El Sayed’s Liberal Agenda Collides With Muslim Backers Who Call Him Male Ilhan Omar [WATCH]

Abdul El Sayed, Michigan’s Democratic nominee for the United States Senate, is testing just how far identity politics can carry a candidate whose agenda conflicts with the religious convictions of many voters supporting him.

For some Muslim voters, representation appears to outweigh policy, even on abortion, sexuality, and gender.

That contradiction was on display at the Islamic Society of North America’s annual convention in Detroit, where El Sayed delivered the marquee address.

Several attendees told Fox News Digital that they objected to major parts of his liberal platform but intended to vote for him anyway.

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One attendee offered a blunt description of the candidate while requesting anonymity because of possible social consequences.

“He is a Democrat with a Muslim mask,” the attendee said, adding, “Basically he’s like Ilhan Omar , but like a male version.”

The attendee opposed El Sayed’s positions on abortion and LGBTQ rights, yet still wanted him elected because of the representation his victory would bring.

Apparently, shared identity can cover quite a bit of ideological distance when Democrats need another Senate seat.

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Fox News Digital spoke with about 10 people at the convention, including some who declined to speak publicly or be recorded.

Several acknowledged a clear divide between their conservative beliefs on social questions and their willingness to support El Sayed in November.

El Sayed supports placing the abortion protections associated with Roe v. Wade into federal law, sending taxpayer money to Planned Parenthood, creating LGBTQ inclusive sex education, and permitting doctors to perform sex change procedures on children.

Those positions clash sharply with traditional Islamic teachings concerning abortion, gender, and sexuality.

A Navy veteran at the convention said he strongly disagreed with El Sayed on abortion and LGBTQ instruction but believed Republicans had disappointed him since the 2024 election.

“I voted for Donald Trump. When it comes to values, I’m a Republican. But unfortunately they have betrayed us,” he said.

The veteran cited foreign conflicts and the rising cost of living as reasons for moving toward El Sayed despite the Democrat’s social agenda.

Other attendees also said they backed Trump in 2024 but were now preparing to support the Democratic Senate nominee during the midterm election.

That movement could matter in Michigan, where Trump performed unusually well among Arab American voters in 2024.

A serious decline in Republican support within that community could damage the party’s Senate hopes, though Republicans are simultaneously seeking support from Jewish Democrats alarmed by El Sayed and his political associations.

Zubin, described as a longtime El Sayed supporter, argued that foreign spending was a central concern.

“We’re concerned about where our tax dollars are going to. A lot of these tax dollars are going to support foreign wars, support countries that aren’t the United States,” he told Fox News Digital.

Trump’s support for Israel and military action involving Iran have caused frustration among some Michigan Muslim voters.

El Sayed is trying to capitalize on that anger while keeping his deeply progressive domestic agenda from becoming an obstacle inside a religious community that often holds socially conservative views.

Not everyone at the convention appeared aware of those positions.

“Wait, he’s supporting LGBTQ?” one surprised attendee asked before saying, “I don’t really think that’s good, especially because this is Islam and it prohibits LGBTQ and I do really think that people should abandon … abortion since they’re taking a life away.”

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That attendee suggested El Sayed could lose support if his positions became better known throughout the Islamic community.

Others argued that younger Muslims may be more willing than parents and grandparents to accept, overlook, or simply ignore the candidate’s liberal positions.

Some attendees said education and medical policy mattered more to them than disagreements over social issues.

Their calculation was straightforward, even if politically awkward: El Sayed could vote against their stated values on abortion and gender while still receiving their support because they believed he would advance other community priorities.

The conversations also revealed potential openings for Republicans, provided the party can make a credible appeal without abandoning conservative principles.

Some attendees said they would welcome a Muslim Republican candidate, while others claimed Republican voters remain biased against Muslims.

“Yes, if you’re a good person, a good politician and running for the Republican party and you believe in your values and that you can do good, go ahead and run and I’m sure you can win a lot of support from this community as well,” Zubin said.

That is an invitation Republicans would be foolish to ignore.

For now, his coalition rests on a curious bargain in which voters reject parts of his agenda, recognize the contradiction, and support him anyway because representation and foreign policy anger matter more.

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