Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed this week unveiled a campaign ad emphasizing his family's ties to mid-Michigan, featuring testimonials from step-grandparents Judy and Jan Johnson. Notably absent was any reference to his maternal half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, a University of Chicago professor and self-described "queer Muslim activist" who has called for abolishing police and was charged with felony aggravated battery after allegedly spitting on an Illinois state trooper during an anti-ICE protest.
A Radical Voice in Academia
Abdelhadi, who uses pronouns she/they and researches "gender and sexuality in American Islam," has been investigated by her employer for inflammatory statements, including calling the University of Chicago a "colonial landlord" and "police force." Her 2023 novel Everything for Everyone, co-authored with "trans communist" writer M.E. O'Brien, depicts a post-capitalist society without police or nuclear families, including a scene where characters storm a university campus.
"It would be really painful if the state and the market fell," Abdelhadi told Vox in 2024, "but is there a future beyond them that might be even better?" She later tweeted, "I'm over capitalism, over wage slavery. Over it."
Family Ties and Political Implications
El-Sayed, running to the left of congresswoman Haley Stevens in a heated primary, has distanced himself from socialist labels while advocating regulated capitalism. Though he has not publicly acknowledged Abdelhadi during his campaign, both have criticized police practices and U.S. policy toward Israel. In 2020, El-Sayed called to "defund the police," while Abdelhadi demanded their abolition, writing "fuck the police" in a social media post.
The sisters' shared critiques extend to Democratic leadership. Abdelhadi denounced Bernie Sanders in 2024 after the senator condemned Hamas's October 7 attack, writing, "Hard to believe I still had a Bernie 2020 sticker in my office less than a year ago." El-Sayed meanwhile supported Michigan's "uncommitted" movement against Joe Biden over Gaza policy.
Abdelhadi's legal and political profile contrasts with El-Sayed's campaign focus on healthcare and economic equity. Her case remains pending in Cook County court, while El-Sayed prepares to face Republican nominee Mike Rogers in November should he secure the Democratic nomination.