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Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed has received contributions exceeding $115,000 from individuals employed by or holding leadership positions at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), according to a Fox News Digital investigation. The organization has been formally designated a terrorist entity by the United Arab Emirates, Florida, and Texas. El-Sayed, who has campaigned on removing money from politics, accepted donations from at least 41 CAIR-connected individuals across multiple states.
The donor roster includes senior CAIR officials such as national Board Chair Manal Fakhoury, national Board Treasurer Eyas Abdeen, and national Vice Chair Emad Sabbah. Also listed is Jukaku Tayeb, a CAIR-Michigan board member and El-Sayed’s father-in-law, who has provided substantial financial backing to a super PAC supporting the campaign and served on the founding committee of the Islamic Society of North America, a group alleged to have ties to Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood funding.
CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad, recorded under the FEC name Nehad Hammad, drew national scrutiny after stating he was “happy” to witness Hamas exit Gaza on October 7, 2023, and asserting Israel lacks the right to self-defense as an occupying power. Additional contributors span CAIR chapters in California, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Washington, Illinois, Minnesota, and Ohio, demonstrating nationwide support from within the organization’s leadership structure.
El-Sayed maintained professional connections with CAIR beyond fundraising activities. In 2022, he delivered a paid speaking engagement at a CAIR event where he criticized Oklahoma’s Sharia law ban and drew comparisons to the Trail of Tears, according to reporting by the Washington Free Beacon.
CAIR has faced longstanding scrutiny regarding alleged Hamas connections. Federal prosecutors named the organization an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2007 Holy Land Foundation case, the largest terrorism financing prosecution in U.S. history, though CAIR was never charged and has disputed the designation. The United Arab Emirates designated CAIR a terrorist organization in 2014, reportedly based on concerns about Muslim Brotherhood connections.
In response to inquiries, CAIR denied terrorism allegations and referenced its website statements condemning terrorist attacks, antisemitism, and the October 7, 2023, assaults. The organization cited decades-long policies opposing violence by designated foreign terrorist organizations including al-Qaeda, Hamas, and others.
El-Sayed defeated Democratic Representative Haley Stevens in Tuesday’s Senate primary in a closer-than-expected contest. He will face Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman, in the November general election. El-Sayed has previously faced Republican and pro-Israel criticism over Middle East-related associations and statements.
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