Abdul El-Sayed

Abdul El-Sayed is a physician, epidemiologist, and progressive political commentator who ran as the Democratic nominee for Governor of Michigan in 2018. He holds an MD and DPhil (Oxford) in epidemiology and served as Detroit's Health Director (2015–2017), where he gained national recognition for his public health work.

Political Profile

El-Sayed is one of the most prominent Muslim-American progressive politicians in the United States. He hosts the podcast The Incision and regularly appears on progressive media outlets. He identifies as a democratic socialist and supported Bernie Sanders in both the 2016 and 2020 primaries.

Muslim Brotherhood Designation Controversy

In a January 2026 Daily Wire interview, El-Sayed declined to support the Trump administration's designation of the Egyptian, Jordanian, and Lebanese branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations. His stated objections were policy-based: concerns about due process, breadth of application, and impact on Muslim civil society organizations in the United States.

He did not defend the Muslim Brotherhood's ideology or actions, but argued that blanket designations create legal exposure for mosques, charities, and community groups with historical ties to Brotherhood-affiliated networks — a position civil liberties organizations have also raised.

What has not been established: El-Sayed has not publicly expressed support for the Muslim Brotherhood's stated mission or its use of violence. His 2011 op-ed supported the Arab Spring broadly — a position held across the political mainstream at the time. Claims that the op-ed constituted a "pledge of support" to the Brotherhood specifically require the actual text to verify.

ISNA and Family Connections

El-Sayed's father-in-law has documented ties to the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). ISNA was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation prosecution — the largest terrorism financing case in U.S. history — based on evidence of coordination with Hamas. ISNA has not been charged and denies the characterization.

This connection is reportable context but does not constitute evidence that El-Sayed himself holds, finances, or promotes the positions ISNA was alleged to facilitate.

Association with Hasan Piker

El-Sayed has appeared on content with Hasan Piker, the progressive Twitch streamer and commentator. Piker has made statements describing the 9/11 attacks as a consequence of U.S. foreign policy and has expressed support for Hamas.