Muslim Cleric Calls Mamdani, El-sayed Political Rise An Oct. 7 ‘Blessing’

NEW YORK (VINnews) – A prominent Muslim cleric associated with the Muslim Brotherhood has credited Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel with helping create the political environment that led to the rise of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdulrahman El-Sayed.

Ali al-Qaradaghi, secretary general of the Qatar-based International Union for Muslim Scholars, made the remarks during a conference in Turkey in August, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute, or MEMRI.

Qaradaghi said the political changes now taking place in the United States and Europe would not have occurred without what Hamas calls the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” its name for the Oct. 7 assault.

He then cited Mamdani and El-Sayed as examples of what he described as positive consequences, or “blessings,” of the attack.

Qaradaghi claimed that without Oct. 7, Mamdani would not have achieved his political success and El-Sayed would not have overcome a campaign backed by tens of millions of dollars.

In describing Mamdani’s political rise, Qaradaghi referred to him as becoming governor of New York State. Mamdani is, in fact, the mayor of New York City, a position he assumed in January.

Mamdani’s rise followed a campaign in which he made criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian causes prominent issues. El-Sayed has similarly made opposition to U.S. military assistance to Israel a central part of his Senate campaign.

The comments come nearly three years after Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking hundreds of hostages, according to Israeli authorities. The assault triggered the war between Israel and Hamas.

The International Union for Muslim Scholars was founded by Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a longtime Muslim Brotherhood-associated religious figure. The organization has been described by researchers and several Middle Eastern governments as having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. The organization has rejected allegations that it supports or facilitates terrorism.

Qaradaghi’s remarks represent his interpretation of the political consequences of Oct. 7 and do not establish that the attack directly caused the electoral victories of Mamdani or El-Sayed.

MEMRI published the remarks along with video of Qaradaghi’s comments, providing the basis for the report.