Abdul El-Sayed uses speech to talk about Muslim faith and American identity

The Democratic Senate candidate for the US state of Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, has used a speech in Detroit to discuss Muslim American identity, while also blasting the US and Israel’s war on Iran. At the Annual Islamic Society Conference on Saturday, the 41-year-old Democrat and public health advocate, who has been on the receiving end of Islamophobic remarks during this election cycle, addressed Islamophobia in the US. They want to tell us that because of our names and how we pray, somehow we are less than.

But as I look in front of me, I see people who contribute to that big America every single day.” El-Sayed, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the US Senate seat in November’s midterms, will face a high-stakes general election battle against Republican Mike Rogers. The former US Representative is backed by President Donald Trump. After weeks of trading barbs online, the two candidates have finally agreed to hold two televised debates, the first on October 8 at Wood TV8 in Grand Rapids, the second on October 21 at WXYZ-TV in Detroit.

Addressing the state of Muslim American belonging, El-Sayed said that “at their best, being Muslim makes us better Americans … and being American enables us to be better Muslims,” he said. He added that the two sets of ideals are “not mutually exclusive.” During his speech, El-Sayed also questioned the US government’s spending priorities under Trump against the backdrop of continuing military escalations and overseas quagmires. He said they were “basic needs” like paying for groceries and gas “instead of dropping bombs or doing apartheid or genocide against somebody else and their kids”, referring to Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.