Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has explained the significance of his repeated use of the Islamic expression ‘Inshallah’ during his campaign after making history as the first Muslim elected to the United States Senate.
The 42-year-old Egyptian-American expressed excitement after his projected victory in Michigan’s midterm election, saying he was proud and honoured to have been elected to represent the state.
El-Sayed defeated former Republican Representative Mike Rogers in Tuesday’s election, becoming the first Muslim to secure a seat in the US Senate.
Speaking to supporters on Tuesday night in a video shared by Fox News, the senator-elect recalled that he often used the expression ‘Inshallah’, which means ‘God willing’, when talking about the election’s outcome.
He said the victory had given him a reason to replace the expression with another Islamic phrase, ‘Alhamdulillah’, meaning ‘Praise be to God’.
Addressing his supporters, El-Sayed said, “My name is Abdulrahman Mohamed Sayed, and I am so proud and honoured to stand here as your senator-elect from the great state of Michigan.
“Up until right about now, you might have noticed I always say Inshallah or God willing whenever the outcome of this race was mentioned.
“But today, tonight, we can turn that Inshallah into Alhamdulillah.”
Naija News reports that El-Sayed’s victory, projected by US media on Tuesday, secured the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters.
The 42-year-old former public health official is expected to assume office when the new Congress convenes in January 2027.
His emergence followed a competitive Democratic primary in August, during which he defeated Representative Haley Stevens to secure his party’s ticket for the general election.
Join the conversation
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.