Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign is receiving a major financial lift from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) — the same organization whose longtime leader expressed happiness over the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre.

According to campaign finance records, CAIR’s Unity & Justice Fund, launched in 2024 to boost Muslim political influence after October 7, donated $175,000 on July 21 to Fighting for Michigan PAC, the largest outside group supporting El-Sayed’s Senate bid. The contribution is the fund’s biggest outlay to date.

The timing is striking. During the primary against Rep. Haley Stevens, El-Sayed repeatedly attacked the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as a form of “foreign” intervention in American elections. He framed pro-Israel spending as illegitimate outside meddling while accepting substantial support from CAIR, a group with a long record of controversy over its ties and rhetoric.

“Happy to see Gazans breaking the siege” — the same executive director whose remarks drew a White House rebuke now leads an organization pouring six figures into a Michigan Senate race. CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad, October 2023

CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad drew widespread condemnation in late 2023 after stating he was “happy” to see Gazans “breaking the siege” on October 7 and arguing that Israel, as an “occupying power,” has no right to self-defense. The White House cut ties with Awad over the remarks. CAIR has been designated a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates and labeled as such in legal proceedings in Florida and Texas.

Key Facts

  • CAIR’s Unity & Justice Fund gave $175,000 on July 21 to Fighting for Michigan PAC — its largest single donation to date.
  • More than 41 individuals tied to CAIR, including senior leaders, have given over $115,000 directly to El-Sayed’s campaign.
  • Among the donors: El-Sayed’s father-in-law, a CAIR-Michigan board member who has also given hundreds of thousands to the pro-El-Sayed PAC.
  • Nihad Awad’s October 2023 remarks prompted the White House to cut ties with him.
  • CAIR has been designated a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates and labeled as such in legal proceedings in Florida and Texas.

Earlier reporting also showed El-Sayed’s campaign received more than $115,000 in direct donations from at least 41 individuals connected to CAIR, including senior national and chapter leaders — among them his father-in-law, a CAIR-Michigan board member who has also given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the pro-El-Sayed PAC.

Critics argue the episode exposes a double standard: El-Sayed denounced mainstream pro-Israel advocacy as foreign influence while relying on funding from a group whose leadership celebrated the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust. The $175,000 infusion arrives as El-Sayed faces Republican former Congressman Mike Rogers in a high-stakes Senate race.