How the US far-right weaponised ‘inshallah’ against Abdul El-Sayed
Summary
An investigation found a coordinated online campaign against Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate in Michigan, using anti-Muslim messages after his primary win. The campaign framed his victory as a threat connected to his religion and political views, spreading quickly on the social media platform X.Key Facts
- Abdul El-Sayed won the Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan.
- Anti-Muslim campaigns used the word “inshallah” from his speech out of context to suggest a threat.
- A right-wing influencer, Benny Johnson, and others spread the messages, gaining hundreds of thousands of views.
- Over 1,900 accounts and 2,500 interactions were involved in the first 24 hours to spread the campaign.
- The campaign portrayed El-Sayed as a “socialist Muslim” and linked him to conspiracy theories about Islam taking over America.
- The city of Hamtramck, with a large Arab Muslim population, was shown as a target of these far-right claims.
- Political figures, including Republican Senator Ted Cruz, joined in spreading allegations against El-Sayed.
- Pro-Israel lobbying groups viewed El-Sayed’s win as a setback, leading to increased attacks linking him to Muslim organizations.
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