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

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that after Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, he became the target of a coordinated online smear campaign centered on a clip from his election-night speech. The attack focused on his use of “inshallah,” an Arabic expression meaning “God willing,” which critics on X recast as evidence of a Muslim or ideological threat rather than a routine phrase of hope. The article says the campaign quickly spread through prominent right-wing influencers and was amplified by accounts framing El-Sayed as a “socialist Muslim candidate” and suggesting a broader religious takeover.

According to Al Jazeera’s investigation, the early spread relied heavily on reposts and quote posts rather than organic discussion, with a network of nearly 2,000 X accounts and more than 2,500 interactions in the first day. The piece also says other El-Sayed comments were taken out of context, and that some posts escalated into claims about “Sharia” and demographic “invasion,” including references to Hamtramck, Michigan, a city with a large Arab Muslim population. Al Jazeera says the narrative was bolstered by political and pro-Israel figures, including references to CAIR, AIPAC, and comments from Republican Senator Ted Cruz and others.

The article says the controversy gained additional force after Donald Trump attacked El-Sayed following the primary results, calling him anti-Jewish and anti-Israel. El-Sayed responded by emphasizing support for Jewish safety and focusing on policy themes such as education, healthcare, and jobs. The reporting suggests the episode reflects how online disinformation and identity-based attacks can shape national political debates, especially when race, religion, and US foreign policy intersect.