What Does 'Habibi' Mean? Why Abdul El-Sayed Used It for JD Vance in His Victory Speech

One Arabic word became the most talked-about line of Michigan’s Senate race. In his victory speech early Wednesday, Nov. 4, Democratic Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed spoke directly to Vice President JD Vance: “JD, habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you’re constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January.”

El-Sayed defeated Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat. CBS News projects he will become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.

What does “habibi” mean?

Habibi (حبيبي) is an Arabic term of endearment. According to Dictionary.com, as cited by FOX 2 Detroit, it literally means “my love,” but it is often translated as “my dear,” “my darling” or “beloved.” WTOL describes it as meaning “my dear” or “my friend.”

In everyday use, it is a warm pet name for friends, family members or romantic partners.

Why El-Sayed called JD Vance “habibi”

The word was a joke with an edge. El-Sayed and Vance sparred for months on the campaign trail. Vance campaigned for Rogers and called El-Sayed “very, very evil,” FOX 2 Detroit reported. At an October rally, WTOL reported, Vance called him a “weasel” and told him to “shut his mouth.” President Donald Trump called El-Sayed a “jihadist,” according to FOX 2.

El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, said his opponents went after his name and his faith. In his speech, he answered with a friendly word from his own heritage, then delivered the punchline: as president of the Senate, Vance would be the one to swear him in.

He followed it with a college football jab. El-Sayed went to the University of Michigan, and Vance graduated from Ohio State. “So you know what that means? Wolverine one, Buckeye zero,” El-Sayed said, according to the CBS Detroit transcript.

Then he turned to the president: “Donald, look, I know you struggled with my name. So after J.D. swears me in in January, you can just go on and call me Senator.”

Does Vance actually have to swear him in?

Not strictly. The vice president, as president of the Senate, usually administers the oath to new senators. WTOL notes that if Vance is absent, the Senate’s president pro tempore can do it instead. So the “constitutionally obligated” line is better read as a rhetorical flourish than a legal requirement.

Other Arabic words in the speech

“Habibi” was not the only Arabic in the speech. El-Sayed opened by noting that he always said “inshallah,” or “God willing,” whenever anyone brought up the outcome of the race. “Today, tonight, we can turn that ‘inshallah’ into an ‘alhamdulillah,’” he said, explaining that it means “praise be to God,” CBS Detroit reported.

He also aimed a line at his opponent: “So, Mike, enjoy your retirement,” he said, adding, “you chose hate, and Michigan chose hope.”

Who is Abdul El-Sayed?

• Age: 42, per CBS Detroit
• Background: physician and former Michigan health official, son of Egyptian immigrants
• Full name: he introduced himself as Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed
• Platform: he closed his speech by calling for getting “money out of politics,” putting money in people’s pockets and passing Medicare for All

In the speech, he called himself “a child of immigrants raised by his father and his Daughter of the American Revolution stepmother.”

“Winning a single U.S. Senate seat was never the goal,” he told supporters in Detroit. “The goal is to use that seat to transform our politics.”

FAQ