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US Senate Candidate El-Sayed speaks on anti-Islam protest in Dearborn
Metro Detroit became the epicenter of religious extremism when Nazi sympathizers, Christian Nationalists, and anti-Islam agitators gathered in Dearborn on Tuesday. On FOX 2, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed spoke on what happened as anti-Islamic rhetoric continues to rise amid the Midterms.
As anti-Muslim rhetoric has increased in Michigan and beyond this election season, a local organization said it’s received multiple death threats in the wake of Jake Lang’s visit to Dearborn last week.
Anti-Muslim rhetoric analysis
Big picture view:
A Washington Post analysis found conversations online changed after Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary earlier this month.
Dig deeper:
The Post says after his win, commentary about him shifted focus from socialism to his Muslim identity.
By the numbers:
Nearly 1 in 3 posts about El-Sayed from right-wing figures mentioned Islam, Muslims or sharia by Aug. 18, which was two weeks after the election, according to The Post’s analysis of conservative commentary across social media, newsletters and podcasts.
For context:
Michigan is home to one of the largest Muslim populations in the country – around 240,000 people, according to World Population Review.
Dearborn, in metro Detroit, is home to one of the largest Arab American and Muslim populations in the country. Nearly half of the city’s 110,000 residents are of Arab descent.
El-Sayed is of Egyptian descent.
Abdul El-Sayed at a rally in Detroit Tuesday morning, Aug. 25, 2026, to speak out against hate in Michigan. (WJBK)
What they're saying:
El-Sayed held an event in Detroit Tuesday morning calling for an end to the rhetoric. Dearborn mayor Abdullah Hammoud, Washtenaw County prosecutor Eli Savit, Michigan’s lieutenant governor Garlin Gilchrist II and other local leaders also spoke.
CAIR-MI death threats
Local perspective:
The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, said this week that it recently received death threats at its office.
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Dearborn anti-Muslim protests: Mayor, CAIR respond to how night unfolded
Recapping the protests outside the Dearborn library Tuesday night, Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and CAIR’s Dawud Walid talk with Brandon Hudson about how the night unfolded.
What they're saying:
CAIR-MI said it regularly receives harassing emails and DMs, often multiple times a day. But the organization said the harassment escalated significantly last week shortly after the appearance of right-wing agitator Jake Lang in Dearborn, and the organization received three specific death threats on three consecutive days.
Lang attended Dearborn’s city council meeting that night, where he made incendiary claims during a public comment period about white Christians being replaced in the city. Lang and Detroit pastor Lorenzo Sewell hatched the so-called Crusader March as a gathering of anti-Muslim protesters to say their belief that America is a Christian country.
READ MORE: Dearborn protest leads to 22 arrests during Jake Lang's 'Christian Crusade' demonstration
Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate primary
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Rogers reaches out to Dem voters; El-Sayed pushes for Medicare
Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers is campaigning for Dem voters. Meanwhile, Democrat candidate Abdul El-Sayed gives his proposal for Medicare for All.
The backstory:
Widely considered the political outsider, Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated the Democratic establishment candidate, Haley Stevens, in Michigan’s August primary.
He’s facing off against Mike Rogers, who ran unsuccessfully for Debbie Stabenow's seat upon her retirement in 2024.
READ MORE: Mike Rogers, Abdul El-Sayed waste no time going on the attack as November looms
Dig deeper:
Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat is one of the most closely-watched races this election cycle. The seat is being left vacant by Gary Peters, who is retiring.
What's next:
The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
READ MORE: Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers latest polls
The Source: Information in this article was taken from a Washington Post report and analysis of social media, newsletters and podcasts, a statement given by CAIR-MI on Aug. 24, 2026, and World Population Review.