Fact check: Abdul El-Sayed headlined a series of luxury yacht fundraisers for an Islamic nonprofit organization linked to the Musli…

Verdict: mostly true — Trust Score 65/100

The Washington Free Beacon article, published in July 2026, accurately reports that Abdul El-Sayed headlined fundraising cruises for Islamic Relief USA in 2019. It also correctly states that a speaker at one of these events, Amer Zahr, made remarks urging support for Hamas and Hezbollah. The article's assertion of a link between Islamic Relief USA and the Muslim Brotherhood is also confirmed by 4 sources. While the events themselves are from 2019, the article is a current publication reporting on those past events.

Platform
web
Original post
https://freebeacon.com/democrats/abdul-el-sayed-headlined-luxury-fundraising-cruises-for-islamic-charity-linked-to-muslim-brotherhood/
Verified on
August 3, 2026
Verification ID
p6ZFtXaZigTyqFsRPuOkMg

Original content reviewed

Platform: WEB --- Caption/Description --- Title: Abdul El-Sayed Headlined Luxury Fundraising Cruises for Islamic Charity Linked to Muslim Brotherhood Description: Left-wing Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed headlined a series of luxury yacht fundraisers for an Islamic nonprofit organization linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, a Washington Free Beacon review found. One of the events—which took place on "one of New York Harbor's most impressive charter yachts"—featured a speaker who has urged Muslims to "stand with" Hamas and Hezbollah and stop "condemning antisemitism and condemning terrorism." Page Content: Democrats Abdul El-Sayed Headlined Luxury Fundraising Cruises for Islamic Charity Linked to Muslim Brotherhood One of the Islamic Relief USA 'Cruise for a Cause' events took place aboard the Nautical Empress, 'one of New York Harbor's most impressive private charter yachts' (Facebook) Chuck Ross July 28, 2026 image/svg+xml Left-wing Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed headlined a series of luxury yacht fundraisers for an Islamic nonprofit organization linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, a Washington Free Beacon review found. One of the events—which took place on "one of New York Harbor's most impressive private charter yachts"—featured a speaker who has urged Muslims to "stand with" Hamas and Hezbollah and stop "condemning antisemitism and condemning terrorism." El-Sayed headlined four Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA) "Cruise for a Cause" events in Washington, D.C. , Miami , Chicago , and New York City between March 23 and April 6, 2019, promotional flyers posted to social media show. The New York City soirée took place aboard the Nautical Empress , a "tri-level yacht" that hosts "high-end corporate event[s]" and features "space for up to 600 guests, full-service bars, elegant dining areas, and an open-air rooftop deck." "Cruising past landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Manhattan skyline, this tri-leve

Claims analyzed (4)

  1. verified: Abdul El-Sayed headlined a series of luxury yacht fundraisers for an Islamic nonprofit organization linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.
    Multiple sources, including the Washington Free Beacon itself, confirm that Abdul El-Sayed headlined Islamic Relief USA 'Cruise for a Cause' events in 2019. Islamic Relief Worldwide, which IRUSA was affiliated with, was banned from operating in the West Bank by Israel in 2014 over alleged Hamas financing, and the Muslim Brotherhood has been linked to Hamas.
  2. verified: One of the events featured a speaker who has urged Muslims to 'stand with' Hamas and Hezbollah and stop 'condemning antisemitism and condemning terrorism.'
    The Washington Free Beacon article and other sources report that Amer Zahr, a speaker at the IRUSA events, made statements in 2017 expressing solidarity with Hamas and Hezbollah against 'Israeli occupation' and later, in a social media video, urged activists to stop condemning antisemitism and terrorism.
  3. mostly true: The events took place between March 23 and April 6, 2019.
    The Washington Free Beacon article explicitly states that El-Sayed headlined four Islamic Relief USA 'Cruise for a Cause' events between March 23 and April 6, 2019. The embedded image, a Facebook post by Amer Zahr, is dated March 30, 2019, further corroborating the timeframe.
  4. mostly true: This Facebook post was posted by Amer Zahr on March 30, 2019.
    The embedded image clearly shows a Facebook post with the name 'Amer Zahr' and the date 'March 30, 2019'. The content of the post aligns with the article's description of the events.

Sources consulted (7)

Related verifications

AI-generated analysis. Not a substitute for professional fact-checking.