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Republicans are putting Muslims at the center of the US midterm election campaign

2026-09-09 23:43:52Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Republicans are putting Muslims at the center of the US midterm election
Democratic candidate for US Senate, Abdul El-Sayed, at the center of clashes

Reuters/ Republican Vice President JD Vance last week called Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim and Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, “very, very evil.” Vance accused him of advocating terrorism because of statements he made after the March attack on a synagogue in suburban Detroit.

In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who is in a tight race for re-election, has attacked a Muslim-led development project and demanded an investigation into what he described as an effort to create “Sharia courts.” The claim has been disputed by the project’s developers and civil rights organizations.

Meanwhile, in Alabama, where Muslims make up less than 0.5% of the population, Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville, a candidate for governor, warned that "the enemy is within the gates," referring to what he described as radical Islam.

Muslims become an electoral issue

The statements reflect efforts to put Islam and the Muslim community in the electoral debate ahead of the November 3 elections, which will determine whether Democrats succeed in wresting control of Congress from President Donald Trump's Republicans.

Critics say this rhetoric unfairly targets Muslims, while Republicans argue it raises legitimate concerns about security, extremism and the role of religion in public life.

Abbott campaign spokesman Eduardo Leal stated that the Texas governor's actions regarding the development project focused on alleged violations of the law and not religious belief.

According to Pew Research Center data cited by Reuters, there are about 5.5 million Muslims living in the United States, up from 2.4 million in 2007. They currently make up about 1.6% of the American population.

Over the past year, Muslim political representation has grown significantly. New York elected Zohran Mamdani as the city's first Muslim mayor, while Abdul El-Sayed could become the first Muslim senator in U.S. history. Ghazala Hashmi became the first Muslim woman elected to state office last year, taking office as lieutenant governor of Virginia.

The rhetoric has also extended to the House of Representatives races. Republicans Keith Self and Chip Roy of Texas have formed the “Sharia Free America Caucus,” while Republican Congressman Randy Fine of Florida has introduced legislation that he says aims to confront the “growth” of sharia law in the US.

Abdul El-Sayed at the center of the clashes

As the only Muslim running for state-level office in the US this year, Abdul El-Sayed has placed himself at the center of anti-Islam rhetoric.

JD Vance's criticisms are related to El-Sayed's statements after an attack in March, when a person crashed his vehicle into a synagogue in suburban Detroit, at a time when children were inside the building.

El-Sayed condemned the attack, but when speaking about the perpetrator, he used the phrase that “hurt people hurt other people,” noting that some of the attacker’s relatives in Lebanon had recently been killed in an Israeli airstrike. He later admitted that his statements may have been misinterpreted and apologized.

Following Vance's political attacks, El-Sayed hit back last month, accusing Republicans of dividing society for political gain. He said the evil is taking away healthcare from working people to give tax breaks to billionaires, as well as forcing citizens to pay more for food and gas.

El-Sayed has also been criticized by Republicans for his ties to left-wing influencer Hassan Picker, who has in the past stated that the United States "deserved" the September 11, 2001 attacks.

In a podcast interview, El-Sayed also spoke about the sense of isolation some Americans experience, which he attributed to cell phones and social media, comparing it to the sense of community that, according to him, exists among his relatives in Egypt.

Tuberville responded on the X platform by writing: "If you hate America so much, go live in Egypt."

Debate over political motives

The focus on Muslims comes at a difficult political time for Republicans. According to polls cited by Reuters, support for President Donald Trump stands at around 33%, while the main concerns of Americans are related to the high cost of living, the US-Israeli war against Iran and Trump's tariffs on foreign goods.

Public attitudes toward Israel have also changed, particularly among Democrats, where polls show increased sympathy for the Palestinians and greater opposition to American military aid to Israel.

Aaron Hughes, a professor of religious studies at the University of Rochester and a scholar of Islam and Judaism, argues that the increased attention to Muslims comes at a time when Republicans are struggling to gain political ground on issues such as the cost of living, the war with Iran and immigration.

According to him, the political use of Islam serves as a form of fear-mongering and diverts attention from the main problems that concern citizens.

Hughes also notes that political attacks occur despite the fact that a portion of American Muslims hold conservative positions that align with some of the traditional Republican policies, including opposition to some abortion procedures and same-sex marriage.

Experts point out that using minorities as targets in political campaigns is not a new phenomenon in the US, although the rhetoric has become harsher.

Two years ago, during the 2024 presidential campaign, several Republicans, including Donald Trump, spread the false claim that Haitian immigrants living in Springfield, Ohio, were eating residents' pets.

Although Trump himself is not on the ballot this November, the low level of support for his job could negatively affect Republican candidates.

Ashik Siddique, co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America, said it would be wrong to attribute Islamophobia to just one political party. According to him, Democratic leaders have also contributed to anti-Muslim rhetoric from time to time.

He referred to former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who during his mayoral campaign last year raised the question of what it would be like if Mamdani were running the city at the time of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The clash goes beyond the campaign

The debate has not been limited to the electoral campaign.

In August, Governor Greg Abbott called for a federal investigation into two Texas airports for facilities designed for Islamic ritual ablution, arguing that publicly owned airports cannot favor one religion over another.

Abbott's campaign rejected accusations that the action targeted Muslims because of their faith.

Houston's Democratic Mayor, John Whitmire, stated that the ablution facility and the prayer room next to it are open to all travelers, employees and other people, regardless of religious belief.

According to him, no one has privileged access and no one is excluded from using these facilities.


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