A prominent Muslim cleric linked to the Muslim Brotherhood has described the political rise of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed as “blessings" resulting from Hamas’ October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel.
Ali al-Qaradaghi, secretary general of the Qatar-based International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), made the remarks at a conference in Turkey in August, according to a report by MEMRI TV.
“If not for the Al-Aqsa Flood and if the Zionists were not put to shame, what is happening in Europe and America would not be happening," Qaradaghi reportedly said.
“Al-Aqsa Flood" is Hamas’ official name for its October 7 assault, in which terrorists murdered approximately 1,200 people in Israel, the vast majority civilians, and abducted hundreds more.
Qaradaghi went on to point specifically to Mamdani and El-Sayed as examples of what he described as the attack’s “blessings."
“Mamdani would not have become governor of New York State [sic] and Abdulrahman El-Sayed would not have defeated a campaign worth $73 million," he said. “These are the blessings of the Al-Aqsa Flood."
The IUMS has been linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. The nonprofit Counter Extremism Project has described the organization as connected to the movement, while George Washington University’s Program on Extremism has described its founder, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, as a longtime spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The organization was accused in 2017 by Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates of using Islamic rhetoric to facilitate terrorist activity. The IUMS has denied the allegations.
Mamdani, who rode a wave of anti-Israel sentiment to victory in New York, campaigned on a pledge to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, although he later acknowledged that he lacks the authority to do so. He has also defended the controversial “Globalize the Intifada" slogan.
El-Sayed, a Democrat running for the US Senate, has likewise campaigned against Israel and pledged to withdraw US military aid to the country.