Abdul El-Sayed uses speech to discuss Muslim faith and American identity
Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
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- Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed used a speech in Detroit to address Muslim American identity and Islamophobia during the election campaign.
- He said Muslim Americans contribute to the United States and argued that Muslim and American identities are not mutually exclusive.
- El-Sayed also criticized government spending on war while infrastructure and literacy rates decline, and he is set to debate Republican Mike Rogers twice before the November midterms.
“They want to tell us that this country is not ours,” Abdul El-Sayed told a crowd in Detroit. The Democratic candidate for Michigan’s Senate seat used an Islamic Society conference speech to confront Islamophobia and speak about what Muslim American identity means during a high-stakes election campaign.
El-Sayed, a 41-year-old public health advocate, said Muslim Americans are sometimes treated as lesser because of their names and the way they pray. But, he said, he saw people who contribute to “that big America every single day.” He added that “at their best, being Muslim makes us better Americans … and being American enables us to be better Muslims,” calling the two ideals “not mutually exclusive.”
They want to tell us that this country is not ours. They want to tell us that because of our names and how we pray, somehow we are less than. But as I look in front of me, I see people who contribute to that big America every single day.
The speech also turned sharply toward foreign policy and domestic priorities. Against the backdrop of continuing military escalation and overseas conflicts, El-Sayed questioned how the United States would pay for the war in Iran while infrastructure deteriorates and literacy rates fall. He called for greater attention to problems facing people in the country.
at their best, being Muslim makes us better Americans … and being American enables us to be better Muslims
El-Sayed said his recent travels across Michigan showed him that residents’ concerns crossed religious, racial and geographic lines. He described their priorities as basic needs, including paying for groceries and gas, rather than “dropping bombs or doing apartheid or genocide against somebody else and their kids,” referring to Israel’s war in Gaza.
El-Sayed is seeking the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat in November’s midterm elections. He will face Republican Mike Rogers, a former U.S. representative backed by President Donald Trump, in the general election if nominated. After weeks of online exchanges, the candidates agreed to televised debates on Oct. 8 in Grand Rapids and Oct. 21 in Detroit.
How are you gonna pay for that [war in Iran] while we know our infrastructure is crumbling and our literacy rates are tumbling?
“Michiganders don’t care how you pray,” El-Sayed said. “They care what you pray for and what you hope for.”
Michiganders don’t care how you pray. They care what you pray for and what you hope for.
About this summary
Originally published by Al Jazeera in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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