El-Sayed denies Muslim Brotherhood ties amid campaign dispute

Abdul El-Sayed denied that he or his family had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood during a televised interview, responding to a question about accusations raised by his Senate opponent, Mike Rogers. The denial has become a focus of the Michigan Senate campaign after social-media posts attributed to El-Sayed’s half-sister were cited by Rogers as evidence of family connections to the group. On Sunday’s Meet the Press, host Kristen Welker asked El-Sayed whether he or his family had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. He answered, “No,” and repeated the denial when Welker asked separately about his own ties and those of his family. El-Sayed also said Rogers was raising the issue because he wanted to emphasize El-Sayed’s Muslim faith. The posts attributed to Eman Abdelhadi, a University of Chicago assistant professor, date to 2012 and 2013. In a June 24, 2012, post, she wrote, “My family has long been MB,” using an abbreviation for the Muslim Brotherhood, while criticizing the group’s handling of politics. In July 2013 posts, she referred to family members jailed for involvement and urged relatives supporting the group in Egypt to stay safe.