Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for the Senate from Michigan, is under fresh scrutiny after he denied any connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, either personally or through his family.
While appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” host Kristen Welker questioned El-Sayed about allegations regarding his family’s ties to the Islamist group. She asked him to clarify whether he and his family had any relationships with the organization.
“No,” El-Sayed responded. When pressed again, he reiterated, “No,” and went on to suggest that his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, was making Islamophobic attacks against him and his family.
Contrary to El-Sayed’s denials, his half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, stated that their mother was actively involved with the Muslim Brotherhood. In a 2012 post on X, she reflected on a conversation with her mother about her activism in the Brotherhood during her college years in the early 70s, expressing respect for her involvement.
Their mother, Fatten Elkomy, studied at Alexandria University in Egypt, where there was significant Muslim Brotherhood activity during that period, according to a report from the Brookings Institution.
In another 2012 message, Abdelhadi, who is a professor at the University of Chicago, mentioned her family’s longstanding affiliation with the Brotherhood but criticized how the group has navigated the political landscape, describing it as poorly and destructively. Later, in 2013, she shared her concerns and prayers for family members supporting the Brotherhood in Egypt.
A representative from El-Sayed’s campaign provided a statement to Fox News, emphasizing his role as a father and doctor who has dedicated his career to improving the health and safety of Michigan residents. They said independent fact-checkers have consistently disproven Rogers’s claims and accused his campaign of resorting to bad faith attacks on El-Sayed’s faith and family. The campaign also labeled the accusations about the Muslim Brotherhood as “racist and untrue.”
As of now, NBC News has not issued a comment in response to these developments.
