Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for Michigan's U.S. Senate seat, led a protest against three speakers at the University of Michigan in 2007 who described themselves as former terrorists and were discussing their conversion to Christianity. The protesters argued that the event was harmful and generalized about an entire group of people, while El-Sayed’s campaign spokesperson asserts that he unequivocally denounced terrorism and protested against individuals spreading misinformation. The article highlights potential ties between El-Sayed's previous role in the Muslim Students Association and alleged connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is under scrutiny by the U.S. government for possible terrorist activities.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In 2007, Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, led a protest at the University of Michigan against three speakers – Walid Shoebat, Zachariah Annani, and Kamal Saleem – who described themselves as former members of terrorist organizations like the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Muslim Brotherhood before converting to Christianity. The protesters walked out during the event, which El-Sayed supported afterward by saying, "We’ve done something good today." This protest is now being scrutinized amid claims that El-Sayed was a leader in an organization with ties to alleged terrorist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood. His campaign spokesperson has denied any connection to terrorism and emphasized his opposition to it.
Written for “Abdul El Sayed Protest Controversy” on 2026-09-14,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.25, but none of the 2 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
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Leaning score withheld for article 9375: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-14
Michigan’s progressive Democratic Senate nominee, while sitting atop an organization with ties to an alleged terrorist group, once protested an event where a trio of "ex-terrorists" discussed their conversion to Christianity.
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trio → sit → Christianity
Abdul El-Sayed, who is running in Michigan’s highly watched and hotly contested race for Senate against the GOP nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers, was a leader of a protest against three "ex-terrorists" who spoke at the University of Michigan in 2007, according to an unearthed report.
uncertain
who → run → report
The protest, chronicled by the Michigan Daily, was against three speakers, Walid Shoebat, Zachariah Annani and Kamal Saleem, self-described former terrorists who were making the rounds during the mid-2000s to discuss their lives in the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Muslim Brotherhood before converting to Christianity.
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who → chronicle → Christianity
Students attending the talk staged a walkout, which El-Sayed cheered afterward.
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Sayed → attend → which
"We’ve done something good today, and we need to keep that going in the future," El-Sayed said.
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Sayed → do → future
El-Sayed's campaign spokesperson, Cole Wozniak, told Fox News Digital that the candidate had "unequivocally denounced terrorism."
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candidate → tell → terrorism
"Two decades ago, he protested against speakers who have been widely condemned by experts, including in national security, for spreading misinformation and fabricating their backstories," Wozniak said.
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Wozniak → protest → backstories
"Mike Rogers and his allies are pushing lies because they don't want to talk about the record-high prices Michiganders are paying for gas and groceries because of Trump's illegal war in Iran.
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Michiganders → push → Iran
The New York Times reported in 2008 that before speaking at the Air Force Academy, organizations criticized their appearance and several Arab-American civil rights organizations questioned why they had not been arrested or deported given their apparent connections to terrorist groups.
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they → report → groups
Event organizers told the Michigan Daily that it was meant to educate people about the dangers of Muslim extremism, not promote intolerance.
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it → tell → intolerance
On the other hand, the protesters, who were clad in yellow, argued that their pushback was highlighting that the event was "generalizing an entire group of people."
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event → clothe → people
El-Sayed at the time was the vice president of the Muslim Students Association (MSA), which is alleged to have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization that the White House requested last year that the State and Treasury departments determine whether certain chapters should be designated as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists.
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chapters → allege → organizations
By the early 1960s, the Muslim Brotherhood had built a presence in the U.S., where its members functioned primarily through student unions on college campuses, most particularly through the Muslim Students Association (MSA).
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members → build → Association
Lara Burns, a senior research fellow at George Washington University’s program on extremism, told the Senate Judiciary Committee last month in written testimony that by the 1960s, the Muslim Brotherhood had built a presence in the U.S., "where its members functioned primarily through student unions on college campuses, most particularly through the Muslim Students Association (MSA)."
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members → tell → Association
The MSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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MSA → respond → comment
President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to label a handful of chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists.
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administration → seek → organizations
Trump ordered that the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood chapter, Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood chapter and Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood chapter be considered for the designations for their connections to Hamas and the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
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chapter → order → Israel
