A resurfaced video shows University of Chicago professor Eman Abdelhadi marking the Oct. 7 anniversary with a blessing that has ignited sharp criticism and raised questions about judgment and association for her half brother, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. The footage, posted Oct. 7, 2024, and shared by an interfaith group, highlights Abdelhadi’s worldview, prompts reactions from political opponents, and puts El-Sayed’s campaign messaging under new pressure.
The video opens with Abdelhadi invoking a phrase she says carries deep meaning. “I want to say, Allahu Akbar,” she says early in the clip. “That phrase means God is greater, and it’s an important phrase in the Muslim tradition.”
She follows that with a long reflection meant to frame the anniversary as a prompt for resilience and justice. “It’s one that I’ve been thinking about a lot over the last year, because it’s a phrase that reminds us that no matter how great the brutality, the oppression, the intensity of what we’re going through, the horizon of justice is just around the corner.” Those words drew immediate scrutiny because the clip does not explicitly acknowledge the Jewish victims killed in the attacks a year earlier.
In the footage Abdelhadi wears a keffiyeh and speaks to a collaborative online gathering. “There is something greater than even the strongest armies, and, for me, that’s God,” Abdelhadi continued in the video. “Reflecting on that reaffirms my commitment to justice, my commitment not to get caught up in the narratives that colonial powers enforce on us. … I hope you know that we have a lot of work ahead of us and that we need each other to do that work. We have an imperative to not just imagine a better future, but to build one together.”
She closes the short blessing with a brief pledge that some found provocative in tone and timing. “I’ll see you on the streets.” The clip was shared in a collaborative post on Oct. 7, 2024, by Rabbis4Ceasefire and Abdelhadi herself, with the caption calling it an “October 7th blessing from Eman Abdelhadi, Scholar, Writer & Organizer.”
Abdelhadi later clarified in a comment that she had been invited and that the group had organized the moment as “a moment of grief for lives lost between 10/7/23 and 10/7/2024,” and she described the video as her “offering” to that gathering. Still, critics say the presentation and choice of symbols failed to address the scale of the carnage carried out on Oct. 7, 2023, and risked appearing to valorize the wrong side of a brutal conflict.
The resurfaced posting triggered immediate political fallout in Michigan, where El-Sayed is running a high-profile Senate campaign. “Jewish Michiganders are proudly putting country over party and rejecting Abdul El-Sayed’s extremism. We must put country over party and elect Mike Rogers,” a post from his Republican opponent’s campaign stated in reaction to the clip. Commentator Eyal Yakoby added, “Abdul El-Sayed’s Sister, Eman Abdelhadi, recorded a celebration video in reaction to October 7th.”
El-Sayed’s campaign has tried to thread a needle between familial loyalty and distancing where necessary. “Abdul loves his sister and also disagrees with her on a number of political positions and the rhetoric she’s chosen to use, including on foreign policy,” a campaign spokeswoman told reporters when asked about the video. “But Abdul is the one on the ballot, and his record of public service and his platform is what matters to voters here in Michigan. His campaign has always been about his love for America and Michigan.”
The controversy adds to an existing pattern of scrutiny around Abdelhadi. She has faced legal trouble tied to activism, including a highly publicized arrest after protests outside an immigration detention center, which resulted in felony and misdemeanor charges. Those incidents have been cited by critics as evidence of a more confrontational approach to activism that some voters find troubling.
El-Sayed himself has drawn attention for past comments and associations on Israel-Palestine and other issues on the campaign trail. He has criticized Israeli government actions in fundraising outreach and has faced questioning over public appearances with controversial figures, drawing a mix of defense and alarm from different corners of the electorate. For Republicans and many independents, the new video reinforces concerns about judgment and the company a candidate keeps.
As the campaign moves forward, the clip is likely to be replayed and dissected by both sides. Abdelhadi did not respond to requests for comment when reached by news outlets on Friday, leaving the exchange to play out on social media and in political ads. Voters will judge whether the message and the company around El-Sayed reflect the values they want represented in the Senate.
Darnell Thompkins is a conservative opinion writer from Atlanta, GA, known for his insightful commentary on politics, culture, and community issues. With a passion for championing traditional values and personal responsibility, Darnell brings a thoughtful Southern perspective to the national conversation. His writing aims to inspire meaningful dialogue and advocate for policies that strengthen families and empower individuals.