A trio of prominent Democrats are set to appear at ArabCon, an anti-Israel convention in Dearborn, Michigan, that features speakers with records of praising Hamas and spreading anti-Semitism. Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), and Michigan lieutenant governor Garlin Gilchrist (D) are all on the schedule, raising questions about the Democratic Party’s growing ties to extremist figures.
El-Sayed will host a “Meet the Candidate” session, Gilchrist will headline the gala dinner, and Khanna will join left-wing commentator Cenk Uygur for a panel on Israel’s “genocide in Gaza.” The conference, organized by the American-Arab Discrimination Committee, advertises itself as bringing together “America’s most revolutionary voices.”
Among those voices is Rabab Abdulhadi, a professor who has organized events with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a U.S.-designated terrorist group. She defended the Hamas terrorists who attacked Israel on Oct. 7 as “merely defending themselves.” Other speakers include Lara Sheehi, who called Hamas fighters “martyrs,” and Zahra Billoo, who mourned Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, saying, “his martyrdom is not in vain.”
Dearborn mayor Abdullah Hammoud, who recently berated a local pastor as a “racist” and “Islamophobe” for objecting to honoring a Hamas sympathizer, will open the event. El-Sayed, a close ally, has remained silent on the controversy.
Khanna defended his appearance, saying, “I have never been to a conference where I agree with every speaker, but speaking at ArabCon is important.” Yet with ArabCon’s record of hosting those who openly support terrorist organizations, the Democrats’ presence signals more than simple disagreement—it shows a willingness to share the stage with individuals who have praised Hamas as “armed resistance.”
