Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D) has sparked controversy after sharing the stage with Holocaust-denying cleric Fadhel Al-Sahlani at the grand opening of the Islamic Institute of America's new mosque in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. El-Sayed, who is running in a high-profile Senate race, offered "hearty congratulations" to the mosque's imam, Hassan al-Qazwini, an Iraqi-born cleric who has praised Hezbollah leaders and spread antisemitic conspiracy theories.
During the June 6 ceremony, El-Sayed called it an "honor and a privilege" to commemorate the Islamic Institute's new $16 million mosque, which features five golden domes and was built in part with $2 million from Iraq's prime minister. However, El-Sayed's role in the inauguration of the mosque could raise questions for the left-wing Democrat, particularly given his previous scrutiny for campaigning with Turkish-American influencer Hasan Piker, who said that "America deserved 9/11" and called Israel much worse than Hamas.
El-Sayed's speech at the mosque criticized Israel and "the ongoing genocide that is being perpetrated by our tax dollars," and he spoke ahead of Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D, Mich.) and Sheikh Fadhel Al-Sahlani, who has said the Jewish death toll of six million in the Holocaust "has been exaggerated." Al-Sahlani has also lauded Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel, saying in a speech that "our movement" made "great change" in the Arab world and across the globe.
Imam Hassan al-Qazwini, who founded the Islamic Institute in 2015, has made similar remarks over the years, including claiming that "ISIS somehow is connected to Israel" and that "ISIS is playing the role of the Zionist in the Muslim world." He has also described Sen. Bernie Sanders (I, Vt.) as an honorable man, "even though he is a Jew." Sanders' campaign denounced al-Qazwini's "antisemitic conspiracy theories" and "toxic" rhetoric after he introduced Sanders at a campaign event in Dearborn in 2020.
Last year, al-Qazwini called for members of Congress who supported the Antisemitism Awareness Act to "be indicted and convicted of treason," calling them "stooges of Israel." He recently applauded Iran in its war against the United States and Israel, saying "Iran stood firm, stood so firm, and it humiliated the most powerful man on earth." In a March 24 sermon, al-Qazwini prayed in Arabic to Allah to "grant victory to our brothers in Iran" and to "inflict defeat upon Your Zionist enemies."
El-Sayed's appearance at the mosque has raised questions about his judgment and values, particularly given his liberal politics. Al-Qazwini's views on social issues like homosexuality are also out of sync with El-Sayed's liberal politics, as he has called the Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriage a "sad moment" in America's history and criticized "the lobbying of homosexual groups."
El-Sayed has avoided hot-button issues related to Islamic extremism out of concern that it would upset voters in Dearborn, a majority-Muslim city that has been referred to as "America's Jihad Capital." During a March strategy call, El-Sayed told campaign staff he would avoid commenting on the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to avoid alienating voters in Dearborn. In another strategy call after the Ghazali synagogue attack, El-Sayed told supporters that his statement condemning the attack was "a risk."
El-Sayed's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on his appearance at the mosque and his relationship with Imam Hassan al-Qazwini. The controversy surrounding El-Sayed's appearance at the mosque is likely to continue as the Senate race heats up, with voters and opponents alike scrutinizing his judgment and values.