Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, said he felt religiously obligated to follow Sharia-compliant practices in a resurfaced 2009 interview with The New York Times."Ultimately, the question is, when I die and I stand before God and go through everything I did in my life, I don’t want to say I did it the easy way instead of the Shariah-compliant way," El-Sayed told the Times."Not because of fear but because of obligation."El-Sayed, enrolled in medical school at the time, was discussing his decision to seek out a Sharia-compliant mortgage for a condo he was purchasing in the college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan.REPUBLICANS GET THE DEMOCRAT THEY WANTED AS SOCIALIST ABDUL EL-SAYED WINS MICHIGAN SENATE PRIMARYAbdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S.
Senate in Michigan, films a social media video at a pool party for content creators supporting his campaign, Monday, Aug.3, 2026, in Detroit.
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)Sharia law generally prohibits adherents from taking out loans bearing interest.A popular alternative to mortgages among Muslim Americans is long-term payment plans that add additional value to the purchase price of a home in lieu of charging interest.In addition to prohibiting interest, Sharia law also traditionally prescribed death for people who leave Islam, placed strict restrictions on what women can do, and allowed child marriage.EL-SAYED TOUTS ENDORSEMENT FROM PASTOR WHO PRAISED NOTORIOUS ANTISEMITE INFAMOUS FOR CALLING JEWS ‘TERMITES’Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks after a radio appearance at Dr.
Horace Sheffield's GOTV Community Rally on Aug.1, 2026, in Detroit, Mich.
El-Sayed holds a 15-point lead against Rep.Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) according to a recent poll.
(Getty Images)"Abdul believes in the separation of church and state," campaign spokeswoman Roxie Richner told the Washington Free Beacon, which first reported on the resurfaced comments."While he per...