Abdul El-Sayed invokes JFK to dismiss 'crazy' questions over family's alleged ties to Muslim Brotherhood

Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El‑Sayed Faces Allegations of Family Ties to the Muslim Brotherhood

In a recent interview on “MS NOW Reports,” Democratic candidate Abdul El‑Sayed compared criticism of his family’s alleged Muslim Brotherhood links to the scrutiny John F. Kennedy endured over his Catholic faith. The comparison sparked a rebuttal from the Michigan GOP and reignited a debate over the candidate’s loyalty to the United States.

The Interview and the Comparison

During a Saturday interview on “MS NOW Reports” with Canadian journalist Ali Velshi, El‑Sayed addressed a wave of questions surrounding his family’s purported ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. He said the questions were intended to “cast doubt” on his allegiance, and he drew a parallel with the 1960 presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy. “I also know that I tread a long history of this: when John F. Kennedy ran for president, he was asked about whether or not his allegiance would be to the Constitution or to the pope and the Vatican,” El‑Sayed told Velshi. He went on to emphasize the importance of the Constitution and his commitment to “protect the right to choose, to protect LGBTQ rights, to protect religious freedom.” “Look, at the end of the day, the whole reason this question is being asked is to insinuate that somehow I have dual loyalties,” he added.

The comparison struck the Michigan GOP’s communications director, Ted Goodman, as a “false equivalence.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, Goodman argued that the Catholic Church and the Muslim Brotherhood are not analogous. “The actual evidence against Abdul El‑Sayed is not hearsay based on his faith, but actual facts as reported by numerous reputable news outlets,” Goodman said.

The Allegations

The controversy originates from social‑media posts by El‑Sayed’s half‑sister, Eman Abdelhadi. In a 2012 post, Abdelhadi reflected on a conversation with her mother, Fatten Elkomy, about her own involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood during her college years in Egypt. “Had an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early 70s while she was in college #respect,” she wrote.

In a later post, Abdelhadi stated, “My family has long been MB, but I've always felt that it has navigated the political sphere poorly/destructively.” The posts were highlighted by the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative outlet that published a series of articles detailing the family’s historical ties to the organization. The Free Beacon also reported that El‑Sayed’s father‑in‑law, Tayeb Jukaku, had donated $200,000 to a Super PAC supporting El‑Sayed. Jukaku is a former executive of the Islamic Society of North America and a former board member of the Council on American‑Islamic Relations (CAIR). The Washington Free Beacon cited documents that named Jukaku as an unindicted co‑conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism‑financing case. In 2023, the U.S. Treasury Department designated the Egyptian and Jordanian branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as Specially Designated Global Terrorists for providing material support to Hamas.

While the allegations involve relatives, the Washington Free Beacon and other outlets have not established that El‑Sayed himself was a member of the organization. The former candidate has denied any personal ties.

El‑Sayed’s Response

El‑Sayed first addressed the allegations on October 11 during NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He insisted that he had never discussed his sister’s statements with his mother. “I have never had these conversations with my mother. I wasn’t raised by my mother,” he said. When NBC host Tom Llamas pressed him about the family’s history, El‑Sayed reiterated that he had no personal connections to the Muslim Brotherhood and that the posts were a matter of family history, not political affiliation.

In a statement released after the “MS NOW Reports” interview, El‑Sayed’s campaign accused Republican opponent Mike Rogers of using the controversy to launch a “bad‑faith attack on my faith and family.” The campaign said independent fact‑checkers had repeatedly debunked Rogers’ claims, yet Rogers continued to push the allegations.

GOP Rebuttal

Goodman’s statement also highlighted Jukaku’s financial ties to El‑Sayed’s campaign. “The actual evidence against Abdul El‑Sayed is not hearsay based on his faith, but actual facts as reported by numerous reputable news outlets,” he repeated. Goodman emphasized that the scrutiny over Kennedy’s Catholicism—a religious affiliation—was fundamentally different from questions about the alleged involvement of the Muslim Brotherhood, a militant organization with ties to terrorism.

Goodman also referenced the Treasury’s designation of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Egyptian and Jordanian branches as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, underscoring the seriousness of the allegations against the organization and its affiliates.

Political Context

El‑Sayed is running for the U.S. Senate in Michigan as a Democrat in a district that has historically leaned Republican. The race has already been heated, with Rogers and El‑Sayed engaging in a series of attacks on each other’s character and policy positions. The Muslim Brotherhood controversy has added a new dimension to the campaign, bringing questions of national security, religious freedom, and political loyalty to the forefront.

The debate over the comparison to Kennedy is part of a larger national conversation about how religious and ideological scrutiny can be used to question a candidate’s patriotism. While Kennedy faced questions about his Catholic faith in the 1960s, El‑Sayed’s family history involves alleged ties to a group designated as a terrorist organization—a distinction that has been emphasized by both sides.

Current Status

El‑Sayed and Mike Rogers have not yet responded to additional inquiries from Fox News Digital. The campaign statements released so far indicate that each side remains committed to defending its position. For voters, the allegations and the ensuing responses highlight the complexities of vetting a political candidate’s background, especially when family history intersects with national security concerns.

The controversy is likely to persist as the Senate race moves closer to election day, with both candidates and their campaigns preparing to address the issue in upcoming debates and advertisements