Democrat Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s birth mother, Fatten Fathy Elkomy, worked for the Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA) from 1999 to at least 2004.
This is a big issue because in 2004, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (DOT) designated the international group an “organization supporting terrorism” and linked it to Sept. 11 mastermind Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.
“IARA is identified as a non-governmental organization (NGO) formerly affiliated with Maktab Al-Khidamat (MK), which was co-founded and financed by UBL (Usama Bin Laden or Osama bin Laden) and is the precursor organization of al Qaida,” the DOT announcement read.
“Information available to the U.S. indicates that international offices of IARA provided direct financial support for UBL. IARA, MK and UBL commingled funds and cooperated closely in the raising and expenditure of funds. IARA engaged in a joint program with an institute controlled by UBL that was involved in providing assistance to Taliban fighters,” it continued.
A photo of Fatten Elkomy, mother of Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed.
She worked for the Islamic American Relief Agency from 1999 to 2004, an organization Treasury-designated in 2004 for providing support to Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, the… pic.twitter.com/Bt69w4JyKe
— JKash 🍊MAGA Queen (@JKash000) August 18, 2026
The DOT also accused IARA of supporting Hamas, the terrorist group responsible for the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel.
Years later, in 2007, the Bush Department of Justice charged IARA with a 33-count indictment “for illegally transferring funds to Iraq, violating federal sanctions,” according to The Midwesterner.
“A superseding indictment followed in January 2008, and in 2010 two of IARA’s board of directors pleaded guilty to conspiring to move more than $1 million to Iraq,” according to the outlet.
The indictments included a list of exhibits that themselves included the name of Elkomy’s brother and El-Sayed’s uncle, Mohamed or Mohammed Elkomy.
In fairness to El-Sayed, neither his birth mother nor his uncle were ever charged with a crime or named as co-conspirators.
IARA, meanwhile, “pleaded guilty in court for conspiring to violate sanctions by illegally funneling nearly $1.4 million to Iraq and agreed to dissolve the organization in 2016,” according to The Midwesterner.
That said, Elkomy has been accused by critics of helping IARA “process tens of thousands in overseas transfers.”
EXCLUSIVE: Abdul El-Sayed’s mother helped process tens of thousands in overseas transfers for an Islamic charity later convicted of secretly funneling $1.375 MILLION into Saddam-era Iraq—and blacklisted over alleged al-Qaeda, Taliban and Hamas ties. 🧵
— Natalie Winters (@nataliegwinters) August 17, 2026
The charity was IARA-USA—the American office of the Sudan-based ISRA network. In 2004, Treasury blacklisted the global network, alleging that its officials supported Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, Hamas and the Taliban. pic.twitter.com/c8XWR3k8wH
— Natalie Winters (@nataliegwinters) August 17, 2026
One transfer request bearing Elkomy’s name sought $24,607.34 “to Iraq office.” The next court-listed record describes the matching $24,607.34 wire through Arab Bank in Amman, naming ISRA as beneficiary. pic.twitter.com/GQUArVTVry
— Natalie Winters (@nataliegwinters) August 17, 2026
That was not isolated. The filing identifies Elkomy in Iraq-related transfer correspondence spanning 1999 to 2002—including a $20,772.88 transaction and an “Iraqi Children” sponsorship ledger. pic.twitter.com/h6j43E5D4K
— Natalie Winters (@nataliegwinters) August 17, 2026
Elkomy nevertheless denied IARA’s ties to terrorism during a 2004 interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
“I’ve been working there serving orphans and children with at least one deceased parent, and it breaks my heart they’re not going to get any help,” she said.
These days, she lives in Missouri, where she works for the New Horizons Community Support Services Agency and The Islamic School of Columbia.
“Dr. Elkomy is a trained Psychiatric/Mental Health Provider, with 13 years of experience. She graduated from Alexandria University, School of Medicine, Alexandria, Egypt in 1983,” her bio on the school website reads.
El-Sayed has, for his part, avoided mentioning his biological mother on the campaign trail, except for during a stop in Lansing last year when he spoke of “folks” who “fall off” health insurance, including “people with serious mental issues.”
“So the answer is that people have the same insurance over the course of their lives that does not depend on them being employed, or them meeting a particular income threshold, which is, of course, Medicare for All,” he said. “I say this as my mother is a psychiatric NP and my wife is a psychiatrist.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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