How US far-right forces weaponised ‘Inshallah’ against El-Sayed

Al Jazeera

An Al Jazeera investigation has highlighted the rapid spread of an anti-Muslim campaign on X following Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Democratic primary for a US Senate seat. His victory is being viewed as a setback for influential pro-Israel lobbying groups such as AIPAC. At the same time, the Islamophobic campaign has sought to portray his victory as a religious and ideological threat to America. The attacks against El-Sayed centred on the phrase ‘Inshallah’ (God willing), which he used in his election-night speech to express hope that his victory would prove that money alone does not determine the fate of US elections.

On the internet, far-right accounts stripped the phrase of its normal context and portrayed it as evidence of political and religious takeover. American far-right influencer Benny Johnson posted a clip in which El-Sayed said ‘Inshallah’, and it received more than 193,000 views. Meanwhile, a post by ALX received more than 80,000 views. Many accounts labelled El-Sayed a ‘socialist Muslim candidate’. Right-wing activist Laura Loomer called the clip ‘disgusting’. Another account claimed that Islamic communists were coming to dominate the left.

A coordinated disinformation framework

In the first 24 hours of its investigation, Al Jazeera identified 1,966 accounts and more than 2,500 connections, including 1,847 reposts, 1,157 quotes and 1,536 mentions. The accounts also circulated a context-free clip of El-Sayed in which he said, “When they go low, we don’t go high. We take them into the mud and choke them.” The comment was taken from an August 2025 event where he was criticising attacks by supporters of Donald Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ movement. The rhetoric culminated in baseless claims that “Sharia is coming to America” and that Michigan was under ‘attack’. Hamtramck, a city in the state where 25 percent of its 28,000 residents are Arab Muslims, was described as an ‘occupied city’.

Political and pro-Israel affiliations

Fox News also alleged that El-Sayed had received donations from the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Republican Senator Ted Cruz further amplified claims of his links to groups associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. The American Jewish Committee called his candidacy concerning, while Israeli rights activist Yoseph Haddad described him as ‘dangerous’. Meanwhile, Hanania Naftali called on Americans to protect ‘Judeo-Christian values’.
Trump intensifies attacks Donald Trump called El-Sayed ‘anti-Semitic’ and ‘anti-Israel’, saying that he would bring ‘filth, crime, death, destruction and disgrace’. The attack further intensified Republican efforts on behalf of Trump’s opponent in the November election, Mike Rogers.

A response through policy

In response, El-Sayed rejected allegations of anti-Semitism and highlighted his commitment to the safety of Jewish Americans. He said that all Americans, regardless of their background, skin colour or religion, have the right to quality education, healthcare and good jobs. Meanwhile, US Senators Bernie Sanders, Ken Martin and Elizabeth Warren have supported his position against the influence of wealthy business interests on working families and politics. Liberal commentator Brian Krassenstein warned that a sustained disinformation campaign would continue within the MAGA movement, portraying him as a ‘terrorist’ and a ‘communist’