How the US far-right weaponised ‘inshallah’ against Abdul El-Sayed

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkUS Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks to supporters during a campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan, on August 2, 2026 [Rebecca Cook/Reuters]By Al Jazeera StaffPublished On 10 Aug 202610 Aug 2026An Al Jazeera investigation has tracked the rapid spread of an anti-Muslim campaign on X after Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan in the Democratic primary for a United States Senate seat.It found that the apparently orchestrated campaign against El-Sayed, whose election win is seen as a setback for pro-Israel lobbying groups such as AIPAC, has sought to reframe his electoral win as a religious and ideological threat to the US.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4John Esposito, pioneering scholar of Islam in the US, dies aged 86list 2 of 4Australian court rejects racial discrimination appeal by Pauline Hansonlist 3 of 4From Trump to El-Sayed: US Arabs in Michigan centre Palestine in politicslist 4 of 4US Arabs eye ‘historic’ Senate win for Abdul El-Sayed despite AIPAC attacksend of listThe attacks began with accounts clipping the phrase “inshallah”, which means “God willing”, from El-Sayed’s election night speech. This word was used in the context that he hoped his election win would prove that money alone does not decide elections in the US.The phrase was stripped of its ordinary context – as a common expression of hope by Arabic speakers – and was instead presented as evidence of a sinister political and religious takeover of the country.Right-wing influencer Benny Johnson led the trend, posting a clip that gathered more than 193,000 views with the caption: “Muslim Socialist Candidate for Senate in Michigan Abdul El-Sayed says ‘inshallah’ during his speech on election night.”Similarly, the account ALX framed the speech as a suspicious act in a post that drew more than 80,000 views.Accounts also used terms such as “socialist Muslim candidate” while far-right figure Laura Loomer described the clip as “disgusting”.Before the final results of Tuesday’s primary were even in, one account claimed an “Islamic communist takeover of the left is coming”.Anatomy of a coordinated smearAl Jazeera’s investigation mapped a network of 1,966 accounts and more than 2,500 connections in the first 24 hours alone.The analysis showed the spread of anti-El-Sayed tweets relied heavily on reshares of posts rather than direct discussion. Al Jazeera recorded 1,847 reposts, 1,157 quotes and 1,536 mentions.A network analysis of the campaign’s first 24 hours by the Open Source Unit maps 1,966 X accounts and more than 2,500 interactions. The graphic illustrates how the spread of information was not organic but centralised around a few key influencers who established the initial narratives before secondary accounts expanded their reach.Accounts such as End Wokeness appeared to try to portray El-Sayed as a threat by sharing an out-of-context clip of him saying: “When they go low, we don’t go high. We take them to the mud and choke them out.”This quote, however, was from an August 2025 event in which he was subverting former first lady Michelle Obama’s famous phrase to critique political attacks by President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) base.The rhetoric quickly escalated into baseless claims that “Sharia is coming to America” and Michigan was being “invaded”.The city of Hamtramck, where 25 percent of its 28,000 residents are Arab Muslims, was targeted as an “occupied city” facing a demographic invasion due to immigration and mosque expansions.Political and pro-Israel overlapThe far-right narrative spread rapidly as political figures and pro-Israel organisations joined the debate. It comes after a Fox News report alleged that El-Sayed received donations from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). El-Sayed did not comment on the claims, but CAIR, an American Muslim civil rights group, has been the target of right-wing politicians and groups in the US.Republican Senator Ted Cruz amplified these claims by sharing a clip of a hearing in which a witness alleged ties between El-Sayed and Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups, urging voters to find out “who is behind him”.The American Jewish Committee described his candidacy as a worrying sign of divisive rhetoric, and Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad called him “dangerous”.Other accounts framed the election as a clash of religious and cultural civilisations while Hananya Naftali, a YouTuber and former digital aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called on Americans to defend “Judeo-Christian values before it is too late”.Trump amplifies the attacksThe campaign received an enormous political boost when Trump attacked candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, calling them “crazy” and saying they would make cities “filthy and disgusting”.After the official primary results were released, Trump targeted El-Sayed directly, calling him a “hater of Jews” and “hater of Israel” who will bring “filth, crime, death, destruction, embarrassment”. Trump’s speech merged far-right narratives into a unified Republican attack aimed at rallying voters behind El-Sayed’s Republican opponent in November’s midterm elections, Mike Rogers.Pushing back with policyEl-Sayed has directly addressed accusations of anti-Semitism, emphasising his commitment to the safety of Jewish Americans. He said his concern for their safety is no different from that for his own daughters. A Fox News clip of this statement garnered more than a million views.Instead of engaging in ad hominem attacks against his opponents or delving into identity-based attacks, El-Sayed has focused on equality. He said all Americans deserve quality education, healthcare and decent jobs regardless of their origin, skin colour or how they pray.El-Sayed has received strong backing from leaders in the Democratic Party who tried to steer the conversation back to policy. Senator Bernie Sanders congratulated him for taking on the “billionaire class” while Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin and Senator Elizabeth Warren praised his dedication to working families and his willingness to tackle corporate influence in politics.Despite this support, liberal commentator Brian Krassenstein predicted that El-Sayed will remain a constant target of the MAGA movement who will face repeated smears of being a “terrorist” and “communist” in the months ahead.