DETROIT, MICHIGAN — Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, faces a striking disconnect among some Muslim voters who oppose his positions on abortion and LGBTQ issues yet say they plan to vote for him anyway.
“He is a Democrat with a Muslim mask,” one attendee of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Convention, who requested anonymity to avoid social reprisals, told Fox News Digital. “Basically he’s like Ilhan Omar, but like a male version.”
He went on to say that, while he takes objection to El-Sayed’s positions on abortion and LGBTQ rights, he “want[s] him to get elected” to improve his community’s “representation.”
Fox News Digital was on the ground at the Islamic Society of North America’s annual conference in Detroit over Labor Day weekend, where El-Sayed delivered the marquee speech amid controversy over past remarks by some conference speakers. The episode has added scrutiny to El-Sayed’s ties to the organization and the political coalition surrounding his campaign.
In total, Fox News Digital spoke to about 10 attendees at the conference, some of whom requested anonymity or declined to be recorded but agreed to speak on background. Several described a tension between their personal views on social issues and their support for El-Sayed, particularly on abortion and LGBTQ issues.
El-Sayed supports codifying Roe v. Wade into law, funding Planned Parenthood, establishing LGBTQ-inclusive sex education and allowing doctors to perform sex-change operations on children. Islamic theology generally takes a more restrictive view of abortion, gender and sexuality, though interpretations vary among Muslims.
Another attendee, a Navy veteran, told Fox News Digital that he strongly opposes El-Sayed’s positions on issues like abortion and LGBTQ sex education, but feels like the Republican Party has let him down following the 2024 election.
“I voted for Donald Trump. When it comes to values, I’m a Republican. But unfortunately they have betrayed us,” he said.
He pointed to the Trump administration’s involvement in foreign wars and cost-of-living concerns as the issues pushing him to support El-Sayed despite the Democrat’s liberal beliefs. Multiple attendees who spoke to Fox News Digital at the conference, including some who declined to be interviewed on the record, said they voted for Trump in 2024 but were planning on supporting El-Sayed in the midterms.
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“We’re concerned about where our tax dollars are going to. A lot of these tax dollars are going to support foreign wars, support countries that aren’t the United States,” Zubin, a longtime El-Sayed supporter, told Fox News Digital. “So I think these are the main issues that resonate not just with the Muslim voters but the everyday voter in all of Michigan.”
Trump’s support for Israel and his military operations in Iran have become growing points of concern for some voters, with polls showing rising dissatisfaction over U.S. involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts.
Trump did uncharacteristically well for a Republican among Michigan Arab Americans in 2024. If support for the GOP slides heavily with that demographic in November, it could spell trouble for the party’s Senate prospects. Republicans, however, are seeking to pick off disaffected Jewish Democrats to gain an edge themselves.
Some attendees who spoke with Fox News Digital were shocked to learn about El-Sayed’s support for abortion and LGBTQ rights.
“Wait, he’s supporting LGBTQ?” one conference attendee, who requested to remain anonymous for social reasons, told Fox News Digital. “I don’t really think that’s good, especially because this is Islam and it prohibits LGBTQ and I do really think that people should abandon… abortion since they’re taking a life away.”
The attendee said he believes if El-Sayed’s social views were more widely known in the Islamic community, his support might decline. Others said they believe the importance of social views among Muslims is dependent on generation.
“So yes, Abdul El-Sayed, maybe his views when it comes to these things, maybe more similar to mine as compared to our parents, our grandparents, yes, with those generations. There may be a little bit of friction, but this is natural,” Zubin said. “I do think, yes, these are probably going to be talking points within the Muslim community.”
Some individuals who spoke to Fox News Digital acknowledged that the Islamic community has some deeply held conservative beliefs, but argued that the community will be able to look past that come November.
“He’s gonna be great for education, and he’s gonna be great for medical,” Fauzi, who was attending the conference, told Fox News Digital. “5-10% of the issues, people may differ. But we have to look at the big picture [and] how he can be impactful for the state of Michigan, the country at large, and all of us here.”
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A handful of attendees who spoke with Fox News Digital said their community would be excited if a Muslim Republican ran in their state, while others stressed that the party’s reputation could hamper its ability to appeal to Arab Americans.
“Yes, if you’re a good person, a good politician and running for the Republican Party and you believe in your values and that you can do good, go ahead and run, and I’m sure you can win a lot of support from this community as well,” Zubin said.
“I think it’s very difficult for a Muslim to run as a Republican because, frankly, a lot of Republican voters do tend to have a strong bias against us,” another attendee, who requested to remain anonymous, told Fox News Digital.
The El-Sayed campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
