell us that this country is not ours. They want to tell us that because of our names or how we pray, that somehow we are less than.”
El-Sayed commended his home state of Michigan for what he perceived as a more inclusive attitude. “Michiganders don’t care how you pray; they care what you pray for and what you hope for,” he said. “They don’t care what your name is; they care if you care to know their name. Good-hearted people, open-minded, big-hearted, asking how we can come together beyond our differences.”
While El-Sayed maintained a focus on anti-Muslim hate, his fellow panelists made more controversial statements. Uygur criticized U.S. support for Israel, calling it “unbearable to me as an American,” and commented on the October 7 attacks by mimicking perceived media portrayals. He also claimed, “They make it sound like the Palestinians are occupying the Israelis rather than the other way around.”
Uygur has publicly expressed skepticism about the 9/11 attacks, stating in February via X (formerly Twitter), “I no longer believe [the] official 9/11 story.” He cited perceived inconsistencies, writing, “Two paper passports did not burn and were found on the rubble but it was so hot WTC7 burned down across the street. Nonsense.”
Shakir has also previously stated that there are “glaring weaknesses and inconsistencies” with the official account of the 9/11 attacks. He has also written that “9/11 has been used by both the government and a significant segment of the Christian Right in this country, along with their allies, to launch a war on Islam.”
Earlier in the week, a tweet El-Sayed posted on Sept. 11, 2021, resurfaced. The since-deleted tweet mourned the lives lost on 9/11 while also criticizing the United States. El-Sayed did not directly address the resurfaced tweet or the controversies surrounding his co-panelists during the Saturday event.