Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s birth mother worked from 1999 through at least 2004 for the Islamic American Relief Agency, an international organization the U.S. Treasury Department designated in 2004 for supporting terrorism, according to newly reported records.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Newly reported records are drawing scrutiny to the family background of Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed after showing that his birth mother worked for an international relief organization later designated by the U.S. Treasury Department for supporting terrorism.
Fatten Fathy Elkomy worked from 1999 through at least 2004 for the Islamic American Relief Agency, also known as the Islamic African Relief Agency, according to The Midwesterner.
The organization operated more than 40 offices around the world and publicly described its activities as providing health care and assistance to orphans and disadvantaged populations in conflict zones.
In October 2004, however, the Treasury Department designated the international network and five senior officials for supporting terrorism, including providing support connected to Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader who orchestrated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans.
The report also states that the organization provided “direct financial support” to Osama bin Laden, the Taliban and Hamas.
The material does not allege that Elkomy herself personally provided money to bin Laden, the Taliban or Hamas, nor does it establish that Abdul El-Sayed was involved in his mother’s employment or the organization’s activities.
The distinction is significant as the newly surfaced information becomes part of a competitive Michigan Senate race.
El-Sayed is now running against Republican Mike Rogers for the open seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, according to Newsmax.
El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Aug. 4 Democratic primary.
His campaign biography has emphasized his upbringing in Michigan by his Egyptian immigrant father, Mohamed El-Sayed, and his stepmother, Jacqueline “Jackie” El-Sayed.
The newly reported records concern his birth mother, Elkomy.
According to The Midwesterner, Mohamed El-Sayed immigrated to the United States in the early 1980s with Elkomy. The couple later divorced.
El-Sayed discussed that family history during a 2017 speech to the Islamic Foundation.
“They ended up getting divorced,” El-Sayed said of his biological parents. “And my mother, she remarried a gentleman who was working as a translator in the Middle East and moved back to the Middle East.”
Jacqueline El-Sayed married Mohamed not long afterward and became the stepmother who helped raise the future Senate candidate in Michigan.
El-Sayed has spoken relatively little about his birth mother during the current campaign, according to The Midwesterner.
He did refer to her work as a psychiatric nurse practitioner last year while making the case for Medicare for All, according to Newsmax.
The newly reported employment history places Elkomy at the Islamic American Relief Agency during a period ending around the time the U.S. government formally designated the organization.
According to The Midwesterner, Elkomy worked for IARA from 1999 through at least 2004.
The Treasury Department’s designation came in October 2004 and covered the worldwide network as well as five senior officials.
The organization had presented itself internationally as a humanitarian relief operation, maintaining more than 40 offices and working in areas affected by conflict.
The federal designation, however, accused the network of supporting terrorist organizations and individuals.
The revelations introduce another potentially contentious issue into Michigan’s closely watched Senate contest as El-Sayed attempts to keep the seat in Democratic hands following Peters’ retirement.
His campaign has centered his own biography, political positions and Michigan upbringing, while the latest reporting focuses on a previously less-discussed period in his birth mother’s professional history.
No information in the reports establishes that El-Sayed participated in, knew of or was responsible for any alleged terrorism-related activities connected to the Islamic American Relief Agency.
The political significance of the disclosure instead rests on the fact that his birth mother was employed by the organization during the years before it was designated by the Treasury Department, and that the organization itself was subsequently accused by the U.S. government of providing financial support to some of the world’s most prominent terrorist actors.
As El-Sayed moves from his narrow Democratic primary victory into the general election against Rogers, the records are likely to bring additional attention to a portion of his family history that has received comparatively little discussion during the campaign.
Original article
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