Does Abdul El-Sayed’s wife Sarah have roots in South India?

Hyderabad: When Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s US Senate race, a coastal town in Karnataka had a reason to celebrate. His wife, Dr Sarah Jukaku, traces her roots to Bhatkal, about 140 km from Mangaluru. And if you ask Abdul, 20 years in a South Indian family have rubbed off on him too. “I might be more Indian than I am Arab,” he once joked.

Born in Michigan to Egyptian immigrants, Abdul trained as a doctor before entering politics. On November 3, the 42-year-old Democrat defeated Republican Mike Rogers to become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. Sarah, who had joined him on stage at his final campaign rally in Detroit, was by his side on election night.

Who is Dr Sarah Jukaku?

Sarah is a psychiatrist who was born and raised in Michigan. In Bhatkal, her family name was familiar long before her husband ran for office. Her grandfather, Jukaku Shamsuddin, was a lawyer and former deputy finance minister who is remembered locally for helping bring electricity to the town. Her father is a kidney specialist.

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Sarah and Abdul met through the Muslim Students’ Association at the University of Michigan. They married in May 2006, while both were still students, and are now parents to two daughters, Emmalee and Serene.

Abdul has spoken more than once about the Indian side of his family. In one interview, he joked that two decades of marriage had given him plenty of time to feel at home with his South Indian in-laws. On another occasion, he offered reporters a quick introduction to the women in his life. “I have two desi daughters and a desi wife,” he said.

Ask him about food and the girls come up again. In a conversation with Bon Appétit, Abdul recalled the Saturday afternoons his father spent cooking for the family. When it came to his own daughters’ tastes, he gave Sarah the credit. “My wife is Indian American, and so my kids always prefer the spiced food,” he said.

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