Full Breakdown
Muslim Brotherhood Allegations Shape Michigan Senate Campaign
By Drooid · · How we work
Background & Context
The Muslim Brotherhood is an Islamist movement founded in Egypt in 1928. While the organization officially rejects violence, several governments—including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—have designated it as a terrorist group. In November, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that opened a process for designating certain chapters of the Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
During the 2026 Michigan Senate race, Republican opponents have highlighted social-media posts made in 2012 by Abdul El-Sayed’s half-sister, University of Chicago professor Eman Abdelhadi. The posts have been used to argue that El-Sayed’s mother, Fatten Elkomy, was an activist with the Brotherhood in the 1970s.
Official Statements & Responses
Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed has repeatedly denied any personal or familial ties to the Brotherhood. In a town-hall meeting in Caro, Michigan, he told an audience member, “You assume … that because I am Muslim, that somehow I would have some allegiance to something that is not our Constitution.”
El-Sayed’s denials were reiterated on national television. He characterized the sister’s posts as “hearsay” and “not serious.”
President Donald Trump has asserted that El-Sayed is a “Muslim Brotherhood guy, 100 %,” calling him a “fraud” and a “con man” in separate remarks. Trump also suggested that El-Sayed would be unfit for a Senate Intelligence Committee.
Criticism & Opposition
He further warned that the Brotherhood seeks political power in the United States to support activities abroad.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Media coverage of the allegations varies sharply. Outlets such as the *New York Post* and *Fox News* emphasize the sister’s 2012 posts and the mother’s former work for the Islamic American Relief Agency, a group designated a terrorist organization in 2004.
No public record links El-Sayed himself to the Brotherhood, and he has not provided documentation of his mother’s activities. The campaign has not released photographs of the mother, and the sister’s posts remain the primary source of the family-connection claim.
Verbatim Quotes
- “He’s a Muslim Brotherhood guy, 100%,” — President Trump — President Trump
- “You assume … that because I am Muslim, that somehow I would have some allegiance to something that is not our Constitution,” — Abdul El-Sayed, COUNTERTERRORISM EXPERT — Abdul El-Sayed
- “I wasn’t raised by my mother,” — Abdul El-Sayed, COUNTERTERRORISM EXPERT — Abdul El-Sayed
- “Looking at his organizational connections, his family connections, his background is consistent with what one would expect from somebody with close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood,” — Kyle Shideler, director of Homeland Security and Counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy — Kyle Shideler
What’s Next
The Michigan Senate seat will be decided in the November 3 election, a scheduled vote that will determine control of the U.S. Senate. Both campaigns are expected to continue referencing the Brotherhood controversy as the election approaches.
