Abdul El Sayed denies Muslim Brotherhood ties during NBC interview

Democratic Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El Sayed is facing scrutiny after denying any personal or family connections to the Muslim Brotherhood during an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, the New York Post and Fox News reported. Host Kristen Welker asked El Sayed on Sunday whether he could set the record straight regarding claims that his family had links to the Islamist group. El Sayed denied having any ties and suggested his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, was using Islamophobic attacks against him. [1][2]

The denial follows allegations concerning El Sayed's family background. Fox News and freebeacon.com reported that social media posts from El Sayed's half-sister indicated his mother was active in the Muslim Brotherhood while in college. The Jewish Insider also reported that El Sayed denied Muslim Brotherhood ties following claims made during a debate with Rogers. [2][8][10]

During his interview on NBC, El Sayed stated that Democrats need to win upcoming midterm races by massive numbers, Forbes and CNN reported. When asked about his political ambitions ahead of the Senate election, El Sayed said he has no plans to run for president, according to the Washington Times. [4][5][7][9]

El Sayed is an epidemiologist and politician who currently serves as the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in Michigan, according to Wikipedia. He previously served as the executive director of the Detroit Health Department from 2015 to 2017 and later directed Wayne County's Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services. The Muslim Brotherhood is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna. [11][12][13]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, El Sayed faces Republican nominee Mike Rogers in the general election for the Michigan Senate seat. El Sayed has previously faced political attacks from groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and faced past scrutiny over his social media activity. [15][16]