Previously, I have written two blog posts about Islamophobia (in January 2016 and May 2013). But this month that phobia has reared its ugly head again, so I decided to change my planned blog post for today in order to write about Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and the recent Islamophobic attacks upon him.
On August 4, Abdul
El-Sayed won the primary election for the U.S. Senate in Michigan. Even
though he was opposed by the Democratic “establishment,” which spent big bucks
to oppose him in favor of their preferred candidate, El-Sayed (b. 1984)
narrowly won the election. I had been pulling for him, mainly because of his
progressive views.
In addition, I think it is only fair
that U.S. citizens whose religion is Islam have a person of their faith in the
Senate—and there never has been a Muslim Senator to this point. There are at
least 1.1% of U.S. citizens whose religion is Islam, so 1% of the Senate being
Muslim seems fair to me. (At present, there are four House members who are
Muslim, slightly over 0.9%.)
El-Sayed holds an MD degree from
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He was also a Rhodes
Scholar and has a Doctorate (DPhil) in Public Health from Oxford
University. Following graduation, he chose a career in public health, academia,
and government. He self-identifies
as a public health physician and epidemiologist.
El-Sayed’s political views deserve
widespread support by progressives. I encourage you to read the excellent New
York Times interview with the Michigan politician posted on August 7 (see
here; the image at the head of this post is from the photo in that article,
taken by Nick Hagen for the Times).
Among other things, Tim Balk, the interviewer, said to
the Muslim candidate, “There are Jewish folks in Michigan who say they’re
anxious about some of your comments. They’re anxious that they could make them
less safe in Michigan. What’s your message to them?”
I was impressed by Abdul’s response: “My commitment to
Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own daughters.
Antisemitism is a scourge.”
This also is noteworthy: a
Religion News Service piece on his Senate primary win reports that El-Sayed
has said he believes in the fundamental separation of church and state, adding
that he wants to protect the kind of America where everybody can pray how they
choose to pray, or choose not to pray at all.
Some Republican politicians have unfairly
pilloried El-Sayed. Despite
what Abdul has said and the full support he has from even the Democrats who opposed
his election, Republican leaders such as the POTUS and Ted Cruz have spoken out
strongly and untruthfully about him.
In his Truth Social post on Wednesday (Aug. 5), Trump leveled
a series of attacks on El-Sayed. According to Time magazine, the POTUS
called the Michigan politician ‘a man of hate’ who was ‘full of sh‑t.’ Ted
Cruz’s invective was even harsher.
On that same Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Cruz (R-Texas) used
the authority of his Judiciary subcommittee of the United States Senate to hold
a hearing purporting to demonstrate that there has been a decades-long Muslim
conspiracy, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, to undermine and control the United
States. He stated that El-Sayed is “the crowning achievement of that
conspiracy.”
In addition to the unseemly Islamophobic attacks, Abdul
is also being attacked for being a Communist, as seen in Trump and his MAGA
supporters, and renounced for being a Marxist.
Gary Bauer, a conservative evangelical commentator who
writes the American Values daily email newsletter, also posted this on
Aug. 5: “All of the socialist leaders were celebrating today. Bernie Sanders,
AOC, Mamdani and Marxist professors on every U.S. university faculty see the
future looking more like Marx and less like Jefferson.”
That is the sort of criticism coming from the
Religious Right, who are mostly MAGA supporters and agree with Trump’s recent
screed against Communism. And that is even though El-Sayed declares that he is
a capitalist and won’t even self-identify as a democratic socialist.
I fully support the senatorial
candidacy of El-Sayed, a Muslim, as well as that of Adam Hamilton, a widely
known and highly respected Methodist pastor in Kansas, and of James Talarico, a
recent seminary graduate in Texas.
What a difference it will make when Abdul, Adam, and
James take their Senate seats in January of next year! (It’s OK to have high
hopes, isn’t it?)
Indeed! High hopes are worth having. Not that I have any. LOL! But they're worth having. Thanks for lifting up El-Sayed.
ReplyDeleteDavid Rothkopf is a political pundit who posts many (too) long and worthwhile articles on his Substack account (which you can read with no charge). Here is a small part of what he posted yesterday under the title "Follow the Money."
ReplyDelete"Voters are tired of politicians who offer them tired formulations about caring about their issues but when push comes to shove, prioritize advancing the interests of their big donors…of the rich and powerful.
"It has been very heartening to see the Democratic Party in Michigan unite so quickly behind El-Sayed. He is an excellent candidate who is focused on government that works for people rather than the guys who write the big checks.
"Sadly, as an aside, we have already seen his opponent Mike Rogers and President Trump (just today) unveil disgusting, racist attacks on El-Sayed, and, since they have nothing else to offer in the way of political achievements, it seems likely that such vile tactics will continue from them into the Fall.
"But voters are smart enough to see what is happening and disgusted enough with how their interests have been subordinated in recent years that I predict the Trump and Rogers tactics will not work. I believe El-Sayed will win."
And here (below) is a link to Jen Rubin's Substack post this morning. She writes most about Talarico, but also says quite a bit, also positively, about El-Sayed.
ReplyDeletehttps://substack.com/@jenrubincontrarian/p-210508958
Here are comments received a few minutes ago from Thinking Friend Eric Dollard in Chicago:
ReplyDelete"El-Sayed is characterized by Republicans as 'extreme left-wing' and as possibly a hidden agent for the Muslim Brotherhood. These charges are absurd, as you point out. The Muslim Brotherhood is rightwing, not leftwing, and some of its members might even be 'extreme rightwing.' What I find odd about rightwing “Christian” Islamophobes are their efforts to pass anti-sharia legislation. Sharia law, in its various forms, contains many provisions promoted by rightwing Christians such as opposition to homosexuality, abortion, and women’s rights.
"Muslims are a diverse group, as are Christians and the adherents of other major religions. I do not regard El-Sayed as extreme anything, and I agree with his political views. I’m with you and I hope he wins in Michigan."
"Peace (unfortunately an increasingly rare commodity),"
In addition to Anton (above), other local Thinking Friends were the first to respond to this morning blog post:
ReplyDelete"Thanks for your excellent endorsement of a fine human being. I too am supportive of this candidate. He embodies the best of what it means to be an American citizen." (David Nelson)
"Thank you for this informative post. I agree with your support of him." (Mary Redmon, MD)
"I strongly agree with this blog. Having worked with international students for many years, I knew several who shared Abdul’s views, especially on the separation of church and state." (Carole Zahnd)
Later in the day, I received the following brief comment from Rev. Bob Perry, who now lives in Springfield, but when I first met him (in 1986-87 or 1991-91) he was living in the Kansas City area.
Delete"Amen, Leroy. Thanks for expressing so well these views that resonate with many of us."
Of course, El-Sayad doesn’t necessarily represent the political or religious views of all Muslims in the US any more than the Christians in the Senate represent the religious or political views of all Christians in the US. There are probably plenty of Christians in the US who would rather have no Christians in the Senate than the many Maga types we have now, and would prefer way more than 1% Muslims in the Senate if they had views like El-Sayad. And there are probably fiscally conservative Muslims who don’t want El-Sayad in the Senate at all.
ReplyDeleteCertainly American Muslims deserve to be treated as American as anyone else. Even if some Muslims disagree with El-Sayad, hopefully his national visibility will help to normalize people of all religions in the public sphere. With his socialist leanings, however, he’ll probably make right wing Republicans even more anti-Islam. (And I imagine there are American Muslims who are worried about that and who would prefer a more fiscally conservative Muslim to be the first of that religion in the Senate.)
I appreciate these comments from "Anonymous," but I wish I knew who you are. At any rate, please note that the Michigan politicians' name is spelled El-Sayed.
DeleteHope lives. And Pete Hegseth should read the story of the Tower of Babble. Trying to force God's hand has never been a credible strategy. Indeed, the last successful military Messiah was a guy named Cyrus, who had the secondary title of King of Persia. (Isaiah 45:1-8) What if Pete's reward is the second coming of the Hidden Imam? (Trump called the Ayatollah that, which is not the Shia insult he seems to think it is.) What if in the "Original Autographs" Gog and Magog were actually ZOG and MAGA? Even in Revelation, only 144,000 Israelis survive the battle! As John Lennon taught us, "All we are saying, is give peace a chance." Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3_0GqPvr4U
ReplyDeleteAs I have tried to negotiate a middle ground that invites compromise with numerous pastors and church members, I continue to read Gary Bauer's daily postings and compare them to what I find in several left of center writings, yours included, Bro. Leroy. Today's Bauer entry (8/11) is completely devoted to condemning El-Sayad and his circle of supporters. It is not a pretty read. The points he seeks to make touch on my own feelings about many American Muslims, the same feelings I have about many American Christians. The silence of both groups concerning the horrors perpetuated around the world in the name of their religions is deafening. The religious bloodshed in Nigeria is heartbreaking at the hands of Muslim extremists. We have to go no farther than some of our own state governments to see how Christian policy makers are quite willing to make a mockery out of the conscience-freeing words of Jesus and put non-white males (and all females) back into a form of legal slavery by restricting or eliminating civil representation.
ReplyDeleteWill El-Sayad see himself first as an American under the guidance of the US Constitution, or will he ultimately say the laws of Allah supersede those of the laws of the US? We all know the results for those voters who believed Trump. El-Sayad will have to go to the Senate for us to find out.
My apologies. I made the same mistake in spelling as did Anonymous. El-Sayed it is.
DeleteTom, it is always difficult to spell names correctly that we have never heard of before, and I assume that most of us have never before known someone whose name was El-Sayed.
DeleteIn response to the question you posed in the last paragraph, let me say clearly that based on what I have read about him and from what he has written and said, I think there is no doubt that he will be loyal to the U.S. and honor the Constitution--and I think he will do the latter, sadly, far more than the current POTUS.
Then concerning what Mr. Bauer wrote, which I read yesterday (as I do every day because of you and your reason for doing so), I thought what he said saw certainly, but not surprisingly, Islamophobic. Certainly there have been, and still are, militant Muslim extremists, and there is no way we can condone the violence that they inflict upon society. But, as you imply, a whole religion can't be opposed and "trashed" because of the extremists of some of that religion's adherents. Moreover, there are some Muslims, such as Dr. El-Sayed, who condemn that violence as much as, or maybe even more, than those who are not Muslims.
Yesterday, Thinking Friend Brian Kaylor posted "Flunk Those Who Want a Religious Test for Office," an essay on his Substack account. I mentioned this to Co-Pilot and said that the views on the separation of church and state held by the Baptist Brian (which he often emphasizes) and the Muslim Abdul were in full agreement. Here is the lengthy response, written as an essay, that I received from A.I.--and I regretted that it did not include a reference to Dr. El-Sayed being a Muslim.
ReplyDelete"Two Voices, One Moral Landscape: Abdul El‑Sayed and Brian Kaylor"
In the crowded world of public commentary, it is rare to find two thinkers from entirely different professions who nevertheless speak with a shared moral clarity. Abdul El‑Sayed, a physician and public health leader, and Rev. Brian Kaylor, a Baptist minister and editor of Word&Way, come from distinct traditions — medicine and ministry — yet their work resonates across a common ethical horizon. They do not collaborate directly, and they move in different institutional circles, but their voices converge around the same urgent concerns: democracy, truth, justice, and the dangers of political movements that distort moral language for exclusionary ends.
El‑Sayed approaches public life through the lens of health equity. For him, democracy is not merely a system of governance but a living ecosystem that depends on solidarity, truthful leadership, and the protection of the vulnerable. When he critiques disinformation, structural inequality, or the misuse of religious identity in politics, he does so as someone trained to see how social conditions shape human flourishing. His vocabulary is civic, scientific, and ethical — a blend that insists public health is inseparable from public morality.
Kaylor arrives at similar conclusions from a different direction. His work in public theology centers on the idea that Christian faith demands a commitment to neighbor‑love, truth‑telling, and democratic responsibility. He has become one of the clearest voices critiquing Christian nationalism, arguing that it distorts the gospel and threatens the civic fabric. Where El‑Sayed speaks of solidarity, Kaylor speaks of discipleship; where El‑Sayed warns about authoritarian impulses, Kaylor warns about idolatry. The language differs, but the moral diagnosis is strikingly aligned.
Their overlap is most visible in their shared concern for democracy as a moral project. Both insist that democratic life requires more than procedures — it requires virtues. It requires leaders who tell the truth, institutions that serve the common good, and communities willing to resist fear‑based politics. They also share a commitment to exposing how religious identity can be manipulated to justify exclusion or undermine public trust. El‑Sayed critiques this from the outside, as a public health ethicist; Kaylor critiques it from the inside, as a Christian pastor. Together, they form a kind of cross‑disciplinary harmony.
There is no evidence that El‑Sayed and Kaylor have worked together, cited one another, or shared a stage. Yet their work feels connected, not by collaboration but by convergence. They are two voices in the same moral landscape, each illuminating a different part of the terrain. One speaks from the clinic and the civic commons; the other from the pulpit and the public square. What unites them is a belief that truth, justice, and human dignity are not optional features of a healthy society — they are its foundation.
In a time when democratic norms feel fragile and public discourse is often distorted by fear or misinformation, the parallel witness of El‑Sayed and Kaylor offers something rare: a reminder that moral clarity can come from many directions, and that different professions can articulate the same ethical commitments. Their work suggests that the struggle for a just and truthful democracy is not confined to any single field. It is a shared calling — one that requires voices from medicine, ministry, journalism, and beyond