A lighthearted remark by Abdul El-Sayed about being “more Indian than Arab” has resurfaced following his victory in the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, bringing renewed attention to his Indian family connection through his wife, Sarah Jukaku.
El-Sayed, a Democrat who defeated Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race on Nov. 3, made history as the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. Following his election victory, a clip from an earlier interview in which he joked about his close connection to South Indian culture began circulating again.
“I’ve been married in a South Indian family 20 years. Like, I am well inducted now. You know, I might be more Indian than I am Arab,” El-Sayed said in the interview.
READ: Abdul El-Sayed makes history with Michigan Senate win (November 4, 2026)
In the same conversation, El-Sayed also drew a comparison between Indian and Arab cultures, praising what he described as the patience embedded in Indian culture. He said it was something he fully appreciated only after visiting India.
“There is a patience in Indian culture,” he said, adding that he realized its significance when he traveled to the country, where “you’re surrounded by a billion people.”
The comments were humorous references to his marriage to Sarah Jukaku, whose family traces its roots to Bhatkal, a coastal town in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district.
Sarah was born and raised in Michigan to Indian immigrant parents. Her father, Dr. Jukaku S. Tayeb, is a nephrologist who grew up in Bhatkal and graduated from Bangalore Medical College before moving to the United States in the 1980s.
Her grandfather, J.H. Shamsuddin Jukaku, was a prominent lawyer, educator and political figure who served as deputy finance minister of the erstwhile Mysore State under then Chief Minister B.D. Jatti. He is also remembered in Bhatkal for his contributions to education and local infrastructure.
READ: From Bhatkal to Michigan: The Indian roots of Sarah Jukaku, wife of Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (October 10, 2026)
Sarah met El-Sayed while they were students at the University of Michigan, where both were associated with the Muslim Students’ Association. They married in May 2006 and have two daughters, Emmalee and Serene. Sarah later pursued graduate studies at the University of Oxford and earned her medical degree from Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. She has since built a career in psychiatry.
El-Sayed has also spoken publicly about his wife’s Indian heritage. At a Pakistan Independence Day gathering in Michigan in August, he described her as “desi” and said she was “from the other side of the Partition line,” referring to her Indian roots.
His Senate victory has brought renewed attention to the Jukaku family’s connection to Bhatkal, highlighting the Indian roots behind the personal life of a politician who has made history in American politics.