Abdul El-Sayed makes history as the first Muslim senator in US history

Physician Abdul El-Sayed has defeated Republican candidate Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate election. He has become the first Muslim ever elected as a senator in United States history. His victory has become a source of joy and hope for many Muslim Americans.

Abdul El-Sayed is a familiar face to Michigan's Muslim community. From running for governor in 2018 to delivering Friday sermons at the local mosque, he has long been involved in the community through various activities. During the campaign, he pledged to work not only for Muslims but for all the people of Michigan.

El-Sayed is not an outsider to the Muslim community; he is part of it himself. That is why his candidacy created a special enthusiasm among Muslim voters.

In the 2024 presidential election, many Muslim voters turned against the Democrats in protest against the Biden-Harris administration's support for Israel's actions in Gaza. Their anger has not yet faded. But this time they found a candidate who opposed Israel's violence against Palestinians from the very beginning. At the same time, he spoke about the cost of living, healthcare and housing for the people of Michigan.

For criticizing U.S. support for Israel, Abdul El-Sayed faced opposition from influential circles in Washington. President Donald Trump repeatedly mocked his name. Political opponents and some voters raised his Muslim identity as a cause for suspicion. He was even linked to organizations with which he has no connection.

But in response to these attacks, Abdul El-Sayed did not hide his identity. When his name was questioned, he spoke about the prices of daily necessities, housing, healthcare and the cost of living.

When he was criticized for opposing the killing in Gaza, he asked how demanding that children have the right to live without fear of bombs could be an expression of hatred. He also rejected the idea that a Muslim must abandon his community or his stance on Palestine to be elected to public office.

In his victory speech, El-Sayed pronounced his full name — Abdur Rahman Mohammad El-Sayed. During the campaign, when asked about winning, he often said 'Insha Allah'. After winning, he said the time had come to say 'Alhamdulillah'. The moment was significant, because although attempts were made to present his Muslim identity as a reason for his disqualification, in the end he won with his identity intact.

A huge amount of money was also spent on the campaign against him. A super PAC linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) spent nearly $30 million in Michigan's Democratic primary. The aim was to defeat El-Sayed, who opposed U.S. support for Israel. But he won. This proved that the spending of an influential lobby group like AIPAC alone cannot decide an election result.

After New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's victory, many thought a Muslim candidate vocal for Palestine could win only in liberal big cities. Winning in a state Trump carried in the 2024 election seemed difficult for him. But El-Sayed campaigned through small towns, villages, industrial areas and suburbs. He went to churches and mosques alike. In the end, he won across the whole state.

Michigan has long been an important centre for Muslim Americans. From the Arab restaurants and coffee shops of Dearborn to Hamtramck, the first Muslim-majority city in the United States, Muslims have built mosques, schools, businesses and many social institutions in this region over generations.

In this election, several other Muslim candidates also made history in different parts of the United States. Darializa Avila Chevalier, Aber Kawas and Nabila Syed, among others, were elected to Congress and state legislatures. They did not accept silence on human rights violations as a condition for participating in politics.

However, not everyone in the Muslim community agreed about Abdul El-Sayed's victory. Some criticized him for campaigning with former Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama. Many voted for Abdul El-Sayed trusting his sincerity, because he repeatedly made clear that he does not agree with the policies of everyone who supported his campaign.

One senator alone cannot change U.S. war policy or the discriminatory structures within the country. But an important aspect of his campaign was that he linked his anti-war stance with demands for healthcare, clean water and fair wages. He spoke of a mother struggling to arrange life-saving medicine for her child.

Abdul El-Sayed's victory will not overnight make U.S. policy just. It will not bring back any Palestinian child. It will not erase the responsibility of the Democrats or the U.S. government. His work as a senator must also be held accountable.

But his victory has broken a prevailing notion — that to succeed in U.S. politics, Muslim Americans must hide their religious identity. For years they were told that to succeed they must change their names, statements and demands. But Michigan's election result has shown that it is possible to reach the highest political arena in the United States while keeping one's Muslim identity intact.