Cleric Tied to Muslim Brotherhood Hails US Political Wins as ‘Blessings’ of Oct. 7 Attack

During an August gathering in Turkey, Ali al‑Qaradaghi, the secretary‑general of the Qatar‑based International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), made a startling claim: the recent political ascents of New York City’s mayor‑elect Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El‑Sayed are, in his words, “blessings” of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

Al‑Qaradaghi, who is widely reported to have long‑standing ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, said the so‑called “Al‑Aqsa Flood” – Hamas’ own code name for the Oct. 7 raid that left more than 1,200 Israeli civilians dead – had embarrassed “Zionists” and set off a chain reaction in Europe and America.

“If not for the Al‑Aqsa Flood and the shame it brought to the Zionists, what we are seeing in Europe and the United States would not be happening,” he told the audience, according to a MEMRI TV transcript.

He went on to single out Mamdani and El‑Sayed, suggesting their electoral fortunes would never have materialized without the “invasion” of Israel by Hamas. “Mamdani would not have become governor of New York State and Dr. El‑Sayed would not have won a campaign that outspent his opponent by $73 million,” the cleric asserted. “These are the blessings of the Al‑Aqsa Flood.”

The International Union for Muslim Scholars, founded by Yusuf al‑Qaradawi – a figure often described as the spiritual head of the Muslim Brotherhood for decades – has faced accusations from Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates of using Islamic rhetoric to mask extremist activity. The group, however, rejects those allegations.

Mamdani’s campaign has ridden a wave of anti‑Israel sentiment, at one point pledging to “arrest” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – a promise he later clarified he lacked the authority to fulfill. He also defended the controversial chant “globalize the intifada,” a slogan linked to violent attacks against Israeli civilians.

El‑Sayed, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate, has positioned himself as a vocal critic of Israel, even promising to cut U.S. military aid to the nation if elected. Both men have drawn sharp criticism from pro‑Israel groups and some Democratic leaders for their rhetoric.

While al‑Qaradaghi’s remarks have been seized upon by critics as evidence of foreign religious influence in American politics, the cleric and his organization maintain that they are merely interpreting the geopolitical shifts that followed the Oct. 7 tragedy.