This time, a new history has been created in the US mid-term elections. America has elected its first Muslim senator in the form of Abdul al-Sayed. El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers. Mike Rogers, a supporter of President Donald Trump, has called al-Sayed a communist and criticized his views on Israel and the Muslim religion. Meanwhile, after the victory, Al-Sayed told his supporters in Detroit, ‘Michigan, we did it. I am very proud and honored to stand here as your Senator-elect from the State of Michigan.
Abdul Al-Sayed, 42, was born on October 31, 1984 in Rochester Hills, Michigan, USA. He attended public schools, where he was captain of the school’s football, wrestling and lacrosse teams. He was raised by his father Mohammed and his stepmother Jackie. His father was an Egyptian immigrant whose family had lived in Gratiot County, Michigan since the 1800s.
Abdul Al-Sayed received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. In addition, he also earned a medical degree from Columbia University under an NIH-funded fellowship. He also holds a doctorate from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He is his wife Dr. Sara Jukaku lives with her two daughters in Ann Arbor, USA.
For this reason the focus was on public service
Abdul al-Sayed also trained as a doctor. According to his campaign website, when he realized the problems in the political system that were deteriorating public health, he turned his attention to public service. He rebuilt Detroit’s health department and led Wayne County’s Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services, which served 1.8 million people.
His public service accomplishments include providing free eyeglasses to children, targeting major environmental pollutants, expanding access to the life-saving drug Narcan, and spearheading a program estimated to forgive up to $700 million in medical debt for Michigan residents.
What is Abdul Al-Saeed’s connection with Karnataka?
Abdul Al-Saeed, who made history by becoming America’s first Muslim senator, also has ties to Karnataka, India. His wife Dr. Sara is the granddaughter of a former minister of the erstwhile Mysore (now Karnataka) state government. Dr Sara’s grandfather JH Shamsuddin Jukaku was a noted lawyer, teacher and politician who served as Deputy Finance Minister in the Mysore State Government in the 1950s. According to media reports, Shamsuddin Jukaku was the first person from his community to become a lawyer and later elected as a minister.
Sara was born in Michigan
One of the sons of Shamsuddin Dr. Jukaku S. Taib, was one of those who left India in search of better opportunities. According to media reports, he worked in Saudi Arabia before moving to America in the 1980s. He completed his internal medicine residency at Bon Secours Hospital in Michigan between 1984 and 1987, followed by a nephrology fellowship at Henry Ford Hospital from 1987 to 1989. After this he began a medical practice in the Detroit area. Sara was born and raised in Michigan.
How did Sara and Abdul Al-Sayed meet?
Sara was studying at the University of Michigan, where she met Al-Sayed. The two were associated with the university’s Muslim Students Association and married in May 2006. Sara was 19 when she got married and Abdul Al-Sayed was 21.
