The birth mother of Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed worked for an organization designated as a "global terrorist" group and accused of funneling funds to Osama bin Laden, the Taliban, and Hamas, according to a report.
Fatten Fathy Elkomy, El-Sayed's birth mother, was employed by the Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA) from 1999 until at least 2004, the year the U.S. Department of Treasury linked the group to terrorism. The Midwesterner first reported these details.
The IARA, also known as the Islamic African Relief Agency, operated globally and presented itself as a humanitarian organization aiding in areas of conflict, focusing on healthcare and orphans.
However, the Treasury Department alleged in 2004 that the organization "provided direct financial support" to Osama bin Laden. Treasury documents indicated that overseas branches of IARA provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to bin Laden in 1999. The group also allegedly supported Hamas and the Taliban.
IARA-US faced charges from the Department of Justice in March 2007 for illegally transferring funds to Iraq. In 2016, IARA-US pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate sanctions by illegally funneling nearly $1.4 million to Iraq and agreed to dissolve. The U.S. Attorney's Office stated at the time that the organization had no readily available funds to pay any fine due to its designation as a global terrorist entity.
Elkomy herself has not been accused of any wrongdoing, and no individuals cited in the federal case against IARA were charged with terrorism-related crimes. In a 2004 interview, Elkomy denied any connections between the IARA and terrorists, stating her work at the organization focused on serving orphans and children.
El-Sayed's parents divorced after immigrating to the U.S. in the early 1980s. While El-Sayed frequently references his father and step-mother in his campaign, he has reportedly made minimal mention of his birth mother, according to The Midwesterner. Elkomy, who moved back to the Middle East after remarrying, eventually returned to the U.S. and works as a nurse practitioner in Missouri.