US Senate Candidate Shares Stage With 9/11 Conspiracy Theorists

Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed spoke at the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) annual conference in Detroit on Saturday, September 5th. The conference drew controversy for inviting speakers who have questioned the official account of the September 11th attacks. El-Sayed shared the stage with Cenk Uygur, founder of The Young Turks, and Muslim preacher Zaid Shakir, both of whom have publicly doubted the 9/11 narrative.

El-Sayed himself avoided the topic of 9/11 during his address to approximately 1,000 attendees. Instead, he focused on anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States, stating, "They want to tell us that we don't belong here... that because of our names or how we pray, we are somehow less than." He contrasted this with the people of Michigan, whom he described as open-minded and focused on unity despite differences.

However, the other speakers were less reserved. Uygur criticized U.S. support for Israel, calling it "unbearable" for him as an American. He also mocked media coverage of the October 7th attacks, mimicking reports that described it as the "worst event since the Holocaust." Uygur asserted that media narratives falsely portray Palestinians as occupiers, stating, "No one among us will let them do that anymore."

Uygur had previously expressed skepticism about the official 9/11 account in February, writing on X that he no longer believed it due to inconsistencies like "two paper passports not burning" and the collapse of WTC 7. Zaid Shakir also previously cited "glaring weaknesses and inconsistencies" in the official 9/11 explanation and claimed the tragedy was exploited to launch a "war against Islam" by the government and Christian right.

The conference took place just six days before the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which claimed nearly 3,000 lives.