Coordinated 'Inshallah' Smear Campaign Targets Abdul El-Sayed After Michigan Primary Win
Al Jazeera Staff
An Al Jazeera investigation uncovers a coordinated social media campaign on X to smear Abdul El-Sayed, the Egyptian American doctor who won Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, by decontextualizing his use of 'inshallah.' The campaign, amplified by right-wing influencers and political figures including Trump, seeks to frame him as a religious and political threat.
An Al Jazeera investigation traced the rapid spread of an Islamophobic campaign on X following Abdul El-Sayed's victory in the Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan.
The campaign appeared organized to counter El-Sayed, whose win was seen as a setback for pro-Israel lobbying groups such as AIPAC. The goal was to transform his electoral victory into a religious and ideological threat to America.
Attacks began with accounts decontextualizing the phrase “inshallah” (“if God wills”) from his election night speech. In context, he expressed hope that his victory would prove money does not decide U.S. elections. The phrase, a common expression of hope among Arabic speakers, was stripped of its ordinary meaning and presented as evidence of a religious and political conspiracy.
Right-wing influencer Benny Johnson led the trend, posting a video with over 193,000 views captioned: “Socialist Islamic Senate candidate in Michigan Abdul El-Sayed says ‘inshallah’ during his election night speech.” The ALX account also posted a similar video with over 80,000 views. Many accounts used terms like “socialist Islamic candidate,” while far-right figure Laura Loomer called the video “disgusting.” Before primary results were announced, one account claimed “the Islamic communist takeover of the left is coming.”
Network analysis
The Al Jazeera investigation recorded 1,966 X accounts and over 2,500 related interactions in the first 24 hours. Spread relied primarily on reposts of original posts (1,847 reposts, 1,157 quotes, and 1,536 mentions) rather than direct discussion. The analysis suggests the narrative did not spread organically but rather centered on a few key influencers who set the story, with secondary accounts amplifying it.
Accounts like End Wokeness shared a clipped video of El-Sayed saying, “When they go low, we go high? No, we don’t. We drag them into the mud and choke them out.” However, this quote was from an August 2025 event where he inverted Michelle Obama’s famous line to criticize political attacks from Donald Trump's MAGA base. The inflammatory language escalated into baseless accusations that “Sharia is coming to America” and that Michigan is being “invaded.” The city of Hamtramck — where 25% of its 28,000 residents are Arab Muslims — was described as an “occupied city” due to immigration and mosque construction.
Political figures and pro-Israel groups join
The wave of bigotry expanded as political figures and pro-Israel groups joined in. Fox News aired a segment suggesting El-Sayed received funding from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Republican Senator Ted Cruz amplified allegations of ties between El-Sayed and groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, urging voters to find out “who is behind him.” The American Jewish Committee described his candidacy as a worrying sign, and Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad called him “dangerous.” Hananya Naftali, a former digital aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urged Americans to protect “Judeo-Christian values before it’s too late.”
Trump adds fuel
Trump gave the campaign a major political boost by attacking candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, calling them “crazy” and saying they would make cities “filthy and disgusting.” After official primary results were announced, Trump directly targeted El-Sayed, calling him a “Jew hater” and “Israel hater” who would bring “filth, crime, death, destruction, and shame.”
El-Sayed's response
El-Sayed directly addressed the antisemitism allegations, emphasizing his commitment to the safety of Jewish Americans — which he said was no different from the safety of his own daughters. Instead of responding with personal attacks, he focused on equality, arguing that all Americans deserve education, healthcare, and decent jobs regardless of background, skin color, or how they pray.
Several Democratic leaders voiced support. Senator Bernie Sanders congratulated him for taking on the “billionaire class.” DNC Chair Ken Martin and Senator Elizabeth Warren praised his dedication to working people and his willingness to challenge corporate influence in politics. Nevertheless, liberal commentator Brian Krassenstein predicted El-Sayed would remain a target of the MAGA movement, facing “terrorist” and “communist” accusations in the coming months.
