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Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed will appear as a speaker at the Islamic Society of North America’s annual convention during Labor Day weekend, according to event organizers. The conference roster also features several Muslim religious leaders whose previous statements have drawn scrutiny from political figures and media outlets.
Among the scheduled speakers is cleric Baqir Berry, who during a June sermon invoked prayers for “mujahideen” in Palestine and Lebanon, requesting divine blessing for “a mighty victory,” according to the Middle East Media Research Institute. Hassan Qazwini, head of the Islamic Institute of America, is also set to appear after making statements asking God to “grant victory to our brothers in Iran,” a nation designated by the U.S. government as a state sponsor of terrorism.
The speaker list also includes Texas imam Yasir Qadhi, who made Holocaust denial remarks that he subsequently recanted, and Siraj Wahhaj, who was identified as a possible co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing but was never charged with any crime. Neither Berry, Qadhi, nor Qazwini responded to requests for comment from Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
Qazwini faced criticism from Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign after claiming ISIS operated as an “arm of the Zionists” and maintained connections to Israel, assertions the campaign characterized as “antisemitic conspiracy theories.” El-Sayed’s campaign declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital regarding the event.
El-Sayed’s participation at the convention is not his first association with controversial figures. He previously drew attention for endorsing a Detroit-area pastor who had praised antisemite Louis Farrakhan and for appearing alongside streamer Hasan Piker, who previously stated America “deserved 9/11,” a remark El-Sayed later called “dumb” without disavowing Piker himself.
The Democratic candidate has also defended a 2021 blog post comparing President Donald Trump’s involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot to Osama bin Laden’s role in the September 11 attacks. Republicans have increasingly emphasized El-Sayed’s past associations with controversial political and religious figures as the Michigan Senate race progresses.
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