Washington Examiner

276.5K Followers

El Sayed-aligned Islamic council with alleged terrorism financing ties issued fatwa to financially support Muslim candidates

Story by Mia Cathell, Washington Examiner
• 4h • 9 min read



El Sayed-aligned Islamic council with alleged terrorism financing ties issued fatwa to financially support Muslim candidates

A preeminent Islamic council with organizational ties to a suspected financial collaborator of terrorism has authorized followers of Islam to flood Muslim and anti-Israel candidates with financial support using monetary obligations under Sharia law.
The Fiqh Council of North America earlier this election year issued a fatwa, a religious order in Islam, instructing Muslims across the United States that they are allowed to send portions of their annual Islamic dues — mandatory almsgiving known as “zakat” — to the campaigns of Muslim candidates and other 2026 contenders opposed to Israel.

FCNA is an advisory body of Islamic scholars that decides rulings of Sharia law, or “fatwas.”
Compulsory charitable collections, called zakat, are one of the pillars of Islam that function as an obligatory wealth tax on every eligible Muslim whose net worth is over a certain threshold. The standard zakat rate is 2.5% of a Muslim’s income to be paid yearly to a qualifying cause, typically the poor.
“The members of this committee believe that giving one’s zakat for influencing political causes is warranted,” FCNA ruled in its Jan. 30 fatwa.
At times, the council’s fatwa says, allocating zakat funds “even to the wealthy, to non-Muslims, or to those of questionable personal character [is justifiable], when that secures a general benefit for the Muslim community.”
EL SAYED TOUTS ENDORSEMENT FROM LOBBYISTS TIED TO TERRORIST FINANCING: ‘DEEPLY GRATEFUL’

People deemed deserving of receiving zakat payments are explicitly restricted to eight types of beneficiaries specified in the Quran. FCNA argued that Muslim and Muslim-aligned candidates are qualified to benefit from the Islamic tithe under one of the most controversial Quran-approved zakat categories: those whose “hearts need to be softened” toward Islam.
The council claimed that “the Prophet gave non-Muslim chieftains large amounts from the spoils of war” to “win them over” and to “minimize their criticism against Islam.”
Some skeptical Muslims have long questioned whether giving zakat as a way of “opening hearts to Islam” is a bribe of sorts, enticing non-believers with money to embrace Islam. In response to critics opposing this practice, on grounds that it uses material pleasures to lure people into the Muslim faith, Islamic scholars have defended the politicization of zakat as a means of spreading Sharia.

Similarly, the FCNA decided that zakat funds can be dispersed for political purposes if the money will help unite the Muslim world under Sharia.
“Wealth is a means, not an end; the end is the existence of an integrated, compassionate, cohesive Islamic community that enjoys dignity, elevation, honor, and freedom in harmony with the requirements of the Sharīʿah,” the FCNA fatwa says.
The fatwa’s stated purpose is to “empower” Muslims living under a non-Islamic government and secure them “respect” and “standing.”
“If Muslim minorities are living in a non-Islamic country, ruled by a non-Muslim government, and it becomes evident that these minorities are in circumstances that call for winning that government’s goodwill so that it will attend to their condition and safeguard their rights and freedoms,” the fatwa says, then the allocation of zakat in the political process is permissible.

U.S. involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly calls for military aid from pro-Israel lawmakers and fundraising committees, was the underlying basis for the fatwa. Framed as an emergency countereffort, FCNA’s fatwa says it is “imperative” that Muslim constituents support candidates and lobbying organizations working to shape U.S. foreign policy in favor of Palestinians. The fatwa stipulates that zakat donations can also go toward “countering a clearly anti-Muslim politician with an agenda of harm.”
A Jan. 30 fatwa unleashing Islamic almsgiving for political purposes. (Fiqh Council of North America)
However, the council warned “individuals should not decide by themselves which candidates and causes are worthy,” and that only trusted zakat collectors may collect and distribute funds on behalf of the Muslim body. This particular category of zakat has always been within the purview of the “wali al-amr,” or Muslim ruler, and the council said certain “reputable” institutions can take on the role of a wali al-amr in the absence of a reigning Muslim authority.

Robert Spencer, the director of Jihad Watch, explained that “zakat can’t be given to just anyone.” For funds to count as zakat, the money has to be dispersed to an entity that has been recognized by Islamic leaders as zakat-eligible. Zakat, for instance, is payable to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the country’s largest Muslim lobbying group.
“You’ll see notices here and there — ‘CAIR is zakat-eligible,’ etc., telling Muslims that they’re an acceptable recipient,” Spencer told the Washington Examiner. “If a Muslim decided, for example, to give his zakat donation to a pro-Israel entity, that would not count as zakat.”
Which candidates have been boosted by zakat contributions?
The Washington Examiner attempted to contact FCNA through its “Request a Fatwā” messaging portal to inquire about which candidates the zakat ruling applies to.
Yasir Qadhi, the council’s chairman, released a podcast episode in August titled “Michigan & The Muslim Moment – What Abdul El-Sayed’s Victory Means For The Future.”

The pro-el Sayed council chairman has publicly appeared alongside the Michigan Senate candidate, both of them appearing as conference speakers at CAIR’s annual 2018 conference, which focused that year on political organizing and activism.
Qadhi, who studied Islamic theology at the state-owned Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia, has faced controversy for his comments in a 2001 speech suggesting that the Holocaust is a hoax and “false propaganda.” He has since denied that characterization of his remarks but admitted to believing that Adolf Hitler “never actually intended to massacre the Jews,” only that he “wanted to expel them to neighboring lands.” Qadhi later acknowledged that these views were wrong, calling his Holocaust denialism “an error,” a “one-time mistake,” and a “blunder.”
Following the fatwa’s issuance, el Sayed far outraised his Democratic primary opponents in direct campaign contributions. According to Federal Election Commission filings covering the final crucial stretch before the August primary, el Sayed brought in a record-breaking $4.56 million in the second quarter of 2026, a fundraising haul almost double the amount of his more Israel-friendly rivals, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Michigan Senate Majority Whip Mallory McMorrow; they raised $2.1 million and $2.7 million, respectively, in the same reporting period.

Among other prominent Muslim candidates that FCNA leadership has publicly supported, Mohammad Qatanani, an executive member of the Islamic council, previously co-hosted fundraisers for Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).
Qatanani, whose brother-in-law was a senior Hamas military leader, for years faced the threat of deportation from the United States. Homeland Security officials alleged he failed to disclose on his green card application that Israeli forces had convicted him of providing material support to Hamas.
According to Israeli records, he was convicted in 1993 of “assisting terrorist organizations” by referring Palestinian students arriving in Jordan to join Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Qatanani insists that he was never formally arrested nor notified about being charged with a crime, but rather was among hundreds of Palestinians detained during a 1993 uprising and was subsequently convicted in absentia.

Terrorism financing ties
FNCA originated as the Fiqh Committee of the Islamic Society of North America. The council continues to be an affiliate of ISNA, advising and educating its members and officials on matters related to the application of Sharia law.
ISNA was flagged as a collaborator in the federal terrorism-financing case USA v. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development. At trial, officials said the foundation, which was the largest Muslim charity in the U.S. at the time, provided material support to terrorists under the guise of humanitarian aid. Five of Holy Land’s leaders were ultimately found guilty of funneling more than $12 million to Hamas.
In the 2007 Holy Land proceedings, authorities had identified ISNA by name on the Justice Department’s list of unindicted co-conspirators or “joint venturers.” According to federal prosecutors, ISNA was one of the domestic affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood’s U.S. infrastructure. In 2009, a federal court upheld ISNA’s designation as an unindicted co-conspirator due to “ample evidence” linking the Islamic group to Hamas and the Holy Land Foundation.

El Sayed’s father-in-law, Tayeb Jukaku, sits on ISNA’s founders committee. Jukaku, who has been serving on ISNA’s founding body since at least 2007, and other committee members are required to contribute a minimum of $5,000 annually to ISNA in addition to the Founders Legacy Fund. ISNA’s founders committee ensures the organization's financial stability by making direct contributions and providing guidance to the ISNA board of directors.
Jukaku has also donated the most money as the top individual contributor to the main super PAC supporting his son-in-law’s Senate run, with a total of $300,000 donated so far to Fighting for Michigan, the fundraising committee specially formed to help elect el Sayed.
EL SAYED’S FATHER-IN-LAW HOLDS LEADERSHIP ROLES AT ISLAMIC ORGANIZATIONS NAMED IN TERRORISM FINANCING CASE
El Sayed and Tlaib have both appeared as headliners at past ISNA events. They were panelists at the same civic-engagement workshop at ISNA's annual convention in 2018, and Tlaib co-led a session that conference weekend on being “Unapologetically Muslim.”

Tlaib has repeatedly appeared at ISNA’s annual convention, going back at least to 2010, while el Sayed was a featured speaker at ISNA’s 2026 convention in Detroit, where he openly solicited donations and votes from Muslim Michiganders. Inside the convention hall, el Sayed’s campaign operated an exhibition booth adorned by banners reading “Muslims for Abdul” that encouraged convention attendees to vote for him. The campaign table also carried QR placards, directing supporters to donate.
El Sayed’s and Tlaib’s campaigns did not respond to requests for comment.
Islam’s influence looms over 2026 elections
Fatwas are technically formal opinions on disputed facets of Islam issued by Muslim jurists, those certified to interpret religious texts and provide so-called “legal” guidance on the application of Sharia law. FCNA says it's “guided by the judicial heritage of the Prophet’s companions.”

FCNA drafted its joint January fatwa in coordination with the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America, which has issued a wide range of fatwas dictating how Muslim women should live their daily lives in accordance with Allah’s teachings.
AMJA’s prior fatwas include restrictive pronouncements on whether Muslim women on their period are permitted to enter the carpeted area of a mosque, rules forbidding them from wearing ballet flats that show the top part of their feet in public, taking a bath after a miscarriage, and reading the Quran while menstruating.
The rise of Sharia law in America, as well as its acceptance, is increasingly becoming a campaign issue.
Opponents of Sharia’s ascendance fear a Muslim takeover of the U.S. that imposes Islamic doctrine in every aspect of American public life. Islam has a framework that blends religion and ideas about governance. In traditional Islamic theology, the church and state are deeply intertwined. It’s not simply a religion. Islam has its own law, Sharia, its own court systems, and its own set of economic rules commanding what is and what is not Sharia-compliant.

EL SAYED SAYS ‘PREEMPTIVELY’ BANNING SHARIA IS DISCRIMINATORY, CALLS RIVAL ROGERS ‘BETA’
Spencer of Jihad Watch, who has testified before Congress on the threat of Sharia, said FCNA’s fatwa turning almsgiving into campaign contributions further illustrates that “there is no distinction between the religious and political in Islam.”
“The Palestinian jihad against Israel stems from religious teachings, particularly the idea that any land that once was ruled under Sharia belongs to Muslims forever,” Spencer told the Washington Examiner. “Muslims have an obligation to retake that land from whoever rules it now: ‘Drive them out from where they drove you out’ (Qur’an 2:191).”
Muslims can collectively work toward that goal by electing anti-Israel candidates, Spencer explained, so giving zakat in hopes of furthering the Palestinian cause is considered justified. “The religious and the political, in this as in other areas, are inseparable,” Spencer said.

As FCNA’s fatwa says, “Zakat is [one] of the most important obligations and acts of worship in Islam, and is central to one’s identity as a Muslim.”
Never before in recent memory had the scope of the Islamic alms-tax been widened to include political funding. Even some sitting members of FCNA disagreed with the ruling and issued a dissenting opinion to the council’s expansionist position on zakāh, the Arabic transliteration of zakat.
In their rebuttal, the dissenting jurists said the council’s decree “reorients zakāh from a bounded act of worship toward a standing funding mechanism for organizations.”
“Zakāh cannot be converted into a perpetual subsidy for advocacy infrastructures,” they wrote.


El Sayed-aligned Islamic council with alleged terrorism financing ties issued fatwa to financially support Muslim candidates