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Abdul El-Sayed’s ‘habibi’ jab at Vance: A win for Michigan’s first Muslim senator

firstpost.com — November 5, 2026 at 06:01 AM UTC

Abdul El-Sayed, the first Muslim elected to the US Senate, won Michigan's Senate race on November 3, 2026, defeating Republican Mike Rogers. In his victory speech, he sarcastically addressed Vice President JD Vance as "habibi," highlighting the irony that Vance must swear him into office in January. El-Sayed's remark was a pointed response to campaign hostility from Republican leaders, including Vance calling him a "radical extremist" and President Trump mocking his name and faith. He also referenced the Michigan-Ohio State sports rivalry, saying "Wolverine 1, Buckeye 0," and told Trump he could call him "Senator" after being sworn in. "Habibi" is an Arabic term of endearment meaning "my love" or "my dear," commonly used among friends and family. El-Sayed, a 42-year-old physician of Egyptian descent, used the word sarcastically to reclaim his heritage and reject what he called "the politics of religious and racial hostility."

With a significance score of 2.1, this news ranks in the top 22% of today's 32283 analyzed articles.

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