During his November 3 election night victory speech in the U.S. Senate race in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed made a reference to Vice President JD Vance that had many people reaching for the dictionary.
He called Vance “habibi.”
“JD, habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you’re constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January,” El-Sayed said.
But what habibi mean?
El-Sayed becomes the nation’s first Muslim senator after his victory, which came amid a massive blue wave that swept Democrats into power throughout the country.
What Does Habibi Mean? It’s Technically a Term of Endearment
WIO News explained that habibi “is an Arabic term of endearment that literally translates to ‘my dear’ or ‘my beloved.’ It comes from the root ‘habib,’ meaning beloved, and the suffix ‘-i’ meaning ‘my.'”
“It’s one of the warmest, most common words in everyday Arabic speech and is used far beyond romance. Friends greet each other with it, shopkeepers use it with customers, and families say it constantly,” the news site continued. It roughly means dear or mate.
But why would El-Sayed use the term to refer to Vance, considering they are political rivals from different parties?
According to Fox 2 Detroit, the pair are not really friends; they are political rivals and Vance has been harshly critical of El-Sayed during the campaign. So it’s likely that El-Sayed was using the term to jab at Vance, and saying it laced with sarcasm or arguably to make the point that he was not going to respond in kind.
El-Sayed is a former health director in Michigan who is of Egyptian descent. He posted a video reel of the comments on his Instagram page, where it immediately started getting traction and trending.
The Word Habibi is Generally Used as a ‘Pet Name’
Dictionary.com says the word is “used primarily as a pet name for friends, significant others, or family members.”
That site explains, “Habibi or habibti comes from the Arabic root word meaning ‘love.’ Habib (masculine) or habiba (feminine) refers to a loved one.”
According to Hob Learning, the word also has the emotion resonance of “brother” in English, and habibi is the word used to refer to a man
“You’re senator Habibi now,” a woman commented on his Instagram page as people weighed in on the term and what it means. El-Sayed defeated Republican former FBI agent Mike Rogers in the state Senate race.
Abdul El-Sayed on JD Vance: What Does ‘Habibi’ Mean?