Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is scheduled to speak at the Islamic Society of North America's (ISNA) annual convention over Labor Day weekend. He will share the stage with several Muslim religious leaders who have a history of making controversial statements.
Among the scheduled speakers is cleric Baqir Berry, who in a June sermon prayed for "mujahideen" in Palestine and Lebanon, asking God to grant them "a mighty victory." Islamic Institute of America head Hassan Qazwini is also scheduled to attend; Qazwini previously appealed to God for victory for "our brothers in Iran," a country designated by the U.S. as a state sponsor of terrorism. Qazwini was also criticized by Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign for what it called "antisemitic conspiracy theories" after he claimed ISIS was connected to Israel. Texas imam Yasir Qadhi, who previously made Holocaust-denialist remarks that he later repudiated, and Siraj Wahhaj, who was named as a possible co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center terrorism case but never charged, are also slated to speak at the convention.
This appearance follows scrutiny El-Sayed has faced regarding past remarks and associations. He has drawn criticism for planned appearances with streamer Hasan Piker, who previously stated "America deserved 9/11." El-Sayed characterized the remark as "dumb" but did not disavow Piker himself. El-Sayed has also defended a blog post comparing former President Donald Trump's role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to Osama bin Laden's role in the Sept. 11 attacks. He has also been pressed on past comments about the death of Ayatollah Khamenei.
Republicans have increasingly focused on El-Sayed's past associations with controversial political and religious figures as the Michigan Senate race intensifies. El-Sayed's campaign did not respond to requests for comment.