Chauvinist or victim of the establishment? The Muslim Senate candidate who promises: "My contempt is directed at everyone"

Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim candidate for the U.S. Senate, is under attack from the Democratic establishment and the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, which has invested $30 million to prevent his election. He calls the war in Gaza "genocide" and urges an end to military aid to Israel. His supporters see the accusations as racist persecution, while his critics point to a toxic culture around him.

Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim candidate for the U.S. Senate, finds himself under attack from the Democratic establishment and the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, which has invested $30 million to prevent his election. The campaign against him includes accusations of chauvinism, to the point that his eight-year-old daughter asked why they say he treats women badly. El-Sayed, of Egyptian descent, and his supporters see the accusations as persecution that perpetuates racist stereotypes against Middle Eastern men. He calls on AIPAC to "burn their money" and focuses his campaign on ending military aid to Israel, calling the war in Gaza "genocide." The Democratic establishment supports his rival, Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who is pro-Israel, arguing that his far-left positions will alienate voters. Critics, like Shannon Watts, claim that the masculine online culture around him uses his contempt to mock his rivals. El-Sayed defends himself by saying that if there were real evidence of mistreatment of women, the public would have heard about it. The race in Michigan is far from decided.

Chauvinist or victim of the establishment? The Muslim Senate candidate who promises: "My contempt is directed at everyone"