The GOP’s ugly response to Abdul El-Sayed

Republicans’ Escalating Islamophobia Targets Michigan’s New Senate Nominee

Qwenews.com – Two seemingly unrelated incidents this week may reveal a pattern in Republican politics. On Tuesday, Michigan’s Republican primary voters delivered a commanding victory to a congressional candidate who had previously withdrawn from the race, selecting him over Amir Hassan—a former Muslim backed by President Donald Trump who bears a distinctly Arabic name. The following day, attendees at a Trump rally in Las Vegas began booing when another Arabic-sounding name was mentioned, until Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo asked them to cease. Austin Abdelnabi, a police officer recently killed in the line of duty, had a brother who once served at the White House.

While each event could be dismissed as mere coincidence, their timing suggests otherwise. Republicans have simultaneously launched an overtly Islamophobic campaign against Abdul El-Sayed, the new Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan. Trump has utilized Islamophobia as a political tool for two decades. His “birther” movement against Barack Obama—which suggested the president might secretly be Muslim—helped establish Trump’s political trajectory. During his second term, however, he has increasingly displayed, and urged his party to display, xenophobia and prejudice openly. The Republican reaction to El-Sayed’s nomination demonstrates this embrace of such politics.

Full Name Campaigning and Media Amplification

Republican messaging has been both subtle and blatant. National party officials quickly responded to the public health official’s victory by repeatedly using his complete name—Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed—in both a press release and a subsequent advertisement. Senator Jim Banks of Indiana referred to El-Sayed as “Abdulrahman” on Fox News, as did Fox host John Roberts. Jesse Watters opened his program with footage of El-Sayed helping viewers pronounce “Abdulrahman.” This approach mirrored Trump’s frequent reference to Obama’s middle name, Hussein.

While Republicans naturally cite candidates’ full names, campaigns typically reserve complete names for advertisements when attempting to communicate something specific. In this instance, the message appears clear.

Escalating Rhetoric and False Claims

Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama posted on Wednesday that “Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed is a RADICAL ISLAMIST” and labeled him a “TERRORIST.” The Senate GOP’s super PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund, cautioned that El-Sayed would “unleash terror.” Senator Ted Cruz of Texas joined Jesse Watters on Tuesday evening, calling El-Sayed and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani “Islamist[s].” Cruz asserted:

“You see the green-red convergence where the communist and the Islamists – they want Sharia law. They hate Jews. They hate Christians. They hate capitalism. They hate America.”

No evidence exists that either El-Sayed or Mamdani supports Sharia law. El-Sayed has characterized himself as a capitalist, and while he criticizes Israel, there is no proof he has employed hostile rhetoric toward Jews or Christians.

Trump also repeatedly claimed at the Las Vegas event that El-Sayed hated Jews. Cruz subsequently organized a Wednesday hearing examining the supposed threat of Muslim Brotherhood infiltration into American society. He displayed a poster featuring El-Sayed with the title “From the Middle East to the Midwest,” declaring that Democrats are “now openly embracing terrorist organizations waging war in America.” Republicans have referenced a 2011 El-Sayed op-ed in which he encouraged the U.S. government to support anti-government protesters in Egypt, even if a revolution might strengthen the Muslim Brotherhood. However, the Trump administration has not officially designated the entire Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, labeling only certain branches as such.

Attribution Errors and Campaign Choices

El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, former Representative Mike Rogers, along with Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, both incorrectly attributed a statement from left-wing streamer Hasan Piker—who campaigned alongside El-Sayed—to the Democratic candidate. Rogers stated:

“Never in a million years did I think that I would be running against someone who believes America deserved 9/11.”

It was actually Piker who made this comment in 2019, later describing it as “inappropriate.” Cotton eventually corrected his post. Nevertheless, the Piker situation highlights genuine concerns. El-Sayed deliberately chose to campaign with the controversial streamer during the primary, a decision that attracted criticism even from his Democratic rivals, Representative Haley Stevens and state Senator Mallory McMorrow.

El-Sayed defended his choice to work with Piker, acknowledging the controversy while maintaining that the streamer’s views did not represent his own. The Republican response to El-Sayed’s nomination—combining name-calling, false attributions, and exaggerated threats—illustrates how the party has moved beyond traditional political discourse into more overtly xenophobic territory.