Controversy Surrounds Abdul El-Sayed’s Participation in ISNA Conference

Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is under scrutiny for attending an Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) convention. The event removed a Pakistani cleric from its lineup due to past controversial remarks about Hitler, Jews, and jihad.

Mufti Tariq Masood was initially scheduled to speak alongside El-Sayed at ISNA’s annual convention in Detroit. According to the Washington Free Beacon, ISNA quietly removed Masood after his remarks praising Hitler’s persecution of Jews and defending child marriage attracted backlash.

Dr. Andrew Bostom, who reviewed Masood’s sermons, said the cleric suggested the Quran foreshadowed Hitler’s actions 1,400 years ago. The controversy led the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) to request Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review any visa issued to Masood.

Masood is a racist, Jew-hate-mongering, anti-American, anti-British, conspiracy-promoting, murder- and terror-inciter. Masood even praises Hitler’s genocide of Jews as doing the right thing, similar to the Quran’s instructions.

ZOA National President Morton Klein wrote in a letter to Rubio.

Bostom stated it was unclear whether Masood had entered the U.S. for the convention. El-Sayed’s campaign maintained a booth at ISNA’s annual conference.

Although Masood did not speak at the event, questions remained about the conference’s other speakers and El-Sayed’s involvement.

El-Sayed participated in a panel with Young Turks founder Cenk Uygur and controversial cleric Zaid Shakir. The session, titled “Cultivating God Awareness in a Turmoiled America,” aimed to guide participants in thriving in various areas of life.

Both Uygur and Shakir have faced controversy. Uygur questioned the official 9/11 story, while Shakir described himself as “extremely anti-American.” He urged Muslims to use “extrasystemic political action” to influence government policy.

The conference occurred near the 25th anniversary of 9/11, making the presence of these speakers and El-Sayed noteworthy. El-Sayed faced criticism for tweets from 2021, where he commented on 9/11 and America’s actions overseas.

Today, I mourn the 3K lives, 6K injuries, & infrastructural devastation in NYC, perpetrated ignorantly in the name of my faith. Tomorrow, I’ll mourn ~1M lives, millions of injuries, & infrastructural devastation in 3 countries, perpetrated ignorantly in the name of my country.

El-Sayed also addressed anti-Muslim hate at the conference:

They want to tell us that this country is not ours. They want to tell us that because of our names or how we pray, that somehow we are less than.

El-Sayed has previously been criticized for associating with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who faced backlash for a statement about 9/11. El-Sayed has criticized some of Piker’s remarks but not fully disavowed him.