Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
US President Donald Trump has called Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed a “Jihadist Member of the Muslim Brotherhood” and said he should be subjected to metal detectors if elected to the US Senate in November’s midterm elections. El-Sayed has repeatedly denied having ties to the Islamist organisation.
Trump made the remarks during a rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday, as he campaigned for Republican candidate Mike Rogers, a former congressman, who is challenging El-Sayed in the closely contested Senate race.
advertisement
“I’m here to keep a Jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator,” Trump said, adding that El-Sayed “should never be allowed inside the halls of our great, beautiful Capitol building in Washington, D.C.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump reiterated his accusations against El-Sayed, claiming the Democratic candidate wanted the US to adopt Sharia law. “Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed wants our Country to go to Sharia Law. If it ever does, he should be the first that’s tried!” Trump wrote.
The US President also accused El-Sayed’s family of having links to terrorism, without providing evidence in the remarks cited. He argued that the candidate should not have access to sensitive national security information if elected.
“He would be the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate. I want him to have a metal detector,” Trump said at the rally.
El-Sayed has rejected suggestions that his religious beliefs or background would compromise his loyalty to the US Constitution. At a recent town hall in Caro, Michigan, he was asked whether he would disavow the Muslim Brotherhood.
“You’re asking the question because implicitly you assume that I’ll have dual loyalties,” El-Sayed responded, adding that he would swear an oath to the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion.
The Senate contest has emerged as a key battleground ahead of the November midterm elections. A new Marist poll cited in the report placed El-Sayed ahead of Rogers, 50 per cent to 48 per cent, among likely Michigan voters.
Former Democratic President Barack Obama campaigned for El-Sayed in Detroit on Saturday, urging supporters to back the candidate and promising a change in direction. Obama also criticised Trump’s approach to the Iran war during a separate rally in Cleveland, Ohio, where he campaigned for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, who is running against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.
Trump, meanwhile, used his Michigan rally and Truth Social post to highlight his administration’s record on the auto industry and the Selfridge Air National Guard Base, claiming credit for supporting industrial expansion and preserving jobs in the state.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
