Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Hits Back at Rival Over Muslim Brotherhood Allegations

Host Kristen Welker noted that Rogers, a former congressman, had made roughly 10 references linking El-Sayed and members of his family to the Muslim Brotherhood.

“You know Kristen, the only reason he said those things is because he really wanted to repeat the word Muslim,” El-Sayed said.

Asked directly whether he or his family had any connection to the group, he replied, “No.”

El-Sayed argued that his opponent’s campaign strategy was intended to portray him as different because of his name and faith, rather than focus on policy issues.

“His only strategy is to point to me and my name and my faith and to say that we’re different. And that you should suspect people simply because they are different than you in how they pray,” he said.

The physician described such tactics as the approach of people with limited ideas who were not focused on solving major problems. Recalling growing up during the September 11, 2001, attacks, he called the attacks “truly shameful”.

El-Sayed said discrimination based on religion should not be accepted in the United States, extending his remarks beyond his own Muslim identity.

“I don’t want anybody to face that in the United States of America, whether they’re being discriminated against because they’re Jewish or Sikh or Hindu or Muslim or Christian,” he said.

He also recalled telling former President Bill Clinton in 2007 that people with names like his could not run for public office.

The exchange comes as El-Sayed and Rogers contest a closely watched Senate race ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, with control of the chamber potentially at stake.

Minority Candidates Face Heritage and Faith-Based Attacks

El-Sayed did not specifically mention Indian-American candidates, but several have faced attacks over their heritage or religious identity during the current election cycle.

In Ohio, Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, whose parents immigrated from Kerala, has been targeted by far-right commentator Nick Fuentes. According to the Texas Tribune, Fuentes attacked Ramaswamy over his Indian heritage and his parents’ immigration status.

Ramaswamy has previously condemned attempts to normalise hatred based on ethnicity. Speaking at Turning Point’s AmericaFest in December 2025, he said people who promoted hatred against ethnic groups, including Indians, had no place in the future of the conservative movement, according to The Washington Post.

In Texas, Democrat Pooja Sethi, who could become the first Indian-American and Hindu member of the state Legislature, responded to an attack by a Turning Point commentator earlier this year.

“My heritage isn’t an insult. It’s my story,” Sethi wrote on X.

Another Texas Democrat, India-born Sandeep Srivastava, who is challenging Republican Matt Shaheen in House District 66, has faced online attacks over his accent, the American Bazaar reported.

Ten Indian-Americans are on the ballot for the US House of Representatives on November 3, including four incumbents. Three others, including Ramaswamy, are contesting gubernatorial or other statewide races.