Abdul El‑Sayed, a candidate for the United States Senate from Michigan, attended a series of high‑end yacht fundraisers organised by Islamic Relief USA between 23 March and 6 April 2019. The events were held in several cities, including New York on the Nautical Empress yacht, which can accommodate around 600 guests.
Islamic Relief USA has been scrutinised for its financial relationship with Islamic Relief Worldwide, an organisation that was sanctioned by Israel in 2014 for alleged support of Hamas. The House Ways & Means Committee opened an investigation in 2024 into both charities, noting that Islamic Relief USA provides roughly one‑third of Islamic Relief Worldwide’s annual revenue.
In 2018 the House Oversight Committee described Islamic Relief USA as a prominent example of Muslim Brotherhood influence in the United States. The Brotherhood founded Hamas in Gaza in 1988. Several individuals linked to the fundraisers have documented connections to the Brotherhood or its affiliates.
Amer Zahr, who served as a speaker at one of the gatherings, has previously urged Muslims to support Hamas and Hezbollah and criticised efforts to condemn antisemitism. He is described as a close friend of El‑Sayed and promoted the fundraisers on social media together with Yousef Abdallah, an operations manager for Islamic Relief USA who posted antisemitic remarks on Facebook in 2014.
Ahmed Shehata, the chief executive officer of Islamic Relief USA and a donor to El‑Sayed’s Senate campaign, has been linked to Brotherhood‑aligned activism, including a 2014 event that displayed the “Rabia” symbol. Esam Omeish, a director at Islamic Relief USA and former president of the Muslim American Society – which Congress has called an overt arm of the Brotherhood – contributed $4,350 to El‑Sayed’s campaign and has previously advocated for following the jihad way in speeches.
Tayeb Jukaku, El‑Sayed’s father‑in‑law, is a founding member of the Islamic Society of North America, an organisation connected to Hamas financing, and gave $300,000 to a political action committee supporting El‑Sayed.
In a 2011 essay El‑Sayed defended the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and downplayed concerns about its governance after the Arab Spring. The Trump administration designated the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation in 2024, citing coordination with Hamas.
El‑Sayed’s campaign has not responded to inquiries about his involvement with Islamic Relief USA, its leadership or the individuals linked to the fundraisers.