DETROIT, MICHIGAN — Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, faces a striking disconnect among some Muslim voters who oppose his positions on abortion and LGBTQ issues yet say they plan to vote for him anyway. "He is a Democrat with a Muslim mask," one attendee of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Convention, who requested anonymity to avoid social reprisals, told Fox News Digital.
"Basically he's like Ilhan Omar, but like a male version." He went on to say that, while he takes objection to El-Sayed’s positions on abortion and LGBTQ rights, he "want[s] him to get elected" to improve his community’s "representation." Fox News Digital was on the ground at the Islamic Society of North America’s annual conference in Detroit over Labor Day weekend, where El-Sayed delivered the marquee speech amid controversy over past remarks by some conference speakers. The episode has added scrutiny to El-Sayed’s ties to the organization and the political coalition surrounding his campaign. Several described a tension between their personal views on social issues and their support for El-Sayed, particularly on abortion and LGBTQ issues.
El-Sayed supports codifying Roe v. Wade into law, funding Planned Parenthood, establishing LGBTQ-inclusive sex education and allowing doctors to perform sex-change operations on children. Islamic theology generally takes a more restrictive view of abortion, gender and sexuality, though interpretations vary among Muslims.
Another attendee, a Navy veteran, told Fox News Digital that he strongly opposes El-Sayed’s positions on issues like abortion and LGBTQ sex education, but feels like the Republican Party has let him down following the 2024 election. "I voted for Donald Trump. When it comes to values, I'm a Republican.
But unfortunately they have betrayed us," he said. He pointed to the Trump administration’s involvement in foreign wars and cost-of-living concerns as the issues pushing him to support El-Sayed despite the Democrat’s liberal beliefs. Multiple attendees who spoke to Fox News Digital at the conference, including some who declined to be interviewed on the record, said they voted for Trump in 2024 but were planning on supporting El-Sayed in the midterms.
MICHIGAN SENATE RACE: EL-SAYED’S TIES TO EXTREMIST FUEL ANTISEMITISM CONCERNS AMONG JEWISH VOTERS "We're concerned about where our tax dollars are going to. A lot of these tax dollars are going to support foreign wars, support countries that aren't the United States," Zubin, a long-time El-Sayed supporter, told Fox News Digital. "So I think these are the main issues that resonate not just with the Muslim voters but the everyday voter in all of Michigan." President Donald Trump’s support for Israel and his military operations in Iran have become growing points of concern for some voters, with polls showing rising dissatisfaction over U.S. involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
