Bill Maher Fact-Checks Kid Rock After He Compares Abdul El-Sayed to 9/11 Hijackers on ‘Real Time’
Bill Maher challenged musician Kid Rock after Rock compared Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, with the 9/11 hijackers. The exchange came during a discussion about Islam and American politics, in which Maher said the political left was naïve and the right hysterical; it highlighted how fears about extremism can be applied to Muslim candidates.
Rock argued that El-Sayed’s education and ability to fit into American society did not rule out a risk of extremism. Maher replied that the 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, and Rock disputed him. Of the 19 hijackers, 15 were Saudi, two were from the United Arab Emirates, one from Egypt and one from Lebanon; the first arrived in the United States in January 2000.
In short
- Kid Rock compared Abdul El-Sayed to the 9/11 hijackers.
- Maher corrected Rock on the hijackers’ origins.
- Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Rock’s concern can be framed as a case for vigilance: education and social integration alone cannot prove that someone poses no security risk, and public figures should be open to scrutiny on extremism. From this perspective, asking difficult questions about political beliefs is legitimate, provided they are grounded in evidence rather than identity.
The case against
Comparing El-Sayed to the 9/11 hijackers risks treating his Muslim faith as evidence of dangerousness, without evidence that he shares their aims or conduct. The hijackers’ nationalities do not establish a connection to El-Sayed, so such an analogy can unfairly stigmatise a candidate and distract from scrutiny of his actual record.
Explained simply
Abdul El-Sayed is a Michigan politician and a Muslim who has run for public office as a Democrat. Kid Rock is a musician who has also become a prominent political voice, while Bill Maher hosts the US television programme Real Time.
The debate touches on how Islam and the risk of political extremism are discussed in American politics. The 9/11 attacks were carried out by 19 hijackers, most of whom were from Saudi Arabia; the others came from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Lebanon. Their nationalities do not establish anything about an individual candidate’s beliefs or actions.
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