Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s US Senate race has brought renewed attention to his Indian connection, with the senator-elect describing himself as an “honorary Indian” and joking that he might be “more Indian than Arab”.
“I’m an honorary Indian. There is a patience to Indian culture that I appreciated only when I went to India. You’re surrounded by a billion people. I might be more Indian than Arab. El-Sayed also spoke about his family, joking that he has been surrounded by desi women throughout his life. “I’m like surrounded by desi women my whole life. El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers, who was backed by US President Donald Trump , in the Michigan Senate race. He served as deputy minister for finance in the erstwhile Mysore State under then chief minister BD Jatti.
“I’ve been married to a South Indian family for 20 years. His wife Sarah, a psychiatrist born and raised in Michigan, comes from an Indian-origin family with ancestral roots in Bhatkal, a coastal town around 140 km from Mangaluru, according to a report by The American Bazaar.
Reflecting on his experience of visiting the country, he said he had come to appreciate the patience ingrained in Indian culture. Nothing gets done quickly,” he said in a light-hearted vein during a podcast interview with Exxodus Pictures recorded two months ago. Everybody likes desis more than Arabs,” he said at the start of the podcast. Like, I have two desi daughters and a desi wife,” he said. Sarah’s grandfather, Jukaku Shamshuddin, was a prominent lawyer and political figure, according to The American Bazaar .
