President Trump calls US Senate candidate a jihadist — The National
US President Donald Trump, during a rally in Port Huron, Michigan, called American Muslim and Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed a “jihadist” and a member of the “Muslim Brotherhood.” The president said that he allegedly seeks to introduce sharia in the country. At the same time, there is no convincing evidence of El-Sayed’s ties to the “Muslim Brotherhood” or of his intentions to introduce Islamic law in the United States, The National reports.
Republican campaign in Texas
Ahead of the US midterm elections, some Republicans have intensified their campaign to ban any application of sharia and to oppose the influence of Islamist organizations. This rhetoric is heard most actively in Texas, where Congressmen Keith Self and Chip Roy established the Sharia-Free America Caucus last December. Its members say they seek to ban the introduction of sharia in the United States.
About 70 lawmakers joined the group, with roughly a quarter of them representing Texas. State Senator John Cornyn introduced the Boot Sharia Law Act in May, while Senator Ted Cruz led efforts to designate the “Muslim Brotherhood” a terrorist organization. In January, Trump designated three branches of the movement as foreign terrorist organizations.
Controversy surrounding Epic City
One reason for the discussion was the planned Epic City residential complex in the city of Josephine near Dallas. The project, backed by the East Plano Islamic Center and funded by members of the local Muslim community, includes a mosque, a religious school for students from kindergarten through 12th grade, an elderly care center, and sports facilities.
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott called Epic City a Muslim-only complex that would allegedly be governed by sharia. In September last year, he signed a law banning “sharia complexes,” where religion is used as a form of segregation. Representatives of the East Plano Islamic Center, in turn, describe Epic City as an integrated model community and reject claims that it would be separated from society.
Criticism of the rhetoric
Mobashra Tazamal, a researcher at Georgetown University’s Bridge Initiative, considers accusations of ties to the “Muslim Brotherhood” to be a tool of Islamophobic campaign rhetoric. According to a spring survey by the Pew Research Center, 43% of adult Americans believe Muslims are less patriotic than other US citizens, while 42% believe American Muslims have a negative influence on the country.
Sam Westrop of the Texas Public Policy Foundation said Republican politicians often mistakenly equate Islam with Islamism and Muslims with Islamists. At the same time, he insists that Islamist networks pose a real threat and calls Texas’s actions a possible model for other states.
