Eman Abdelhadi, a University of Chicago professor and the half sister of Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, posted an Instagram video on Oct. 7, 2024, describing her message as an "October 7th blessing" one year after Hamas militants killed approximately 1,200 people in widespread terrorist attacks against Israel.
In the video, Abdelhadi said: "I want to say, Allahu Akbar." She explained that the phrase means "God is greater" and described it as "an important phrase in the Muslim tradition." She continued: "It's one that I've been thinking about a lot over the last year, because it's a phrase that reminds us that no matter how great the brutality, the oppression, the intensity of what we're going through, the horizon of justice is just around the corner." The video made no mention of the Jewish victims killed by Hamas. Abdelhadi filmed the blessing wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional cloth associated with Palestinian militant movements.
The video was posted as a collaborative post with "Rabbis4Ceasefire," which described it in a caption as an "October 7th blessing from Eman Abdelhadi." In comments added later, Abdelhadi said the group had organized "a moment of grief for lives lost between 10/7/23 and 10/7/2024" and asked her to participate.
What the Right Is Saying
Democrats for Mike Rogers, El-Sayed's Republican opponent, responded on social media: "Jewish Michiganders are proudly putting country over party and rejecting Abdul El-Sayed's extremism. We must put country over party and elect Mike Rogers." Commentator Eyal Yakoby wrote: "Abdelhadi recorded a celebration video in reaction to October 7th," prompting criticism from Republican groups who argue the video reflects poorly on El-Sayed's judgment.
Republicans have sought to tie the controversy to broader questions about El-Sayed's associations. The Michigan GOP has highlighted his refusal to disavow streamer Hasan Piker, who once said America "deserved 9/11." While El-Sayed called Piker's statement "dumb," he declined to end their association.
What the Left Is Saying
El-Sayed's campaign released a statement to Fox News Digital addressing the video. "Abdul loves his sister and also disagrees with her on a number of political positions and the rhetoric she's chosen to use, including on foreign policy," the campaign said. "But Abdul is the one on the ballot, and his record of public service and his platform is what matters to voters here in Michigan. His campaign has always been about his love for America and Michigan."
Progressive supporters of El-Sayed have pointed to his overall platform focused on healthcare, labor rights, and economic issues as central to his candidacy. The video posted by Abdelhadi was framed by Rabbis4Ceasefire as a statement about the broader conflict in Gaza, not a celebration of violence against civilians.
What the Numbers Show
Abdelhadi was arrested in October 2025 and charged with two felony counts of aggravated battery to a government employee and two misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing a peace officer. The charges stem from protests outside a suburban Chicago ICE detention center, where she allegedly spat on an Illinois state trooper.
El-Sayed equaled Hamas and the Israeli government as "both evil" in public statements about the conflict. He sent a fundraising email on Oct. 7, 2025, criticizing Israeli military operations without referencing Hamas's initial attacks that killed approximately 1,200 people one year prior.
The Bottom Line
The controversy adds to ongoing scrutiny of El-Sayed's positions and associations ahead of Michigan's Senate race. Abdelhadi did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. The video resurfaced nearly a year after its original posting, drawing renewed criticism as the 2026 election cycle intensifies. Voters in Michigan will decide whether family connections and rhetoric by relatives factor into their assessment of a candidate's fitness for office.