Arabs celebrate El-Sayed's use of Arabic terms in victory speech

Abdul El-Sayed, the first Muslim American U.S. senator-elect, incorporated Arabic terms such as "habibi" and "inshallah" into his victory speech, sparking celebrations from Michigan to the Middle East, according to AP and PBS NewsHour Politics.

El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, addressed U.S. Vice President JD Vance in his speech with the phrase "JD, habibi," playfully responding to Vance's warning that El-Sayed would incite riots in Detroit. The term "habibi" translates to "my beloved" and is commonly used in Arabic as "buddy," "pal," or "bro."

Supporters of El-Sayed have embraced the term, wearing shirts that read "Habibi for Abdul." The senator-elect noted that his campaign turned "inshallah" ("God willing") into "hamdulillah" ("thank God").

The use of these terms and El-Sayed's victory brought a rare moment of joy in the Middle East, a region often marked by conflict and negative stereotypes. Many Arabs shared music and memes on social media celebrating the speech, with some joking that an Egyptian song might become a new anthem.

El-Sayed has also leaned into his faith and Egyptian heritage while championing the Palestinian cause and mocking critics on the right who targeted him with Islamophobic rhetoric during his campaign, as reported by AP and PBS NewsHour Politics.