Abdul El-Sayed’s Mother Worked For A Designated Terrorist Organization Accused Of Funding Osama Bin Laden
Michigan Senate candidate and antisemite Abdul El-Sayed faces scrutiny following reports detailing that his birth mother, Fatten Fathy Elkomy, previously worked for the Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA).
Elkomy was employed by the organization from 1999 until at least 2004. In October 2004, the U.S. Department of Treasury designated the international group as a global terrorist organization, alleging that its overseas branches had funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to Osama Bin Laden in 1999 and provided financial support to groups including Hamas and the Taliban.
Although IARA presented itself as a humanitarian charity, the U.S. Department of Justice later charged its American branch in connection with illegal funds transfers. In 2016, IARA-USA pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate sanctions by funneling nearly $1.4 million to Iraq and agreed to dissolve.
In a 2004 interview, Elkomy defended her work, stating she was focused exclusively on aiding orphans and children in need.
Throughout his campaign, Abdul El-Sayed has frequently highlighted his father and stepmother while omitting mentions of Elkomy, who returned to the Middle East before moving back to the United States to work as a nurse practitioner in Missouri.
