El-Sayed campaign received $115,000 from donors affiliated with group accused of terrorist ties, report finds

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign received more than $115,000 from at least 41 donors affiliated with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim advocacy organization that has faced allegations of ties to Hamas, according to a Fox News Digital review of campaign finance records published Aug. 5. 

The donors identified by the report included current and former CAIR employees and leaders, among them national Board Chair Manal Fakhoury, national Board Treasurer Eyas Abdeen and national Vice Chair Emad Sabbah.

CAIR-Michigan board member Jukaku Tayeb, El-Sayed’s father-in-law, was also among the donors. According to Fox, Tayeb has also been a major contributor to a super PAC supporting El-Sayed’s campaign. The outlet, citing an earlier Washington Free Beacon report, also identified Tayeb as a member of the founding committee of the Islamic Society of North America, which has faced allegations of financial connections to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

One CAIR-Michigan board member, Muzammil Ahmed, contributed $11,600, the report said. Other donations came from people affiliated with CAIR chapters in California, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Washington, Illinois, Minnesota, and Ohio.

El-Sayed, who was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., defeated establishment-backed Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Aug. 4 Democratic primary. He will face Republican Mike Rogers in November.

>> El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate primary; CatholicVote warns of ‘radical socialist policies’ <<

Following El-Sayed’s victory, CatholicVote Vice President of Advocacy Joshua Mercer urged Michigan Catholics to oppose him in the general election. Mercer criticized El-Sayed’s association with “radical streamer Hasan Piker, who praised Chairman Mao and said America deserved 9/11” and accused the nominee of supporting “radical socialist policies,” as Zeale News previously reported.

CAIR describes itself as a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, but it has faced scrutiny over alleged ties to Hamas. According to Fox, federal prosecutors named CAIR as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2007 Holy Land Foundation terrorism-financing case. CAIR was not charged with a crime and has denied supporting Hamas or other terrorist organizations.

The United Arab Emirates designated CAIR a terrorist organization in 2014. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, both Republicans, issued state-level executive actions labeling CAIR a terrorist organization in 2025. CAIR has challenged the state actions, calling them unfounded and unconstitutional. The group is not designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.

In comments to Fox, CAIR rejected allegations of terrorist ties and pointed to previous statements condemning antisemitism, Hamas, and attacks against civilians. 

El-Sayed has previously participated in CAIR events. In 2022, he was paid to speak at a CAIR event, where he criticized an Oklahoma constitutional amendment prohibiting courts from considering Islamic law, according to the Beacon. As Zeale News previously reported, CAIR Action, the group’s legally distinct political affiliate, also endorsed El-Sayed ahead of the Aug. 4 primary. 

>> CAIR relaunches Muslim voter campaign targeting 12 priority states <<