Dr. Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan has a good chance of becoming the country's first Muslim governor, The Guardian reports.
El-Sayed, 32, grew up in Detroit the son of Egyptian immigrants and left his position as executive director of the Detroit Health Department in February to run for governor in next year's Democratic Party primary. He made a pledge to accept no campaign contributions from corporations, calling them "bribes," and already has raised over $1 million.
If elected, he promises to push for universal healthcare for the state, to legalize marijuana, to establish Michigan as a "sanctuary state," and to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour.
The Guardian notes, while following El-Sayed on the campaign trail, that he's been dogged by rumors about his religion. After delivering a stump speech about his personal history in Adrian, Michigan, El-Sayed was asked about his views on Sharia law.
"I believe in a separation of church and state," he said, mentioning that John F. Kennedy's election as the first Catholic president was a turning point for the nation.
"I can tell you that my ability to practice my faith in person, in my own home, when I choose to, where I'm allowed to, because of freedoms in this country have everything to do with that separation of church and state," he continued. "If I am going to want to be able to put my face on the ground 34 times a day, like I do, because I'm Muslim, I want to make sure no one can take that right away from me. And I will not take that right away from anyone else."
His response prompted a round of applause. The man who asked the question told the Guardian's Drew Philp after the event that he did not think El-Sayed would bring Sharia law to this country.
"The electorate [in Michigan] doesn't know what it wants, but it wants something different," campaign manager Max Glass told the paper. "I wouldn't have taken this race if I didn't think we could win."
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