CatholicVote CEO criticizes U.S. Senate candidate for comparing canon law with sharia law

Kelsey Reinhardt, president and CEO of the advocacy organization CatholicVote, has accused Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdulrahman “Abdul” El-Sayed of using false equivalences when comparing Catholic canon law to sharia law.

During a town hall in Michigan, El-Sayed responded to a question from a Christian voter by stating that the U.S. Constitution allows people to live according to canon law while preventing them from enforcing that law on others. In a social media video, El-Sayed also addressed concerns regarding his faith by stating he would swear an oath to the U.S. Constitution if elected.

Reinhardt stated that while El-Sayed deserves religious liberty, his comparisons are inaccurate. She noted that the Code of Canon Law serves as the internal legal order of the Catholic Church to govern the administration of sacraments, the organization of dioceses, and the discipline of clergy.