Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed promoted a book downplaying leftist violence on his podcast America Dissected on more than one occasion, giving yet another glimpse into the far-left beliefs of the Michigan Senate candidate.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, El-Sayed promoted the book Let This Radicalize You at least ten times in his podcast. The book, authored by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba, is described as a resource “for activists and organizers building power in an era of destabilization and catastrophe.”
In one chapter of the book, the authors attempt to blur the lines between a good protester and bad, asserting that violent protesters — such as those destroying property — are not necessarily bad.
“Fetishizing distinctions between violence and nonviolence can lead to the indulgence of rhetoric about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ protesters, where ‘peaceful’ protesters are celebrated and ‘violent’ protesters — for example, those who engage in property destruction that disrupts profit — are viewed as disposable and disreputable,” the book reads, as the authors conclude that peaceful protests involve individuals who are “cooperative” and “obediently” remain “within the lines drawn by the state.”
“This licenses people to care about the cause being protested without caring about what happens to the ‘bad’ protesters,” they continue, using George Floyd as an example.
“For example, even as significant numbers of people supported the uprisings following the racist murder of George Floyd, many fewer people vocally defended the rights of protesters who were arrested for acts of property destruction and funneled into the racist carceral system,” they conclude, later showcasing support for defunding the police as well.
“Organizers campaigning to defund the police and redirect funds toward life-giving services are blamed for alleged spikes in violent crime, even though no correlation exists between defund efforts and crime rates,” they insist.
The book also describes the U.S. government as the greatest “purveyor of violence in the world,” taking direct issue with America securing its own border and weeding out welfare fraud.
“From war to policing to incarceration to border violence to the slashing of the social safety net, the U.S. government kills untold millions. The violence of rebellion is infinitesimal by comparison,” the authors write, asserting that “the maintenance of global capitalism necessitates mass death.”
It appears El-Sayed agrees with these ideas, given his promotion of the book in his September 19, 2023 podcast.
“Support for this podcast comes from Marguerite Casey Foundation. Mutual aid is the story of the century, and it’s featured prominently in the book, Let This Radicalize You: Organizing in the Revolution of Reciprocal Care, coauthored by Kelly Hayes and Marguerite Casey Foundation scholar Mariam Kaba,” he said, urging listeners to “check out their conversation with abolitionist organizers and lessons from the book and how communities are putting them into practice.”
Given this, it comes as no surprise that El-Sayed has repeatedly failed to condemn leftist influencer Hasan Piker, who said “America deserved 9/11.” El-Sayed initially stated that Piker’s remark needed to be viewed in “context.”
El-Sayed’s Republican challenger Mike Rogers said in a statement after his primary win in the Michigan Senate race, “He wants to empty prisons and put murderers and sex offenders back on our streets. He pledged his support to the Muslim Brotherhood and campaigns with people who refuse to condemn terrorism. And, he advocated for the largest tax hike in American history — costing families already struggling to make ends meet over $3,000 more per year.”
“Abdul doesn’t represent a vision for the future. He’s leading a movement grounded in ideological fanaticism,” he said. “His agenda would make our communities less safe and our state less affordable.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) described the rise of individuals like El-Sayed as a “fusion of socialism or communism and Islamism, the Marxist roots of radical Islamic thought — go back to the beginning of last century.”
“It’s now starting to sprout here in America. We saw it just this week in Michigan when the Democrats nominated Abdul El-Sayed, a true radical who has palled around with people that said America had 9/11 coming,” he said. “He wants to abolish ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. He wants to stop border enforcement. He wants confiscatory levels of taxation for hardworking Americans.”