Abdulrahman El-Sayed’s Sharia Law Commitment

Abdulrahman El-Sayed’s campaign has acknowledged his adherence to Sharia law in his personal life following the resurfacing of comments from 2009 where he described it as a lifelong “obligation.” This came to light after a report by the Washington Free Beacon, which detailed an interview from that year.

In the interview, El-Sayed, a 24-year-old medical student and Rhodes scholar at the time, mentioned having taken out a “Sharia-compliant” mortgage for a $123,000 condo in Ann Arbor. He expressed his thoughts on this matter, stating, “Ultimately, the question is, when I die and stand before God and go through everything I’ve done in my life, I don’t want to say I did it the easy way instead of the Sharia-compliant way.” He emphasized this was not motivated by fear, but rather by a sense of duty.

Campaign spokeswoman Roxie Richner confirmed that El-Sayed still practices his faith. She noted, “Mr. Abdul believes in the separation of church and state. Like many Americans of many faiths, Abdul personally lives by the rules of his faith, but opposes any effort by religious groups to impose their beliefs into our nation’s laws.”

Sharia law, which governs aspects of Islamic life, includes prohibitions against earning or paying interest. It also has strict regulations on women, the death penalty for apostasy, and allows for child marriage. During his unsuccessful 2018 gubernatorial campaign in Michigan, El-Sayed had denied identifying as “Sharia compliant” during an interview that he later criticized.

At one point, while filming for a documentary titled “How to Repair the Primary,” he expressed concern about certain items being included in footage, suggesting a desire to present a more secular image.
He also denounced attempts to ban Sharia, comparing the voting measures in Oklahoma to historical injustices like the Trail of Tears and the Tulsa Race Massacre.

El-Sayed recently won the Michigan Democratic Senate primary against Rep. Haley Stevens, despite considerable funding supporting his opponent. He is now set to compete against Republican Mike Rogers for the seat left open by Sen. Gary Peters’ retirement. If successful, he would make history as the first Muslim U.S. senator.