Abdul El-Sayed says he plans to take oath on Quran, considers Thomas Jefferson copy

WASHINGTON, DC: Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan's senator-elect, says he'll take his oath of office on the Quran, making history as the first Muslim in the US Senate.

During his NPR interview, he talked about the choice: he's still weighing which Quran to use. One option is Thomas Jefferson’s historic copy, the same one Representative Keith Ellison used back in 2007. Another possibility is an old Quran from the University of Michigan, which El-Sayed calls the first of its kind in the state. “I will likely swear on a Quran. Which Quran, we’re not sure,” he said in a video on Thursday.

El-Sayed considers historic Quran for Senate oath

During the interview, El-Sayed explained that he had not yet decided which copy of the Quran he would use for the ceremony.

“I will likely swear on a Quran. Which Quran, we’re not sure. Thomas Jefferson had a copy of the Quran, so when Keith Ellison was sworn into Congress he swore in on that copy. There’s also, the University of Michigan holds the first Quran in the state of Michigan. It’s very, very old, and that might be the choice. So, I don’t know, but I’ll swear on the Quran,” he stated.

The Monticello website says Jefferson bought a Quran in 1765 when he was studying law. Years later, Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota, used that same Quran for his oath of office in 2007.

Now, El-Sayed’s announcement comes not long after Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayor, took his oath in January with his hand on the Quran.

El-Sayed, a Michigan Democrat, plans to follow suit. After winning in the November midterms, he became the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.

Abdul El-Sayed faces scrutiny over reported Muslim Brotherhood links

Conservative media have zeroed in on El-Sayed's political history and alleged associations. Back in August, his campaign told Breitbart News that he personally follows Sharia law. Breitbart also highlighted that a former spokesperson from Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood political party celebrated El-Sayed’s election win, calling it a “model” for Muslims elsewhere.

Just before the midterms, the Government Accountability Institute revealed that El-Sayed took an unreported trip to Colombia in 2022. There, he met with nonprofit leaders, and, according to Breitbart, some of these groups have direct ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

The report added that El-Sayed has consistently pushed back against claims linking him, or his family, to the organization.

El-Sayed’s plan to use the Quran for his swearing-in has sparked interest, too. His election is a historic step for Muslim representation in the Senate. Choosing a religious text for the oath isn’t new; Ellison and, more recently, Mamdani did the same. Still, given his position in the chamber, the spotlight on his decision feels especially sharp.