Report: El-Sayed protested against ‘ex-terrorists’ who converted to Christianity in 2007
The Michigan Senate nominee said at the time that participants in the student walkout had “done something good” after protesters disrupted the campus presentation.
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed participated in and praised a student walkout nearly two decades ago during a University of Michigan event that featured three “ex-terrorists” who converted from Islam to Christianity, Fox News reported Sept. 14.
The January 2007 protest targeted an appearance by Walid Shoebat, Zachariah Annani, and Kamal Saleem, according to a contemporaneous report from the student-run Michigan Daily. El-Sayed, who attended the university from 2003 to 2007, served at the time as vice president of the university’s Muslim Students Association, one of the groups involved in the walkout.
The three speakers toured campuses during the mid-2000s, describing what they said was their previous involvement in terrorist groups, including the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Muslim Brotherhood, before their conversions to Christianity. Their accounts later drew scrutiny from some outlets and religious freedom organizations who accused them of falsely claiming to be former terrorists.
According to the Michigan Daily, the university event, called “Terrorism: The World’s Greatest Threat,” was organized by the college’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter. Shortly before it began, protesters wearing yellow shirts filled about one-quarter of the auditorium’s seats, prompting organizers to ask them to make room for supporters. About 30 minutes into the presentation, the protesters stood and walked out.
Organizers said they intended to educate students about Islamic extremism, while participants in the walkout accused the speakers of “generalizing an entire group of people” in statements to the paper.
El-Sayed, who spoke at the protestor’s counter-event, said at the time that the group had “done something good today, and we need to keep that going in the future,” according to the Michigan Daily.
Responding to the renewed attention surrounding the protest, El-Sayed campaign spokesperson Cole Wozniak told Fox News that the Michigan Democrat “unequivocally denounced terrorism.”
“Two decades ago, he protested against speakers who have been widely condemned by experts, including in national security, for spreading misinformation and fabricating their backstories,” Wozniak said. “Mike Rogers and his allies are pushing lies because they don't want to talk about the record-high prices Michiganders are paying for gas and groceries because of Trump's illegal war in Iran.”
The episode has resurfaced as Republicans scrutinize El-Sayed’s record ahead of his November race against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers for Michigan’s open Senate seat. El-Sayed has separately faced criticism for campaigning alongside Hasan Piker, the left-wing streamer who said in 2019 that “America deserved 9/11” before later apologizing for the remark.
>> El-Sayed apologizes for ‘hurt people hurt people’ comment after Michigan synagogue attack <<
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