Michigan’s U.S. Senate race between Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has rekindled Islamophobia in the state. The rhetoric has some voters concerned and determined.
Rogers says it’s not about the way El-Sayed prays, but how he thinks.
The former Congressman has attempted to tie Detroit’s former health director – and his family - to terrorists. He has not provided evidence for those claims.
Democrat Abdullah Hammoud is the mayor of Dearborn. That city is a frequent target for conservative fearmongers due to its high population of Muslims and Arabs. Hammoud says the anti-Muslim attacks are as bad as they’ve ever been.
“I never imagined that, now as a father to Muslim Arab-American children, that they would grow up in a time where the Islamophobia was far worse than it was when I grew up in the post-9/11 era.”
Hammoud expects the attacks to get worse – especially if El-Sayed wins. He says voters should make those using hateful rhetoric pay by voting against them.
This story is part of a series previewing major local races in the 2026 midterm elections. Click here for more of WEMU's local election coverage.
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