Democratic Michigan Senate Candidate El-Sayed Faces Scrutiny Over ISNA Convention Appearance

Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed faces questions regarding his appearance at an Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) convention.

The organization removed Pakistani cleric Mufti Tariq Masood from its speaker lineup last month after scrutiny of his past remarks about Hitler, Jews, and jihad. Masood had been scheduled to speak alongside El-Sayed at ISNA's annual convention in Detroit. Dr. Andrew Bostom, who reviewed Masood's sermons, told Fox News Digital that the cleric basically said that the Quran had foreshadowed Hitler 1,400 years ago.

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to deny or review any visa issued to Masood, with ZOA National President Morton Klein describing Masood as a racist, Jew-hate-mongering, anti-American, anti-British, conspiracy-promoting, murder- and terror-inciter. Bostom said it was unclear if Masood had entered the U.S. or still planned to attend.

Republicans have made El-Sayed a top midterm target. Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers criticized El-Sayed for explaining away terrorists and for campaigning with Hasan Piker, who said "America deserved 9/11." El-Sayed responded that Piker's remarks needed context and called Rogers' focus on a streamer in California sad. At the Republican midterm convention, an audience member shouted that El-Sayed should be shot after Texas Sen. Ted Cruz vilified him.

El-Sayed condemned Cruz's refusal to object to the call for violence, stating, "This is what has become the norm in our politics." El-Sayed recently released a video honoring 9/11 victims, a message that contrasted with deleted past posts where he compared 9/11 to the COVID pandemic. Former Sen. Al Franken and other Jewish Americans have endorsed El-Sayed.