Abdul El-Sayed recalls humorous family exchange about marrying Indian-origin wife
The newly elected US Senator shared a video of a conversation with his Egyptian uncle regarding his marriage to Dr Sarah Jukaku.
Newly elected US Senator Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim elected to the US Senate on Wednesday during midterm elections that saw Democrats gain control of Congress, according to the Times of India.
In a viral podcast video, El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, recalled a humorous exchange with an uncle from Egypt regarding his marriage to Dr Sarah Jukaku.
El-Sayed said his uncle asked why he married an Indian woman when there were 80 million Egyptians. He replied that there are a billion of them, making it a high probability statistically speaking.
Dr Jukaku is a practising psychiatrist from an Indian-origin Muslim family in Michigan with roots in Bhatkal, Karnataka. Her grandfather, Jukaku Shamshuddin, was a deputy minister for finance in Mysore State.
The couple met as students at the University of Michigan and married in May 2006. They have two daughters, Emmalee and Serene.
El-Sayed's victory follows a previous double-digit defeat in a Michigan gubernatorial election eight years ago. He stated that his campaign proved old-fashioned politics can work with hard work.