Fatwas, holy wars and socialism: Inside the Islamic conference where El-Sayed drew a hero’s welcome

By Fox News · Fox News

DETROIT, MICHIGAN — Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed headlined an Islamic conference over Labor Day weekend where the United States was described as an empire in decline, early Islamic conquests were praised and the aftermath of 9/11 was framed around Islamophobia and discrimination. The event, held annually by the Islamic Society of North America, featured a range of speakers discussing topics from Muslim civic participation to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Over the course of the conference’s speeches and panel discussions, participants took positions that were generally critical of the United States and the broader Western world and expressed opinions that some may regard as extreme. Fox News Digital attended the event over the weekend, sitting in on many of the panels held on Saturday and Sunday before and after El-Sayed's speech. The Michigan Democrat is running in one of the most hotly contested Senate races of the 2026 cycle, the outcome of which may decide control of the Senate. At one panel dubbed "Rising Islamophobia in the U.S.," a speaker described recently passed legislation that could bar colleges participating in certain commercial boycotts of Israel from receiving some federal higher-education funds as "an anti-Muslim bill." EXILED MUSLIM SCHOLAR WARNS FAR-LEFT–ISLAMIST ALLIANCE BEHIND ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS ECHOES IRAN’S RISE Shortly after that, a man in the audience wearing a Pakistani flag pin stood up and called for a fatwa to be issued against the bipartisan group of lawmakers who voted for the bil. A fatwa is a religious ruling or opinion that can range from a formal condemnation to, in some cases, a call for or justification of violence. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., and co-sponsored by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J. After the man called for a fatwa against members of Congress, members of the audience — and one panelist — applauded. Earlier during the same discussion, a panelist c…