World news and discussion on TalkFuse.
El-Sayed blasted killing of Al-Qaeda terrorist US citizen in resurfaced article
Resurfaced articles show that Michigan senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed criticised President Barack Obama’s 2011 drone strike that killed US-Yemeni citizen Anwar al-Awlaki, an al-Qaeda organiser. The old writings have renewed scrutiny of El-Sayed’s views on US policy and the Muslim Brotherhood, questions that arose during his Senate campaign.
In a 2011 article, El-Sayed called al-Awlaki’s killing an extrajudicial assassination and noted that the strike also killed al-Awlaki’s 16-year-old son, also a US citizen. In a separate 2012 article with Jisung Park, he warned that Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Nour party might pursue radical economic policies after winning about 47% and 24% of parliamentary seats respectively, and argued against nationalisation and trade barriers. El-Sayed also urged Obama to support Egypt’s 2011 protesters; he has denied having ties to the Brotherhood.
In short
- El-Sayed criticised the US drone strike that killed al-Awlaki.
- His resurfaced writing also discussed Egypt’s Islamist parties and economy.
- He has denied ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Critics may argue that publicly condemning the strike as an assassination, despite al-Awlaki’s role in al-Qaeda, raises questions about El-Sayed’s judgement on how the US should respond to threats from senior terrorist organisers. They may also see his writings on Egypt’s Islamist parties as relevant to assessing his broader political outlook, even though he argued against their proposed economic policies and denies ties to the Brotherhood.
The case against
Supporters may argue that opposing a killing without trial is a principled defence of due process, especially when the operation also killed a 16-year-old US citizen. They may say the articles show critical engagement with Egyptian politics rather than support for the Brotherhood: El-Sayed warned against nationalisation and trade barriers, and his call to back Egypt’s protesters does not itself establish an affiliation.