Muslim Politicians as Terrorists? Rising Islamophobia Controversy in the U.S.

▲ Candidate Abdul El-Sayed

As the November U.S. midterm elections approach, hardline remarks targeting Muslim candidates have sparked growing controversy over Islamophobia, the British daily The Guardian reported on September 13 (local time).

Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama recently labeled Abdul El-Sayed, who won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan, as a "radical Islamist."

Tuberville claimed that "the Democrats have decided to send a terrorist to Washington" and that "he will do everything he can to destroy America."

In addition, President Donald Trump referred to El-Sayed as a "jihadist."

Senator Ted Cruz (Republican-Texas), mentioning El-Sayed and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani together, lashed out by calling them "Islamists who hate Jews, Christians, capitalism, and America."

The intensity of remarks from some Republican members of the House of Representatives is even higher.

Representative Nancy Mace (South Carolina) claimed that "every Muslim holding public office in America is a Trojan horse and a threat to national security and the republic."

Representative Andy Ogles (Tennessee) wrote that "Muslims do not belong in American society."

Saher Selod, director of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), which studies anti-Muslim sentiment in the U.S., evaluated the current situation by stating that "it is worse than after 9/11."

In fact, various indicators have also shown that anti-Muslim sentiment in American society has intensified.

The Islamophobia Index compiled by ISPU, which converts the general public's anti-Muslim stereotypes on a 100-point scale, rose from 25 in 2022 to 33 last year.

In a Pew Research Center survey, 51% of U.S. adults answered that Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence.

The response rate to the same question six months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks was 25%.

Amid the hardening anti-Muslim sentiment, notable advances by Muslim politicians are also standing out.

Currently, there are four Muslim members in the U.S. Federal Congress.

In 2001, there were no Muslim members of the federal legislature.

Additionally, Mamdani took office as the first Muslim mayor in New York.

If candidate El-Sayed wins the November midterms, he will become the first Muslim U.S. senator in American history.

However, suggestions are also being raised that not all criticism directed at candidate El-Sayed or Mayor Mamdani should be categorized as Islamophobia.

Regarding a shooting incident at a synagogue in a Detroit suburb last March, candidate El-Sayed mentioned that the Lebanese-born suspect's family members had been killed by Israeli airstrikes, saying, "Hurt people hurt people." He later apologized after facing backlash.

Furthermore, New York City Mayor Mamdani was also criticized for failing to express a clear stance against the slogan "Globalize the Intifada," which Jewish groups have criticized as expressions inciting violence.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)

※