El-Sayed's Sister Faces October 7 Posts Controversy

Eman Abdelhadi, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago, has become an unexpected flashpoint in the 2026 Michigan Senate race following her half-brother Abdul El-Sayed's victory in the Democratic primary.

The controversy centers on her activism record, her stated positions on the October 7 Hamas attacks, and an alleged video that critics say she posted in connection with the assault. El-Sayed has not publicly responded to questions about his sister's views or activism.

El-Sayed won the Democratic nomination on August 5, overcoming more than $60 million in outside spending from groups, mostly pro-Israel organizations, that backed his opponent, U.S. Representative Haley Stevens. El-Sayed, a former public health official, now faces Republican Mike Rogers in what is shaping up to be a key race for control of the Senate.

Abdelhadi's emergence as a point of controversy comes as the candidate attempts to consolidate Democratic support for the general election.

Abdelhadi holds a position in the Department of Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago, where she studies religion, gender, identity, and Muslim American communities. She describes herself as a "queer Muslim activist" and has advocated for a "stateless, communized society" and called for abolishing the police.

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The current wave of criticism centers on two overlapping controversies: Abdelhadi's stated positions on the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks against Israel, and the circulation of an alleged video that conservative outlets claim shows her celebrating the assault. Her activism includes pro-Palestinian posts, like one on October 7, 2023, with "Morning freedom" and a Palestinian flag, which critics see as celebrating Hamas's attack that killed about 1,200 in Israel, while she describes it as support for resistance.

In clarifying her October 7 post, Abdelhadi has explained that she responded to early images of barriers and checkpoints coming down before the full scope of the Hamas attacks and their brutality had emerged. On October 7, 2023, the day Hamas attacked Israel, Senator Bernie Sanders tweeted calling the assault "horrifying." Abdelhadi responded on X with open disappointment: "What a disappointment. If you can't stand with a ppl that have been held in an open prison for 16 years finally fighting their oppressors, how can you claim to stand for justice?"

When Sanders later pledged in July 2024 to "do all that I can to see that President Biden is re-elected," Abdelhadi again registered her disgust: "The level of disappointment. Hard to believe I still had a Bernie 2020 sticker in my office less than a year ago."

The video controversy, which has intensified in recent days, appears to involve footage beginning with "Allahu Akbar" that critics online attribute to Abdelhadi and interpret as celebrating the October 7 attacks. Conservative outlets and Republican commentators have highlighted the video in recent coverage of Abdelhadi's activism record.

Beyond October 7, Abdelhadi's activism record has drawn scrutiny from conservative critics and oversight from her employer. Abdelhadi was arrested in October 2025 and charged with felony aggravated battery after prosecutors said she "knowingly and intentionally" spit on an Illinois state trooper during a protest outside an immigrant processing and detention center in Broadview, Illinois. Court records indicate that Abdelhadi pleaded not guilty and her next court date is scheduled for July 7, 2026.

The University of Chicago, already dealing with Abdelhadi's public denunciations of the school, announced an investigation into her conduct. The university announced the investigation after she condemned the school as a "colonial landlord" and "police force," adding, "like, f**k the University of Chicago, it's evil."

The Washington Free Beacon reported on Abdelhadi's political views, arrest record, and relationship to the candidate in a profile published July 21, 2026, just as El-Sayed launched a new ad campaign highlighting his family's "roots in mid-Michigan." The ad campaign featured his step-grandparents, Judy and Jan Johnson, and made no mention of Abdelhadi.

El-Sayed has not mentioned Abdelhadi on social media or on the campaign trail. The candidate's campaign did not respond to requests for comment when the Free Beacon published its profile, and has not publicly addressed the controversy since the primary.

The emergence of the Abdelhadi controversy presents a challenge for El-Sayed's campaign heading into what is expected to be a competitive general election. El-Sayed defeated Rep. Stevens in a triumph for national progressive leaders, running on a platform that included criticism of Israel's military actions in Gaza. His supporters argue that his positions represent mainstream Democratic views on the conflict. However, critics contend that his family ties to outspoken pro-Palestine activism complicate his ability to appeal to Jewish voters and others concerned about anti-Israel rhetoric.

Defenders of Abdelhadi and El-Sayed point out that family members' personal political views should not determine a candidate's fitness for office, and that Abdelhadi's statements fall within the bounds of protected speech, even if controversial. They note that her October 7 post was made in response to early developments before the full scope of the attacks was understood.

Critics, by contrast, argue that the tone and scope of Abdelhadi's activism, combined with her family relationship to El-Sayed, raises questions about the candidate's own ideological commitments. Conservative outlets have framed Abdelhadi as a representative of far-left ideology that opposes law enforcement and Israel's right to exist, and have suggested that El-Sayed's reluctance to distance himself from these positions reflects his own views.

El-Sayed himself has criticized Israel's actions in Gaza while condemning Hamas's October 7 attack in some statements. At a December 2025 event, when asked whether pain over the Gaza war could justify attacks on American Jewish targets, El-Sayed suggested the circumstances were not the same, stating "After Oct. 7, there was a whole genocide against Palestinians."

The controversy unfolds as El-Sayed prepares for the general election against Rogers. Polling shows a tight race, and the candidate's positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as his family connections, are likely to remain subjects of scrutiny and debate through November.