El-sayed Defends Family Against Muslim Brotherhood Allegations, Channels JFK
WHO:
Fox News - Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate
Fox News - Ted Goodman, communications director of the Michigan GOP
Fox News - Eman Abdelhadi, El-Sayed's half-sister
Fox News - Fatten Elkomy, El-Sayed's mother
Fox News - Tayeb Jukaku, El-Sayed's father-in-law
WHAT:
Fox News - Abdul El-Sayed stated during an interview, "The Constitution guarantees me the right as I choose to pray or any of us, to pray as we choose to pray or not to pray at all."
Fox News - El-Sayed claimed, "It's a crazy thing to assume that somehow I'd have dual loyalties as somebody who's avidly running to protect the right to choose, who's running to protect LGBTQ rights, who's running to protect religious freedom."
Fox News - Ted Goodman, communications director of the Michigan GOP, criticized El-Sayed's comparison to JFK, stating, "The actual evidence against Abdul El-Sayed is not hearsay based on his faith, but actual facts as reported by numerous reputable news outlets."
Fox News - El-Sayed's father-in-law, Tayeb Jukaku, contributed $200,000 to a super PAC supporting El-Sayed, which was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism-financing case.
Fox News - Abdul El-Sayed compared himself to President John F. Kennedy during an interview, rejecting questions about his family's alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Fox News - El-Sayed stated, "Nobody understands how important that document is like somebody who has their rights constantly threatened."
Fox News - El-Sayed faced scrutiny after social media posts from his half-sister resurfaced, describing their family's history with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Fox News - Eman Abdelhadi described a conversation about her mother's involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood during college in Egypt, stating, "Had an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early 70s while she was in college #respect."
Fox News - El-Sayed denied having personal connections to the Muslim Brotherhood and disputed the significance of his sister's posts, saying, "I have never had these conversations with my mother. I wasn’t raised by my mother."
Fox News - The Treasury Department designated the Egyptian and Jordanian branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as Specially Designated Global Terrorists for providing material support to Hamas.
WHERE:
Fox News - Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed is a Senate candidate.
WHEN:
Fox News - El-Sayed denied ties to the Muslim Brotherhood during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" on October 11.
WHY:
Fox News - El-Sayed suggested that the scrutiny regarding his family's alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood was intended to raise doubts about his loyalty to the United States.
HOW:
Fox News - El-Sayed invoked President Kennedy's experience during his 1960 presidential campaign to argue against the assumptions of dual loyalties based on his faith.
(UPDATED October 18, 2026 21:58 UTC)
Abdul El-Sayed defended his right to religious freedom during a Fox News interview, stating, "The Constitution guarantees me the right as I choose to pray or any of us, to pray as we choose to pray or not to pray at all." He also addressed accusations of dual loyalties, emphasizing his commitment to protecting rights for all, including LGBTQ individuals. In response, Ted Goodman from the Michigan GOP pointed out that the concerns about El-Sayed are based on factual reports, not hearsay, and noted that El-Sayed's father-in-law contributed $200,000 to a super PAC that has been linked to a terrorism-financing case.
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(UPDATED October 18, 2026 20:57 UTC)
Abdul El-Sayed, a Michigan Democratic Senate candidate, compared himself to President John F. Kennedy during an interview, defending against scrutiny over his family's alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. He emphasized the importance of understanding one's rights, stating, "Nobody understands how important that document is like somebody who has their rights constantly threatened," while denying any personal connections to the group. El-Sayed's remarks come in light of resurfaced social media posts from his half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, who discussed their mother's activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during her college years in Egypt.