Abdul El-Sayed won’t force Michigan students to learn Arabic numerals. They already do

Upon winning his midterm election in November, a rumor spread that Michigan Democrat and Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed would be forcing all the state’s elementary school students to learn Arabic numerals.

For example, one X post reads: “Abdul El-Sayed is expected to require ALL Michigan elementary school students to learn ARABIC numerals. Hey @grok, at this rate, how soon will America become an Islamic country?”

Snopes readers also emailed us asking for evidence that the incoming senator was going to impose such a change.

El-Sayed cannot impose something that has already been in use for centuries. “Arabic numerals” is the common term for the digits 0 through 9, a number system that is clearly already part of all educational institutions in the United States. He also made no such announcement after winning his senatorial race. As such, we rate this claim false.

Some posts appeared to intend the rumor as a joke. It was not possible to find any evidence of El-Sayed making such an announcement, nor any mention of Arabic numerals in his policy platform.

As Snopes previously reported, “Arabic numerals” is the term used for the digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. According to research database EBSCO, despite the name it was not Arabs who originally used the numerals:

Historical evidence suggests that the earliest forms of these numerals appeared in inscriptions dating back to around the 3rd century BCE in India. The transmission of these numerals to the Arab world occurred during the 8th century, where they underwent further modifications before being disseminated to Europe. Notably, the mathematician al-Khwārizmī played a pivotal role in popularizing these numerals in the Islamic world through his writings, which eventually influenced European mathematics.

Versions of this claim, whether intended satirically or earnestly, have become a trope when Muslim politicians are elected into office. Examples have spread about multiple lawmakers, including Mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

The rumor about El-Sayed spread after he became the first Muslim to be elected to the United States Senate. When Snopes covered the similar false claim about Mamdani, he had previously been the subject of numerous rumors that could be perceived as Islamophobic or racist, including one claim that his planned city-run grocery stores would not sell alcohol, cigarettes or lottery tickets because of Islamic law.

El-Sayed has also been the subject of several stories focused on his identity, including one misleading rumor that his mother worked for an organization that provided financial support to Osama bin Laden, the Taliban and Hamas, and the false allegation that he said America deserved 9/11. 

Sources