’Why marry an Indian woman when there are 80 million Egyptians’ - what Al-Sayed said when asked about his uncle

Abdul Al-Sayed made history in the US midterm elections on Wednesday. He was joined by his wife, Dr. Sarah Zukaku, in celebrating his victory as the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. His family has roots in India. In a video that went viral on social media after his election victory, Al-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, recalled a funny comment made by an uncle in Egypt about his marriage. It tells the story of his Indian family ties that have been intertwined with his life for nearly two decades.

In a podcast conversation in the video, Al-Sayed said that after marrying Dr. Sarah, an uncle from Egypt came to him and said, 'Why don't you go and marry an Indian woman when there are 80 million Egyptians?'

In response, he jokingly said, 'Uncle, the number of Indians is over 1 billion. Statistically, the chances of this happening were high.'

The video has been circulating on social media. It is part of the 'Meet the Real Abdul Al-Sayed' podcast, which was released on YouTube in August this year. The discussion covers various topics related to his family, childhood and upbringing.

Al-Sayed became the first Muslim elected to the United States Senate, defeating Republican candidate Mike Rogers in the Michigan state Senate election.

Al-Sayed and Dr. Sara became engaged during her first year at university. They married in May 2006. Sara is the daughter of an Indian-American family. Her ancestors immigrated to the United States from Bhatkal, a coastal city in the Indian state of Karnataka.

Sara's grandfather, Jukaku Shamsuddin, served as the Deputy Minister for Finance under the then Chief Minister BD Jatti in the state of Mysore. He is also considered the first lawyer of the Bhatkal region.

Sara's father, Dr. Tayeb Jukaku, is a nephrologist who studied medicine in Bengaluru before moving to the United States.

Al-Sayed has also made warm comments about his relationship with his wife's Indian family at various times. In one interview, he jokingly said, "Maybe I've become more Indian than Arab," referring to their nearly two decades of marriage.

On the other hand, Sara showed her sense of humor at an election rally. She joked about her husband, saying, 'No one can tell him what to do—except me!'

The couple has two daughters, Emily and Serin.

Source: NDTV