Mehdi Hasan Cries ‘Anti-Muslim’ Bigotry If You Question El-Sayed’s Character or Questionable Ties

 
Brad Slager
Opinion

Mehdi Hasan loves to position himself as a serious thinker, but he frequently undermines that prospect with rather sophomoric commentary. For the latest, he rises to the defense of his preferred candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, and does so in a very pedestrian manner.

It is not difficult to see what provokes his reaction. When it is Fox News that is the focus, lapsing into predictable retorts is bound to take place. That Mehdi does not step back and take a beat to formulate a cogent response is the revealing detail.

It begins with some coverage from Fox, where it lists several problematic connections the Michigan U.S. Senate hopeful has in his past. The reason is that the outlet points out that if he wins a seat in the Senate, he could become privy to classified information.

What makes this potential officeholder a dicey proposition, from the perspective of Fox News, is that El-Sayed has ties with elements that could pose a security threat to the nation. Those ties and endorsements involve people who have expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah.

Involvement with those sympathizing with terror groups could certainly be seen as a red flag. So, in rides Hasan to the defense. These are not problematic connections that El-Sayed maintains, because this is all just basic bigotry.

Resorting to the tired Islamophobia canard is weak tea, even for Hasan. To look over the list of concerning contacts El-Sayed has made and come up with nothing better than “anti-Muslim bigotry” is so ill-thought-out that it strikes as pure emotional spewing. It is clear he wants no analysis to take place, so he becomes Frank Drebin, waving people away from the exploding fireworks factory.

It also stands as yet another example of Hasan making a bold proclamation that stands in direct opposition to his past proclamations. For a man who wrote “We would never allow this” regarding a Jewish politician, the man seems oblivious to his own record.

Just a cursory check of the social media history of Hasan shows he has this very proclivity on display consistently. The sheer number of times he has raised the specter of the organization AIPAC to impugn the character of others is extensive. Even in regard to the very election he comments on.

This stands as a sterling example of blinders in punditry. Hasan can cite AIPAC as a disqualifying ally for any number of discussions, but somehow it is wrong and bigoted to bring up El-Sayed’s own connective tissue with problematic terror groups. Helluva distinction, that.

As we have seen so often in the past, Hasan feels elevated above most others for the sheer fact that he has twice as many standards as anyone else.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.

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