Michigan Muslims helped elect Trump. Now their faith is under fire
Michigan's Muslim voters helped Donald Trump win in 2024. Now Abdul El-Sayed is running to become the first Muslim US senator, and his opponents are attacking his faith.
In Dearborn, Michigan, home to one of America's largest Muslim communities, voters are wrestling with the fallout of the 2024 election. Muslim voters there helped Donald Trump win the swing state, angered by Joe Biden's support for Israel's war on Gaza; many now regret that choice, saying Trump's war on Iran alongside Israel has made the cost of living spike for ordinary Americans, Al Jazeera reports.
Now, Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is running to become the first Muslim US senator, campaigning on affordability, getting big money out of politics and an arms embargo on Israel. But his opponents keep falling back on questioning his faith, the report says, with one attack ad calling him a "jihadist Muslim brotherhood member" and claiming his family has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
El-Sayed has pushed back by invoking John F. Kennedy, who faced questions about whether his Catholic faith would affect his loyalty to the US. Just as Kennedy wasn't running to be a Catholic president, El-Sayed said he isn't running to be a Muslim senator.
Muslim Americans interviewed in Dearborn described the pressure of the attacks, but also their resolve. "This is a highly motivated community" that will turn out and vote, one voter said, continuing to assert their identity as Muslim Americans and as Americans. Another said he felt Trump had "campaigned on peace." Al Jazeera's Mikail Malik reported from Dearborn.
Source: Al Jazeera English — TrendWire reports stories in its own words; facts should be confirmed against the original source.