PHILADELPHIA – September 17, 2026 – Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) is seeking answers from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after a Middle East Forum (MEF) investigation documented Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign operating inside a tax-exempt religious convention. Self, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, formally asked the IRS to investigate whether the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) violated the federal prohibition on 501(c)(3) organizations intervening in political campaigns.
In a September 16 letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Self cited MEF’s exclusive reporting on potential campaign finance and tax violations surrounding El-Sayed’s appearance at the 63rd Annual ISNA Convention in Detroit, Michigan.
“Taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize a nonprofit acting like a campaign committee for the Red-Green Alliance,”
Read Rep. Self’s full letter.
“Taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize a nonprofit acting like a campaign committee for the Red-Green Alliance,” Self wrote on X, referring to the political partnership between leftists and Islamists.
MEF’s Focus on Western Islamism (FWI) project found on September 9 that El-Sayed’s campaign operated a full exhibitor booth inside the convention hall, ahead of ISNA’s registration desk, under banners reading “Abdul for US Senate” and “Muslims for Abdul.” The booth solicited campaign donations, offered T-shirts for $50 contributions, and displayed QR codes directing attendees to donate or volunteer. Campaign staff waved posters, handed out flyers, and laid them across convention seats before and after El-Sayed’s speech.
FWI further reported that a campaign worker at the booth attempted to solicit a donation from an FWI writer after learning the writer was not a U.S. citizen, a potential violation of federal restrictions on foreign-national campaign contributions that could implicate El-Sayed’s staff. Self asked the IRS to “refer that information to the appropriate agency,” noting that jurisdiction over such contributions rests with the Federal Election Commission.
During the keynote session, ISNA CEO Azhar Azeez introduced El-Sayed to roughly 1,000 attendees as “Michigan’s 2026 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate” and praised him before he spoke. Azeez later said that ISNA, as a religious nonprofit, endorses no party or candidate, then told the audience the Muslim community is “very smart, very wise” and “know[s] exactly what decision to take.” Self’s letter calls this language “a clear reference to how attendees should vote.”
The letter also cites ISNA’s history as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the Holy Land Foundation trial, a landmark terror finance case that implicated dozens of Islamist activists and organizations for allegedly acting as a Hamas support network, and the 2018 suspension of ISNA’s Canadian branch by Canadian tax authorities over concerns that funds it transferred may have reached the terrorist group Hizbul Mujahideen.
“Congress has a responsibility to ensure that organizations receiving tax-exempt status play by the rules, and Rep. Self has demonstrated the kind of prompt oversight that these allegations demand.”
Self asked the IRS to examine whether ISNA “directly or indirectly participated or intervened in a political campaign” at the convention, whether it provided space, personnel, or other resources to the campaign, and to review its “current tax-exempt and filing status, including whether its activities remain consistent with the requirements of section 501(c)(3) and whether it is complying with applicable federal information-return requirements.” He asked for a written response within 30 days. ISNA claims an exemption applicable to churches and does not file an IRS Form 990 annual return.
“This was not simply a candidate attending a religious organization’s event,” Rep. Self wrote. “This is an example of an active political campaign operating within the space of an ISNA convention and using this as an opportunity to solicit money, recruit volunteers, and advocate for the election of a specific candidate.”
“We commend Rep. Keith Self for acting swiftly on the findings of the Middle East Forum’s investigation,” said Benjamin Baird, director of MEF Action. “Congress has a responsibility to ensure that organizations receiving tax-exempt status play by the rules, and Rep. Self has demonstrated the kind of prompt oversight that these allegations demand.”
“Tax-exempt status is not a license to operate a political machine,” said Gregg Roman, MEF’s executive director. “The Middle East Forum will continue serving as a watchdog, following the money, and exposing Islamist efforts to influence American politics.”
About the Middle East Forum
The Middle East Forum, founded in 1994, promotes American interests in the Middle East and protects Western values from Islamist threats through research, activism, and support for allies.
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For more information, contact:
Gregg Roman
Roman@MEForum.org
+1 (215) 546 5406
