I study antisemitism for a living: El-Sayed’s rhetoric is a case study

The article discusses the rhetoric of Michigan Democratic primary winner Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, which a political science professor and antisemitism researcher describes as a "case study" in antisemitism. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel stated she would not attend the Michigan Democratic Convention due to safety concerns as a Jewish public figure, fearing harassment. The article highlights an indictment against one of El-Sayed's staff members and seven others for alleged threats and vandalism against the University of Michigan and pro-Israel organizations, including discussions of using "poison, bombs and psychological torture."

FBI special agent Jennifer Runyan explained: "In the dead of night, masked and hooded defendants allegedly threw noxious chemicals through the windows of families’ homes and taped demand letters to their front doors."

Additionally, a prominent supporter of El-Sayed, Hasan Piker, made controversial statements regarding the October 7th attacks, saying, "It doesn’t matter if rapes happened on October 7th." El-Sayed himself, after his primary victory, appeared on national television and characterized Israel as having been "bloodthirsty" for decades, which the author interprets as invoking an ancient blood libel against Jews.