Abdul El-Sayed stated on 'Meet the Press' that neither he nor any of his family members have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. However, his half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, indicated otherwise in social media posts from 2012 and 2013, claiming that their family has 'long been' involved with the group and that some members have been jailed for their affiliation. Abdelhadi, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago, wrote on June 24, 2012, about her family's connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, which was founded in Egypt in 1928. She expressed concern for her family members in Egypt and stated, 'Praying for all my family that supports the #MB in Egypt.'
El-Sayed's mother, Fatten Elkomy, emigrated from Egypt in the late 1970s and has been linked to the Islamic American Relief Agency, which was sanctioned for funding al-Qaeda. The Treasury Department designated the agency as a terrorist organization in 2004 for its support of terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda and Hamas. El-Sayed's familial ties to the Muslim Brotherhood are through his mother, who divorced his father after he was born.
During the interview, El-Sayed denied any connections to the Brotherhood, despite questions from host Kristen Welker. He has faced scrutiny regarding his views on the Muslim Brotherhood and other adversaries. Republican candidate Mike Rogers raised concerns about El-Sayed's connections during a recent Senate debate, noting that El-Sayed's father-in-law is on the board of the Islamic Society of North America, which has been associated with the Brotherhood in the U.S.
El-Sayed has previously expressed support for the Muslim Brotherhood following Mohamed Morsi's election in 2012, signing an open letter urging the group to reform media and police practices. He has also avoided direct questions about whether he would support designating the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. The Trump administration designated the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization in January 2021 due to its connections to Hamas.
It remains unclear which members of El-Sayed's family are affiliated with the Brotherhood and whether he has met them. Abdelhadi has indicated that she maintains contact with her relatives in Egypt, sharing insights from conversations about civil liberties and individual rights. El-Sayed's father emigrated to the U.S. in 1978, partly due to political reasons related to Egypt's military dictatorship.