BENGALURU: America’s first Muslim Senator, progressive Democrat Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed (42), has an India connection. His wife, Dr Sarah Jukaku, a psychiatrist, has her roots in Bhatkal, a coastal town in Karnataka known for its rich maritime history and culture.
Her father, Dr Jukaku Tayeb was born and grew up in Bhatkal. He graduated from Bangalore Medical college in 1976 before immigrating to the US. Sarah’s grandfather Jukaku Shamsuddin was the deputy finance minister in the then BD Jatti government.
Abdul El-Sayed, of Egyptian descent, won against Republican Mike Rogers in a high-stakes battle for Michigan’s open US Senate seat on early Wednesday morning, making him the first Muslim Senator in the history of the United States of America.
“We all prayed through the night (in India) on Tuesday for Abdul’s (El-Sayed) victory.
Not just the family, but the entire Bhatkal and well-wishers across India and elsewhere prayed for him. Though it was a tough call, he made it,” Sarah’s cousin told this newspaper. “Sarah is my cousin. Her father and my father are brothers. Yesterday, her father had messaged the family on a WhatsApp group asking us to pray for Abdul.
He has set his priorities on making healthcare affordable and taking money out of electoral politics. Abdul is transparent and non-corrupt, and has the courage to say the truth. Though it was a tough call this time too, he made it and we are so proud and happy,” said Sarah’s cousin in Bengaluru.
Speaking about Sarah and El Sayed, he said the two met while studying in the University of Michigan and decided to marry when she was 19 years old. The couple has two daughters.
“Abdul, after completing his studies in medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, received a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford and completed his PhD in public health there and a separate Doctor of Medicine from Columbia University.
Abdul decided on joining public health and soon realised that medical treatment in the US was not affordable; it was more towards billing than healing. He knew that if he wanted to improve the system and make it accessible and affordable then he will have to enter politics.
In his campaign, Abdul advocated for the Medicare for All proposal for universal healthcare,” said Sarah’s cousin, an engineer. A health technocrat, Abdul began his political trajectory in 2018 and lost in the gubernatorial campaign the same year.
“Sarah’s father made it a point to have a periodic family gathering in Bhatkal. He felt that they should be in touch with their roots. But it has been more than a decade now since Sarah came to India, after a cousin’s wedding in Bhatkal,” he added. The family is still connected to Karnataka. They have a home in Bhatkal and Bengaluru.
Indian-origin Americans score big in mid-term polls
Indian-origin Americans scored victories in the US midterm elections, returning four Democratic lawmakers to the House of Representatives, electing newcomer Pia Dandiya in Florida and securing another term for Maryland Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller.
The results also brought defeats for Indian-American Republicans, including Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
