Post-Primary Surge in Anti-Muslim Hate Speech Targets Michigan Senate Candidate El-Sayed

A new study reveals a 1,895% increase in anti-Muslim hate speech targeting Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed after his victory in the Democratic primary. The Center for the Study of Organized Hate reported that daily posts naming El-Sayed alongside Islamophobic rhetoric spiked from an average of 155 to 3,099 between August 4-10, accounting for 56.7% of all tracked Islamophobic content against him since January 1. The peak occurred on August 5, with 6,923 posts in a single day.

On the social platform X (formerly Twitter), anti-Muslim bigotry posts totaled 409,640 between June 1 and August 10, with the highest daily count of the summer—11,883 posts—recorded on August 5. The center identified recurring themes, including false associations with Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Muslim Brotherhood, claims that El-Sayed aimed to impose “Islamic law,” conspiracy theories linking him to “Islamist and communist” infiltration of the Democratic Party, and calls for “remigration” of Muslims from Western nations. These tropes mirrored patterns observed during New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s 2021 campaign.

El-Sayed, a progressive former public health executive, narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in the August 4 primary, a result that thwarted AIPAC’s $30 million backing of Stevens. He faces Republican Mike Rogers in November for the Senate seat vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters, a race critical to Democratic ambitions to regain Senate control.

El-Sayed’s platform emphasizes affordability, Medicare for All, and reducing corporate influence in politics. He also advocates terminating unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel and other nations. In a CNN interview, he dismissed Donald Trump’s attacks as distractions from economic issues, stating: “I want to get money out of politics, put money in your pocket, and pass Medicare for All.”

Trump has labeled El-Sayed “full of sh-t,” a “Radical Left Socialist,” and a “Communist,” falsely accusing him of hating Jews and Israel. El-Sayed clarifies self-identifying as “a capitalist who understands how capitalism works” during a debate. Vice President JD Vance mocked him as “President Abdul El-Sayed” at a White House event.

When asked about potentially becoming the first Muslim U.S. senator, El-Sayed responded: “I don’t think that much about being the first of anything. I just want to be a really great senator for my state.” He added: “I do think about what it would mean about what our country is. You got people like Donald Trump and JD Vance and Mike Rogers, who want to define America as being smaller than she really is. I know America is big. It’s open-hearted. It is thoughtful.”

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