Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D.) has accepted an endorsement from the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC), a Dearborn-based group whose leader, Osama Siblani, has openly supported Hamas and Hezbollah and called for Israeli Jews to be sent "back to Poland."
El-Sayed stated he was "honored" for the endorsement in a Saturday statement, aligning with AAPAC's stance that U.S. tax dollars should not fund "killing, genocide, apartheid, and endless war," according to the Arab American News.
Ties to Controversial Figures
Siblani, publisher of the Arab American News, has repeatedly urged violence against Israel. In 2022, he encouraged Arabs to fight Israel "with stones, guns, or their hands." He has refused to condemn Hamas, which he labeled "freedom fighters" during a 2021 call with Biden White House officials. At a September 2024 Dearborn rally, Siblani praised Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the late Hezbollah leader, as a "hero" and responded to "death to Israel" chants with: "Believe me, they will take care of the job."
Siblani's October 2024 criticism of Jordan for intercepting Iranian missiles headed to Israel drew fresh attention. He accused Jordan of complicity in Israel's conflict with "Lebanon and Palestine," where Hezbollah and Hamas operate. His remarks about Israeli Jews, invoking the Holocaust's Polish death camps, sparked condemnation from Jewish organizations and Rep. Haley Stevens (D., Mich.), El-Sayed's primary opponent.
Backlash from Jewish Groups
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) criticized Siblani's rhetoric, stating, "Any person who denies Hamas is a terrorist organization should not meet with officials to discuss foreign policy." The ADL also rebuked the Biden and Harris campaigns for engaging with Siblani post-October 7, 2023.
El-Sayed has previously campaigned with Hasan Piker, a socialist influencer who claimed "America deserved 9/11." His campaign has also faced questions over a former aide indicted for conspiring to terrorize Jewish groups at the University of Michigan. El-Sayed's criticism of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) contrasts with his embrace of AAPAC, which he has not renounced despite Siblani's extremist ties.
El-Sayed's strategy targets Dearborn's influential Arab-American community, which one analyst called the "Jihad Capital of America" due to its concentration of activist networks. The candidate has written for Siblani's newspaper and avoided commenting on the U.S.-Israeli killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to avoid alienating local voters, according to a leaked March campaign call.