Michigan Senate Candidate El-Sayed Says Some Arabs Have ‘Reputation’ for Catcalling Black Women

Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said in a podcast appearance that some Arabs in America have developed a negative reputation among black communities, including for catcalling black women, remarks that have drawn scrutiny as he campaigns for the open Senate seat.

El-Sayed made the comments on the Higher Learning podcast when he was asked what he has done to connect with black voters. He said he has been having “great conversations” with people, but then described a pattern he said undermines trust.

“Too often when folks meet somebody who looks like me, it’s not a good experience. Too often, they’re seeing them from behind bulletproof glass in a liquor store or in a gas station. They’re being catcalled, if they’re a woman. Their kid is being sold a Lucy out the back, if they buy food its beyond its expiration date.”

The remarks surfaced in the same week a car crash in Detroit drew attention to tensions between Arab and black residents. According to Fox 2, the crash involved an Arab driver accused of running a red light and striking a vehicle driven by a black woman. The victim’s attorney, Johnny Hawkins, held a news conference at the Westin hotel Tuesday evening calling on the prosecutor’s office to charge the incident as a hate crime, alleging his client was confronted by a group of Muslim men using racial slurs. It is also alleged that items were stolen from the victim’s vehicle while the group worked to shield the other driver and her vehicle.

El-Sayed, who has cited the Quran as an inspiration for his politics and has compared himself to Jesus, is running for the seat against Republican Mike Rogers. Rogers has called El-Sayed the “Democratic Socialists of America darling right now” and described the contest as “crazy versus common sense.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has said El-Sayed “represents the politics of the future” for the country. But polling commissioned by a Republican group and released in late September found a majority of Michigan voters hold an unfavorable view of El-Sayed, whose full name is Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed.