Rogers ties El-Sayed's mother's former employer to al-Qaeda
Mike RogersRepublican U.S. Senate nominee in Michigan, at the first televised debate
After suggesting El-Sayed might have a relative on a watch list, Rogers said he was going after the organization El-Sayed's mother had worked for, which he said was indicted for funneling money to al-Qaeda.
Responding to
The organization El-Sayed's mother worked for was indicted for funneling money to al-Qaeda.
“I'm not going after your mom. What your mom was working at, I was going after that organization that was indicted for funneling money to al-Qaeda. Look, that's your mom.”
Original video
Official statement
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Mike Rogers’s allegation about Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign received funding from a terrorist organization
At a September 10, 2026 Republican National Convention midterm speech, Michigan Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers said Abdul El-Sayed was funding his campaign with money from “terrorist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood.” Rogers did not name a donor, amount, or campaign-finance filing in the speech. The research documents an outside-support chain involving CAIR Action, Unity & Justice Fund, and a Super PAC supporting El-Sayed, while examining whether any record establishes the specific allegation.
Source and context
Original video
About this source
WOOD TV8's recording of the hourlong Grand Rapids debate between Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers, moderated by Rick Albin. During a question on Flock cameras, Rogers raised the possibility of a family member on a watch list, then referred to the organization El-Sayed's mother had worked for.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Official statement
About this source
Treasury designated the worldwide IARA network and five senior officials under Executive Order 13224 and listed Islamic American Relief Agency among the network's aliases. It said overseas branches gave money to Osama bin Laden. The release names no U.S. employees of the group.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Mediaite quotes the exchange in which Rogers raised a watch list and the organization El-Sayed's mother worked for, followed by El-Sayed's rebuttal. Its transcript renders a few words differently from the broadcast recording.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Newsweek reports that El-Sayed's mother worked for the Islamic American Relief Agency from 1999 to 2004, according to a conservative Michigan outlet, and that she was never charged with a crime or accused of wrongdoing. It notes Treasury's 2004 designation of the network and later sanctions convictions of agency officials.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
During a question on Flock cameras, Rogers said surveillance programs helped catch terrorism suspects and asked why that would bother El-Sayed if he had someone in his family on the watch list. El-Sayed told him to say it outright and asked whether Rogers was going after his mother.
After the quotation
Rogers said his own mother worked at a local chamber of commerce. Newsweek reported that El-Sayed's mother worked for the Islamic American Relief Agency from 1999 to 2004 and was never charged with a crime. Treasury designated the group's worldwide network in 2004 for supporting terrorism.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the allegations that El-Sayed has ties to terrorist funding, Rogers extends the attack to the organization his mother worked for and contrasts it with his own mother's job. He criticizes El-Sayed through the association, consistent with his other statements here. The label does not assess his description of the organization.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Abdul El-Sayed
More from this case
Read the full caseHasan Piker calls the accusations against El-Sayed slanderous
“But if you are a competent media organization, you don't raise the salience of heinous and slanderous accusations. Because when you present them as a serious media organization, you're offering legitimacy to the claim.”Read statement
Rogers calls El-Sayed's denial of Brotherhood ties a lie
“This morning, Abdul El-Sayed was asked about his family’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. And he denied it — an outright lie. The truth is, Abdul and his family have surrounded themselves with some of the most heinous organizations and anti-American actors in history.”Read statement
El-Sayed denies family ties to the Muslim Brotherhood
“No. Let me ask you, though, why this is even a subject of debate. Because his only strategy is to point to me and my name and my faith and to say that we're different.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Rogers ties El-Sayed's mother's former employer to al-Qaeda
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/5657-after-suggesting-el-sayed-might-have-a-relative
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Rogers ties El-Sayed's mother's former employer to al-Qaeda". First published: 2026-10-13. Last updated: 2026-10-13. https://disputeindex.com/events/5657-after-suggesting-el-sayed-might-have-a-relative