Why was Abdul Rahman Al-Sayed's victory met with mixed reactions in his family's homeland, Egypt?

- Abdul Rahman Al-Sayyed made history by becoming the first Muslim elected to the Senate in the United States. But in Egypt, his family's homeland, the reaction to his rise has been more caution than celebration.

The Michigan Democrat has challenged a cornerstone of Washington's relationship with Cairo: US military aid. He called for reducing this funding, along with the aid provided to Israel, considering that American funds contribute to strengthening the grip of what he called a “military dictatorship” over the Egyptian people.

He also angered some Egyptian commentators when he suggested that he could have become a taxi driver if his father had not immigrated to the United States. These are statements they considered a disparagement of the country his family left. This friction complicates the usual celebration of success abroad.

He is an American politician of Egyptian origins, whose criticism of Israel resonates widely with the Egyptian public, while his criticisms of the government and army in Egypt arouse the dissatisfaction of some commentators. Egyptian writer Mohamed Salmawy addressed this dilemma in an article published on August 10 in Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, following Al-Sayed’s victory in the Democratic Party primaries. He raised a question: Should Cairo distance itself from a politician who criticizes Egypt, or reach out to a rising figure who challenges Israeli influence in Washington?

On Wednesday morning, a little-known Egyptian-American election winner received prominent coverage on the website of a privately owned daily newspaper. The headline of the news article about the Democratic candidate, who was elected to the US House of Representatives representing the state of New Jersey, stated: “Of Egyptian origins...

Who is Adam Hamwi, the winner of the US Congressional elections? Hamwi also opposed providing American aid to Egypt if it violated international human rights law, but he framed this position in a broader context compared to Al-Sayyed’s direct criticism of Cairo.

Hamwi, a former US Army surgeon, was among the volunteer doctors who were stranded in the Gaza Strip in May 2024, after Israeli forces took control of the Rafah crossing. Al-Sayed did not appear among the main stories on the home pages of some prominent Egyptian news sites.

This alone is not evidence of deliberate neglect. But the controversy during the election campaign had already made clear why his Egyptian roots would not guarantee him a warm welcome.