Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has found himself in the spotlight following a recent town hall where he was challenged about his stance on the Muslim Brotherhood. During the exchange, which gained traction on social media, an audience member named “Tommy” pressed him to disavow the group. El-Sayed, after confirming Tommy’s name, posed a question back: “Do you know what the Constitution of the United States is?”
Tommy reiterated his inquiry, prompting El-Sayed to respond, “Sure, yeah, absolutely,” but then he questioned the motivation behind the question. “Because they’re a terrorist group,” Tommy stated confidently.
It’s worth noting that while the U.S. government does not classify the entire Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization, the Trump administration did designate certain branches, such as the Lebanese, Egyptian, and Jordanian ones, as terrorist entities.
Despite this, many countries, including Egypt, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, view the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
El-Sayed pressed Tommy further, asking, “But what are you implying? Do you assume that I wouldn’t?” Tommy responded that he indeed assumed so, as he “had not heard you disavow them yet.”
The candidate countered, “Have you disavowed them? I haven’t heard you disavow them yet.” His campaign has come under scrutiny due to accusations of links to the Muslim Brotherhood, particularly prompted by some old social media posts from his sister that claimed their family had connections to the group in Egypt.
In defense, El-Sayed suggested that the question stemmed from assumptions about his Islamic faith, implying that Tommy believed he would have divided loyalties if elected. He stated, “I’m going to swear an oath to the Constitution of the United States, and that Constitution guarantees us all the right to practice whatever faith we want or no faith at all.” He pointed out that Tommy’s assumptions were unfounded based on his religion.
Additionally, El-Sayed referenced John F. Kennedy’s experience regarding his Catholicism during his presidential campaign. He recounted how Kennedy was asked about his potential allegiance to the Pope, to which Kennedy replied that he would not represent his church in public matters. “I’m not running to be a Muslim Senator,” El-Sayed emphasized. “I’m running for the U.S. Senate and happen to be Muslim.”
He assured Tommy that he would defend his rights to practice Christianity as protected by the Constitution. “It seems like you don’t want to protect my right to practice as I choose,” El-Sayed remarked, challenging Tommy’s views on interpreting religious doctrines within the laws of the United States.
Upon Tommy’s reply that he would not disavow such attempts, El-Sayed concluded, “I think it’s you who needs to understand the Constitution, not me.”
The notion of separating church and state comes from the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits Congress from establishing an official church. Interestingly, while this phrase isn’t found in foundational documents, it stems from a letter by Thomas Jefferson, who was a proponent of religious freedom but held nontraditional Christian beliefs.
Jefferson admired Jesus as a moral teacher but rejected key tenets of orthodox Christianity. He is known for suggesting that humans are “endowed by their Creator” with certain unalienable rights, reflecting a blend of Judeo-Christian beliefs and Enlightenment thought.
