Story perspectives

El-Sayed releases ad after Trump calls him “jihadist”

By Drooid · Oct 22, 2026, 3:41 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed released a Michigan campaign ad confronting anti-Muslim attacks on Oct 19, 2026.
The ad ties his Muslim faith to Michigan voters’ struggles and condemns U.S. President Donald Trump’s Islamophobic attacks as economic diversion.
U.S. President Donald Trump publicly called El-Sayed a “jihadist” and alleged he belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood at a rally.
Lon Johnson labeled El-Sayed an extremist and urged Democrats to abandon the Senate race.

History

Historical Context

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, President George W. Bush’s administration launched the “War on Terror,” intensifying anti-Muslim sentiment across the United States. The FBI recorded a 17 percent rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes in 2002, and the Department of Justice filed 45 prosecutions targeting Muslim community leaders. Similarly, in 2026 Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed faces accusations from President Donald Trump and Republican Lon Johnson, echoing the earlier political weaponization of Islam. These recurring attacks risk marginalizing Muslim voters, prompting civil-rights groups like CAIR to demand stronger hate-crime legislation and bipartisan accountability.

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Story summary

Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed released a Michigan campaign ad confronting anti-Muslim attacks on Oct 19, 2026.
The ad ties his Muslim faith to Michigan voters’ struggles and condemns U.S. President Donald Trump’s Islamophobic attacks as economic diversion.
U.S. President Donald Trump publicly called El-Sayed a “jihadist” and alleged he belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood at a rally.
Lon Johnson labeled El-Sayed an extremist and urged Democrats to abandon the Senate race.

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