Full Breakdown
Abdul El-Sayed Denies Alleged Muslim Brotherhood Ties Amid Family Social-Media Posts
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El-Sayed’s Public Denial
During a Sunday appearance on NBC’s *Meet the Press*, Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed was asked to “set the record straight” on claims that he or his relatives were linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. He then accused his Republican opponent, Rep. Mike Rogers, of mounting “Islamophobic attacks” against him and his family.
Family Posts and Historical Connections
El-Sayed’s half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, a professor at the University of Chicago, posted on X in 2012 that “My family has long been MB” “My family has long been MB,” — Eman Abdelhadi and later described a conversation with their mother about “Had an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early 70s while she was in college #respect,” — Eman Abdelhadi. “I have had family jailed for being a part of it.” — Eman Abdelhadi Abdelhadi’s posts identify their mother, Fatten Elkomy, as an active member of the Brotherhood while attending Egypt’s Alexandria University in the 1970s, a period when the university hosted strong Brotherhood activity, according to a Brookings Institution report.
Campaign and Opponent Statements
Rep. Mike Rogers, cited by the campaign, has framed the issue as an Islam-based smear, though no specific evidence was offered.
Additional Familial Associations
Court records show that Elkomy worked for the Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA) from 1999 through at least 2004; IARA-USA later pleaded guilty in 2016 to conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions after transferring $1.375 million to Iraq, though Elkomy herself was not charged. El-Sayed’s father-in-law, Tayeb Jukaku, has held leadership roles with the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), organizations named as unindicted co-conspirators in the federal Holy Land Foundation terrorism-financing case.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Had an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early 70s while she was in college #respect,” — Eman Abdelhadi, University of Chicago professor “Had an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early 70s while she was in college #respect,” — Eman Abdelhadi
- “My family has long been MB,” — Eman Abdelhadi, University of Chicago professor “My family has long been MB,” — Eman Abdelhadi
- “I have had family jailed for being a part of it.” — Eman Abdelhadi, University of Chicago professor “I have had family jailed for being a part of it.” — Eman Abdelhadi
- “My family has long been MB, but I’ve always felt that it has navigated the political sphere poorly/destructively.” — Egypt’s Alexandria University, professor “My family has long been MB, but I’ve always felt that it has navigated the political sphere poorly/destructively.” — Egypt’s Alexandria University, professor