Abdul El-Sayed, the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate, appeared at the Arab America Foundation summit in Virginia this week. His Michigan victory celebration exposed the coalition backing him—a mix of radical leftists, communist sympathizers, and Islamist activists. El-Sayed arrived in an armored SUV to an enthusiastic reception, with supporters already urging him to run for president.
NOW: Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed’s victory speech takes an unexpected turn as he’s interrupted by his own supporters in Washington, D.C.
The moment briefly shifts attention away from El-Sayed as he addresses the crowd following his election victory and prepares to make history as the nation’s first Muslim U.S. senator.
Download the Fox News app or go to https://t.co/gPHiho5zni for more.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 7, 2026
The event showcased the “red-green” network linking Marxist left-wing groups with anti-Israel Muslim movements. In the hall was Medea Benjamin, founder of the radical left group Code Pink, known for its ties to and funding from pro-Chinese sources. Beside her was her partner Tighe Barry, wearing a Mao-style cap with a red star and carrying a bag with ‘Palestinian’ resistance symbols.
2+Also spotted was Syrian-American activist Hazami Barmada, who leads extreme protest actions against defense companies and U.S. government officials, demanding a complete break with Israel. The Council on American-Islamic Relations had a prominent presence—its political action arm backed El-Sayed with hundreds of thousands of dollars during the campaign.
2+Throughout the conference, booths displayed publications opposing Jewish re-establishment, keffiyehs designed as maps showing all of Israel as ‘Palestine’, and artwork for auction that completely erased the State of Israel.
Foundation chairman Issam Andoni introduced El-Sayed as someone who “destroyed” the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, and called in his speech for establishing ‘Palestine’ “from the river to the sea,” making it “clean of Zionists and occupation.” Andoni made clear in an interview that the new senator’s central goal is to block security aid to Israel.
2+El-Sayed himself took the stage and adopted a hard line against the existing world order, defining the United States as violating its own ideals and attacking the funding of weapons to Israel. At the same time, El-Sayed registered a new political action committee to expand his influence. Still, after leaving the event, he refused to confirm plans to run for president and said he intends to focus on his Senate duties.