Mo Amer returned to The Daily Show’s “In My Opinion” desk Wednesday night with another lesson in Islamophobia—and a look at the surprisingly effective weapon Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has been using against it.
“You know why I’m here,” Amer said at the top of the segment. “It’s Islamophobia Palooza, baby.”
Amer, who made his debut as a Daily Show contributor in April with a segment skewering anti-Muslim rhetoric and misconceptions, turned his attention this time to El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan.
El-Sayed’s primary victory, Amer noted, came despite no shortage of attacks centered on his Muslim faith. And if those didn’t work, his critics have apparently settled on a novel strategy for the general election: more of the same.
After running through clips labeling El-Sayed everything from a “jihadi adjacent” radical to an “Islamo-fascist” communist, Amer marveled at just how many scary labels his adversaries have managed to pile on.
“Damn, he’s Muslim and fascist and communist,” he said. “I mean, why stop there? Might as well throw in Mexican, too.”
But there’s a problem with all that fearmongering, Amer explained: El-Sayed is apparently difficult to dislike.
“It turns out he’s got a secret weapon,” Amer said. “It’s a devious, scheming, highly unorthodox approach that experts even refer to as being likable.”
Case in point: Jesse Watters. After interviewing El-Sayed on Fox News in August, Watters confessed that while he disagreed with the candidate politically, he had found himself won over by him personally.
“I actually like Abdul,” Watters said in a clip Amer played. “I probably shouldn’t like him, but I do.”
“My racist brain is telling me no,” Amer sang in response, borrowing from R. Kelly’s “Bump N’ Grind,” “but my body, my body is telling me—”
Amer compared El-Sayed’s unlikely charm offensive to that of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose once-hostile relationship with President Trump took a striking turn after the two actually met. Amer played Trump praising Mamdani as “a very nice guy,” “a charming guy,” and even a “good-looking guy.”
“But my body, my body is telling me yeah,” Amer sang again.
The comedian eventually brought the bit back to a more serious point, arguing that Muslim candidates like El-Sayed and Mamdani are repeatedly forced to prove they are individuals rather than “a collection of stereotypes.”
Despite that, Amer said, they continue putting themselves “squarely in the crosshairs of bigotry and culture war politics to serve the country they love.”
“Because in America, no matter your gender, race, or religion, anyone has an opportunity to get elected, serve the people, and make embarrassing TikToks that will live forever on the internet.”
Watch Amer’s full “In My Opinion” segment from Wednesday night’s The Daily Show at the top of this post.
