Politics
Abdul El-Sayed’s Sister Said ‘Allahu Akbar’ In Video Celebrating Oct. 7 Attack On Israel
The sister of Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is facing renewed scrutiny over her reaction to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, adding another potentially explosive controversy to one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races.
Eman Abdelhadi, a University of Chicago academic and outspoken left-wing activist, has drawn criticism over social media posts and a circulating video that critics say showed her celebrating the Hamas assault.
Abdelhadi also posted about the attack on Oct. 7, 2023, as Hamas terrorists poured into Israel, killing roughly 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
The controversy comes at an awkward time for El-Sayed, who recently won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary and will face Trump-backed Republican Mike Rogers in November.
El-Sayed has not publicly addressed the comments by his sister that are now drawing renewed attention.
Abdelhadi, who is half-Egyptian and half-Palestinian, is an associate professor in the University of Chicago’s Department of Comparative Human Development and has been heavily involved in progressive political activism.
She has regularly posted about Palestinian causes, Islamophobia and U.S. foreign policy while sharply criticizing Israel during the war that followed the Oct. 7 massacre.
On the day of the attack, Abdelhadi criticized Sen. Bernie Sanders after the Vermont independent condemned the Hamas assault.
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She later defended her initial reaction by saying she had been responding to early images of barriers and checkpoints being breached before the full scale of the killings became known.
Her history of political activism extends well beyond the Israel-Hamas war.
Abdelhadi has written extensively about race, policing, sexuality and Palestinian activism and co-authored the book Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052-2072.
Here is an October 7th celebration video From Abdul El Sayed’s Sister, Eman Abdelhadi. She is currently a Professor at The University of Chicago. “I wanna start by saying Allahu Akbar.” Screenshot and link below incase she deletes it. pic.twitter.com/Qa9JUeAukP
— Lee Kuan Yimby (@LeeKuanYimby) August 13, 2026
She has also contributed a poem and short story to Homosexual Intifada, a collection featuring queer Palestinian writers.
Abdelhadi’s activism has previously landed her in legal trouble.
She was arrested during an anti-ICE protest in Illinois last year after authorities accused her of spitting on an Illinois state trooper.
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The controversy surrounding Abdelhadi could provide Republicans with fresh ammunition against her brother as the Michigan Senate race moves into the general election.
El-Sayed has positioned himself firmly on the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and has already faced scrutiny over resurfaced comments on football, the Second Amendment and other cultural issues.
His sister has nevertheless been an enthusiastic supporter of his political ambitions.
In April 2025, she wrote on X, “The feeling when you think you’ve accomplished a lot but then your older brother runs for senate!!!”
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She added, “In all seriousness—Abdul is fighting for healthcare, housing, and an economy that serves people over oligarchs. I am a proud little sister.”
Abdelhadi has also said she has faced anonymous death threats and harassment over her activism and academic work.
She told the Chicago Sun-Times that the threats became serious enough that she prepared a will but remained determined to continue speaking publicly.
“I just don’t think that I would be living up to my values if I relented in the face of this harassment. I try really hard not to let the fear stop me from saying what I think is right.”
With El-Sayed now battling Rogers for a U.S. Senate seat that could help determine control of the chamber, his sister’s past rhetoric is likely to remain under a microscope as Republicans seek to define the Democratic nominee and the political movement surrounding him.
