(Refiling to remove typo, paragraph 4)
By Richard Cowan and David Hood-Nuño
WASHINGTON, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Republican Vice President JD Vance called Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim and a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, "very, very evil" at a rally last week, accusing him of defending terrorism because of remarks he made after a March attack on a suburban Detroit synagogue.
In Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott, in a close race for another term, attacked a proposed Muslim-led development and called for an investigation into what he described as efforts to create “sharia courts,” a claim disputed by developers and civil rights groups.
In Alabama, where Muslims make up less than half a percent of the population, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, a Republican running for governor, warned that “the enemy is inside the gates,” referring to what he called radical Islam.
MUSLIMS BECOME A CAMPAIGN ISSUE
The comments reflect an effort to make Muslims and Islam part of the election debate ahead of the November 3 midterms that will determine whether Democrats can wrest control of Congress from President Donald Trump's Republican Party.
Critics say the rhetoric unfairly targets Muslims, while Republicans say they are raising legitimate concerns about security, extremism and the role of religion in public life.
Abbott campaign spokesman Eduardo Leal said the Texas governor's actions regarding the development were aimed at alleged illegal conduct, not religious beliefs.
Muslims number about 5.5 million people in the United States, up from 2.4 million in 2007, according to Pew Research Center. They account for about 1.6% of the country's population.
Over the past year, Muslims have gained more political power than at any point in recent memory. New York City elected its first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, while El-Sayed could become the first Muslim senator. Last year, Ghazala Hashmi became the first Muslim woman elected to a statewide office when she became Virginia's lieutenant governor.
The rhetoric has spread to House races as well.
Republican Representatives Keith Self and Chip Roy, both of Texas, have organized a "Sharia Free America Caucus" and Republican Representative Randy Fine of Florida has introduced legislation that he says will "tackle the rise" of sharia law in the United States.
Aides to Fine did not respond to requests for comment.
EL-SAYED AT CENTER OF DEBATE
As the only Muslim running for statewide office in the country, the American-born El-Sayed has been the focus of anti-Islamic rhetoric around the country.
Vance's criticism centered on comments El-Sayed made after a man drove a vehicle into a suburban Detroit synagogue in March while children were in the building. El-Sayed condemned the attack but also said of the assailant that "hurt people hurt people," noting that some of the man's relatives in Lebanon had recently been killed in an Israeli airstrike.
El-Sayed later said the remarks may have been misconstrued and apologized.
In response to Vance's attack, El-Sayed said last month: "Evil is ripping healthcare away from working people in exchange for tax breaks for billionaires. Evil is making people pay more for groceries and gas while pushing for trade wars and actual war. Evil is dividing people for your own gain."
El-Sayed has faced Republican criticism for associating with Hasan Piker, a left-wing social media influencer who has said the United States deserved the September 11, 2001, attacks.
In a podcast interview El-Sayed discussed the feelings of isolation some Americans experience, which he blamed on cellphones and social media, and contrasted it with the sense of community his relatives in Egypt enjoy.
In response, Tuberville posted on X, “If you hate America so much, go live in Egypt.”
Aides to the Tuberville campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
DEBATE OVER POLITICAL MOTIVES
The public has doubts about Trump, whose approval rating is stuck at around 33%. Their top concerns: the high cost of living, the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and Trump's tariffs on foreign goods.
Public attitudes toward Israel have shifted, particularly among Democrats, with polls showing growing sympathy for Palestinians and increasing opposition to U.S. military aid.
Aaron Hughes, a University of Rochester religious studies professor and scholar of Islam and Judaism, said the increased focus on Muslims comes as Republicans struggle to gain political traction on issues such as the cost of living, the Iran war and immigration.
"If you can wrap yourself in the flag and you can criticize Muslims and Islam that means you don't really have to deal with the issues," he said in a telephone interview, calling it "fear-mongering."
"You're taking this gross characterization of a community and making connections with Hamas, with Iran ... I find it most shocking that there's this conflation," he said.
The rhetorical attacks occur, Hughes noted, despite many Muslims holding conservative beliefs that dovetail with Republican orthodoxy, such as opposition to some abortion procedures and same-sex marriage.
There is a history in the United States of targeting minorities in political campaigns, but the rhetoric has become sharper, according to experts.
Exactly two years ago, some Republicans running for public office, including Trump, spread the false claim that immigrant Haitians living in the small town of Springfield, Ohio, were eating pets.
"They're eating the dogs! The people that came in. They're eating the cats! They're eating ... the pets of the people that live there," Trump said in a 2024 presidential debate.
While Trump is not on the ballot, the public's low support for his performance could be a drag on his fellow Republicans.
Ashik Siddique, co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America, said it would be wrong to hang Islamophobia on just one political party. "Unfortunately sometimes Democrats in leadership have also fed into this" anti-Islamic rhetoric, he said.
He was referring to a radio interview Andrew Cuomo did last October when running as an independent candidate in the New York City mayoral election before being defeated by Mamdani.
"Can you imagine Mamdani in the seat" during the September 11, 2001, attack? Cuomo asked the show's host.
BEYOND THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
The issue has extended beyond the campaign trail.
In August, Abbott urged a federal probe of two Texas airports over Islamic ritual washing facilities, arguing that government-owned airports could not favor one religion over another. Abbott's campaign rejected accusations that it was targeting Muslims because of their faith.
Houston's Democratic Mayor John Whitmire said the airports' ablution room and adjoining prayer room are "open to all travelers, employees and stakeholders" regardless of faith and that "nobody receives preferential access, and nobody is excluded."
(Reporting by Richard Cowan and David Hood-Nuño; Editing by Howard Goller)
