Anya Dalal
At CAYC, we believe democracy works best when people with different perspectives come together to discuss difficult issues. We value political disagreement, but believe that disagreement should focus on ideas and policies rather than an individual's religion or background.
That belief is being tested in Michigan, where U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed has faced attacks targeting his Muslim faith and questioning his loyalty to the United States. Dr. El-Sayed participated in our inaugural CAYC Spring Conference in April 2025, joining our panel discussion “Building Resilience: Teen Mental Health, Vaccines, and Opioid Awareness.” We were grateful for his participation (for which he generously and freely donated his time), which reflected our goal of bringing public officials, experts, and young people together to discuss issues affecting our communities. We didn't expect everyone on the panel to agree, but we valued the opportunity to hear different perspectives and learn from one another.
Recent remarks directed at Dr. El-Sayed during his Senate campaign have raised concerns about religious discrimination in political discourse. These remarks have included questioning his loyalty to the United States and invoking his Muslim faith in attacks against him.
Candidates should be challenged on their policies, statements, and decisions, not judged by their religion or background. Condemning these remarks does not mean endorsing Dr. El-Sayed's political platform. Instead, we think it reflects a standard we think should apply to all candidates, regardless of their political affiliations.
At CAYC, through our conferences, we've seen how much we can learn from people who don't share our views. Our conferences bring together elected officials, policy experts, and young people from different political backgrounds. We don't expect everyone to agree, but we do expect them to listen, challenge ideas respectfully, and recognize the dignity of those with whom they disagree.
As young people preparing to inherit our political institutions, we should hold our leaders to that same standard. We can make room for disagreement without making room for discrimination.