← Latest briefing

Politics

Michigan Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed faces criticism after comparing Sharia law to canon law

The U.S. Senate candidate defended his stance against Sharia law bans during a television interview, prompting backlash from conservative commentators.

The short version

  • Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed defended his opposition to Sharia law bans during a Fox News interview.
  • El-Sayed compared Sharia law to Catholic canon law and argued that no one is attempting to impose religious law on others.
  • Conservative commentators criticized the statement, arguing that canon law applies internally to church governance while Sharia law includes broader civil and legal governance.

Key facts

  • Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed compared Islamic Sharia law to Catholic canon law in an interview on Fox News.[Fox News]
  • El-Sayed stated that individuals are not attempting to push Sharia law on others and cited freedom of religion as a core principle.[Fox News]
  • In 2022, El-Sayed described legislative efforts to ban Sharia law as rooted in White supremacy.[Fox News]
  • Conservative commentators and public figures publicly challenged El-Sayed's comparison on social media platforms following the interview.[Fox News]

What remains uncertain

  • The El-Sayed campaign's response to the social media backlash remains unverified, as Fox News Digital requested comment but did not report a reply.[Fox News]

Sources