Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has highlighted research suggesting post-9/11 discrimination against Muslims led to adverse birth outcomes, but his own 2008 study found no such link. In a 2021 CNN essay published on Fareed Zakaria's section of the site, El-Sayed linked anti-Muslim bias after the terrorist attacks to premature births and low birth weights, citing a 2006 Demography study of Arab American women in California. That research claimed a 34% increase in premature or low birth weight babies following 9/11.
Contradictory Research
El-Sayed, then an epidemiologist at Columbia University, coauthored a 2008 study in Ethnicity & Disease analyzing 129,384 births in Michigan between September 2000 and March 2002. It found 'no difference' in premature or low birth weight rates among Arab and Muslim mothers before and after 9/11. The study noted Arab mothers had an 8% premature birth rate during the period, compared to 9% for white mothers and 15% for Black mothers. This contradicts the California findings he later cited publicly.
El-Sayed's omission reflects his evolution from academic researcher to political candidate. His 2008 paper received little public attention compared to the widely covered Demography study, which generated headlines like the Washington Post's 'Babies, Bigotry and 9/11.' Academic citations show El-Sayed referenced his Michigan work in eight subsequent papers, including a 2021 article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
From Academic to Political Arena
In his 2020 memoir Healing Politics, El-Sayed described the California study as 'stunning' and 'blood-curdling,' crediting it with inspiring his epidemiology career. He attempted to reconcile the conflicting findings by suggesting Michigan's Arab and Muslim communities benefited from 'tighter ethnic enclaves' that 'shielded them from prejudice.' However, his 2008 paper acknowledged the California results might have been 'due to chance alone.'
El-Sayed, currently facing Rep. Haley Stevens in the August 4 Democratic primary, did not respond to requests for comment. The episode has drawn scrutiny amid his broader political messaging, including past comparisons between 9/11 casualties and U.S. military actions overseas. Critics have also noted his appearances with left-wing commentator Hasan Piker, who once said 'America deserved 9/11.'