Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed described his state as the “capital of Arab America” during remarks on Friday at the Connect Arab America Empowerment Summit in Chantilly, Virginia.
“I’m honored to be the next United States Senator from the great state of Michigan,” El-Sayed said. “I know we’re here in D.C., which of course is the capital of the United States of America, but Michigan is the capital of Arab America.”
The remark referred to the large Arab American community in Metro Detroit, particularly Dearborn, often described as the first majority-Arab American city in the United States. Michigan is home to an estimated 400,000 Arab Americans.
The comment sparked debate online and drew criticism from conservatives, who argued that a senator should represent all of his constituents rather than an ethnic community. Radio host Mark Levin responded on X by calling El-Sayed “a cocky little bastard with grand designs” and a “jihadi,” and urged that he be kept in the public eye so “the rest of America will wake the hell up.”
