Overview
- MEMRI TV published a translation of remarks made by Ali al‑Qaradaghi at a conference in Turkey in August in which he called New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El‑Sayed the “blessings” of the Oct. 7, 2023 “Al‑Aqsa Flood.”
- Qaradaghi reportedly said the Oct. 7 attack produced their political rise and named Mamdani and El‑Sayed as examples, saying Mamdani would not have won and El‑Sayed would not have run a multimillion‑dollar campaign without that event.
- The International Union for Muslim Scholars, led by Qaradaghi, was founded by Yusuf al‑Qaradawi and has been described by researchers as linked to Muslim Brotherhood intellectual networks while Gulf states accused the group in 2017 of facilitating extremist activity, charges the IUMS denies.
- Both politicians have faced public criticism for their positions on Israel: Mamdani won New York City’s mayoralty after campaigning with outspoken pro‑Palestinian positions and El‑Sayed, a Democratic Senate candidate, has defended policies critical of Israeli policy and recently apologized for a controversial comment about a local terrorist attack.
- Right‑leaning U.S. and Israeli outlets have amplified MEMRI’s report and the coverage relies on MEMRI’s translation and prior characterizations of the IUMS rather than newly reported responses from the IUMS, Mamdani, or El‑Sayed, producing renewed political scrutiny that could shape campaign messaging and oversight.