El-Sayed’s Muslim Brotherhood Op-Ed Resurfaces as He Eyes Senate Foreign Relations Seat

Breaking

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is facing fresh scrutiny from Senate Republicans over a 2011 op-ed in which he urged the Obama administration to back Egyptian protesters associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. The renewed attention, first reported by Fox News Digital on Wednesday, comes after a former campaign staffer said El-Sayed is angling for a seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee if he wins in November.

Two Republican members of that committee, Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Senator Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania, say El-Sayed’s record should keep him far away from the powerful panel. El-Sayed said at a recent town hall that he disavows the Muslim Brotherhood. His campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment about the 2011 op-ed, leaving the candidate’s past words to speak for themselves less than two weeks before Election Day.

Details & Background

The op-ed ran in The Huffington Post in 2011, while El-Sayed was an assistant professor at Columbia University. He argued that backing the protesters served American interests and wrote that even if the Muslim Brotherhood overthrew Egypt’s government, the resulting state would not necessarily resemble Iran. “It is in America’s interest to support Egyptian protesters’ efforts to achieve the ability to speak their mind and have a say in how they are governed,” he wrote, adding that it would “behoove the Obama administration to fall decisively behind the protesters in Egypt.” A Muslim Brotherhood-backed government took power in Egypt in 2012 before the military ousted it in 2013.

The committee claim came from Jordan Domingue, who served as El-Sayed’s security chief during his 2018 run for Michigan governor, in a report by The Midwesterner. El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, narrowly won an August primary over Rep. Haley Stevens and is now locked in a tight race with Republican former Congressman Mike Rogers for Michigan’s open Senate seat. Polls released ahead of their Oct. 8 debate showed a near tie, and both parties view the contest as pivotal to control of the Senate. El-Sayed has also drawn criticism for associating with controversial left-wing streamer Hasan Piker.

Reactions

Lee did not mince words. “A man with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, who cheered their takeover of Egypt 15 years ago, and who campaigns with people saying America deserved 9/11, should not come anywhere near the U.S. Senate — and especially not the Foreign Relations Committee,” the Utah Republican told Fox News Digital. McCormick weighed in on X over the weekend, questioning why a candidate running on kitchen-table issues wants a foreign-policy post. “I sit on that committee, and someone with El-Sayed’s radical views has no business on it,” McCormick wrote.

Domingue, the former staffer, warned on X that “it is extremely difficult to comprehend how dangerous this can be if he is elected,” adding that El-Sayed “REALLY wants a seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee” despite having no foreign policy experience. Democrats have pushed back on the broader line of attack. Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel has accused Rogers of Islamophobic attacks, and Michigan Public Radio noted that Rogers offered no evidence during the Oct. 8 debate for his claims linking El-Sayed to extremist organizations.

Why This Matters to You

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is not a ceremonial assignment. It shapes how America deals with allies and adversaries, weighs in on treaties, foreign aid and arms sales, and vets the ambassadors who represent the country overseas. With the United States engaged in conflict with Iran and the Middle East as volatile as ever, the views of the senators who sit on that panel carry real weight for American troops, American allies and American security at home.

El-Sayed has built his campaign around affordability, telling voters during the primary that “it shouldn’t be this hard to get by in the richest, most powerful country in the world.” But a reported push for a seat on the Foreign Relations Committee raises a fair question about what he would actually prioritize in Washington. With Michigan’s open seat potentially deciding which party controls the Senate, voters have every reason to examine a candidate’s full record on national security before ballots are counted on Nov. 3.