LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A former spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood’s political party in Egypt praised Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed’s victory as a model for Muslims working within the American political system.

Abdel Mawgoud al-Dardiri, formerly a foreign affairs spokesman for Egypt’s Freedom and Justice Party, portrayed El-Sayed’s victory as advancing the interests of the “Islamic world,” according to Breitbart.

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El-Sayed faced questions during the campaign about relatives’ reported connections to the Brotherhood. His half-sister’s past social media posts described family involvement in the organization. El-Sayed has denied that he has ties to the group.

“I have never been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, I never will be a member of the Muslim Brotherhood,” El-Sayed told Fox News.

In August, a Muslim Brotherhood-linked website, celebrated El-Sayed’s Democratic primary victory.

Separately, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, wrote following the midterm elections: “The process of the US’s collapse has accelerated.”

Michigan News Source previously reported on a Middle East Forum (MEF) investigation into mosques where El-Sayed campaigned and where speakers delivered remarks the organization described as antisemitic and anti-American.

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MEF has called for investigations into alleged campaign activity by tax-exempt organizations. It has also sought scrutiny of government funding received by institutions identified in its reporting.

El-Sayed defeated Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers in Tuesday’s election. The former Detroit and Wayne County health official will become the first Muslim to serve in the U.S. Senate when he takes office in January.