Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has celebrated his projected victory in Michigan’s midterm election, describing his emergence as senator-elect as an honour and a moment of pride.
The 42-year-old Egyptian-American defeated former Republican Representative Mike Rogers, becoming the first Muslim elected to the United States Senate.
Addressing supporters on Tuesday night in a video shared by Fox News, El-Sayed reflected on his campaign and his frequent use of the Islamic expression “Inshallah”, which means “God willing”, whenever he spoke about the election outcome.
He said, “My name is Abdulrahman Mohamed Sayed, and I am so proud and honoured to stand here as your senator-elect from the great state of Michigan.
Up until right about now, you might have noticed I always say Inshallah or God willing whenever the outcome of this race was mentioned.
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But today, tonight, we can turn that Inshallah into Alhamdulillah.”
Alhamdulillah is an Arabic phrase that translates to “praise be to God”.
According to Anadolu Agency, US media projected El-Sayed as the winner on Tuesday, securing the Senate seat currently held by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters.
The former public health official is expected to take office when the new Congress begins its session in January.
His victory followed a closely contested Democratic primary in August, during which he defeated Representative Haley Stevens to clinch the party’s nomination for the general election.
El-Sayed’s election represents a historic development for Muslim representation in the United States Senate.