El-Sayed’s half-sister offered Oct. 7 ‘blessing’ one year after Hamas attack: ‘Allahu Akbar’

Eman Abdelhadi, a University of Chicago professor and half-sister of Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, delivered an "October 7th blessing" video on Instagram in October 2024, marking one year since Hamas's attacks on Israel that killed roughly 1,200 people. In the video, filmed wearing a keffiyeh, she opened with "Allahu Akbar" and spoke of a "horizon of justice" without mentioning the Israeli victims of the attack, prompting renewed criticism after resurfacing this week. El-Sayed's campaign distanced him from his sister's remarks, noting he disagrees with her rhetoric on foreign policy.

The video, posted collaboratively with the group Rabbis4Ceasefire, was described as marking "a moment of grief for lives lost between 10/7/23 and 10/7/2024." Abdelhadi has separately faced legal trouble, including an October 2025 arrest on charges of aggravated battery and resisting arrest after allegedly spitting on a police officer during protests outside an Illinois ICE facility. Republicans, including supporters of GOP rival Mike Rogers, seized on the video to attack El-Sayed, who has previously drawn criticism for equating Hamas with the Israeli government and for appearing alongside streamer Hasan Piker.