Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim elected to the US Senate after defeating Mike Rogers. He went viral for his joke, "Do not believe the people who say I'm for Sharia law, I'm for shawarma law." El-Sayed also used his victory speech to criticize current US military funding.
Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has gone viral on social media after his victory in the 2026 US midterm elections, with his earlier joke about preferring "shawarma law" over "Sharia law" drawing renewed attention. El-Sayed, 42, defeated Republican candidate and former representative Mike Rogers in one of the closely watched Senate contests, according to NBC News projections. His victory makes him the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. An epidemiologist and former public health official, El-Sayed belongs to the Democratic Party's progressive wing. During his campaign, he faced attacks from opponents who accused him of supporting the implementation of Sharia law.
He responded with a play on words, saying he was actually in favour of "shawarma law". "Do not believe the people who say I'm for Sharia law, I'm for shawarma law," El-Sayed said at a campaign stop in Macomb County earlier this week. He went on to explain his version of the supposed rules, using the popular Middle Eastern wrap to make his point. "I want to explain what the tenets of shawarma law are. If you get a shawarma and it's got lettuce in it, it's not shawarma, it's just a sandwich. Someone has lied to you." The remark gained traction online following his election victory, with social media users extending the joke to references such as "Shakira law" and "Shania law".
El-Sayed takes aim at JD Vance in victory speech At his victory celebration, El-Sayed introduced himself by his full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, and explained his repeated use of Arabic expressions during the campaign. "Up until right about now, you might have noticed I always say "inshallah", or "God willing", whenever the outcome of this race was mentioned. But today, tonight, we can turn that inshallah into alhamdulillah. For the rightwing ops, that just means "praise be to God," OK?" He also addressed Vice-President JD Vance, saying: "JD, habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you're constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January."
El-Sayed used the speech to criticise Washington's support for Israel and call for an end to US funding of military operations. "See, they try to call you hateful if you believe that Palestinian kids should get to grow up in the land of their forefathers without being murdered by our tax dollars," he said. "Michiganders, we want our taxes spent here, for schools here, and healthcare here, and infrastructure here. We don't want our money sent to do apartheid or genocide or war." A campaign marked by controversy El-Sayed faced attacks from President Donald Trump, who called him a "communist" and described him as a "jihadist" and a member of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.
He also lost the support of Democratic Representative Haley Stevens, whom he had defeated in the party's primary. Stevens later endorsed Rogers. El-Sayed's campaign focused on progressive policies, including universal healthcare through Medicare for All and ending US military aid to Israel. His victory extends the Republican Party's electoral drought in Michigan, where it has not won a Senate seat since 1994. He will succeed retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters.