Abdul El-Sayed uses speech to talk about Muslim faith and American identity

Published On 6 Sep 20266 Sep 2026.

Key points

• At the Annual Islamic Society Conference on Saturday, the 41-year-old Democrat and public health advocate.
• El-Sayed, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the US Senate seat in November's midterms, will face a high-stakes general election battle against Republican Mike Rogers.
• Addressing the state of Muslim American belonging, El-Sayed remarked that at their best, being Muslim makes us better Americans.
• During his speech, El-Sayed additionally questioned the US government's spending priorities under Trump against the backdrop of continuing military escalations and overseas quagmires.
• Travelling throughout the Midwestern state in recent weeks, El-Sayed stated that he discovered residents' worries transcended religious, racial and geographic divides.

While additionally blasting the US and Israel's war on Iran, the Democratic Senate candidate for the US state of Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, has applied a speech in Detroit to discuss Muslim American identity.

At the Annual Islamic Society Conference on Saturday, the 41-year-old Democrat and public health advocate. This person has been on the receiving end of Islamophobic remarks during this election cycle, addressed Islamophobia in the US.

"We find ourselves in a moment now, where as people point to us, Muslim Americans, they want to tell us that we don't belong, " he informed the crowd. "They want to tell us that this country is not ours. They want to tell us that since of our names and how we pray, somehow we are less than. But as I look in front of me, I see individuals who contribute to that sizeable America every single day."

El-Sayed, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the US Senate seat in November's midterms, will face a high-stakes general election battle against Republican Mike Rogers. The former US Representative is backed by President Donald Trump.

After weeks of trading barbs online, the two candidates have finally agreed to hold two televised debates, the first on October 8 at Wood TV8 in Grand Rapids, the second on October 21 at WXYZ-TV in Detroit.

Addressing the state of Muslim American belonging, El-Sayed remarked that "at their best, being Muslim makes us better Americans. And being American enables us to be better Muslims, " he stated. He continued that the two sets of ideals are "not mutually exclusive."

"How are you gonna pay for that while we know our infrastructure is crumbling and our literacy rates are tumbling?" he asked the crowd. "It's time for us to focus on addressing the problems that people in our country need solved."

Travelling throughout the Midwestern state in recent weeks, El-Sayed stated that he discovered residents' worries transcended religious, racial and geographic divides. He remarked they were "basic needs" like paying for groceries and gas "instead of dropping bombs or doing apartheid or genocide against somebody else and their kids", referring to Israel's genocidal war in Gaza.

"Michiganders don't care how you pray, " he remarked. "They care what you pray for and what you hope for."

For now, abdul El-Sayed uses speech to talk about Muslim faith and American identity remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.