Abdul El-Sayed grew up in the American state of Michigan. This year, he is hoping to be nominated as the Michigan Democratic Party’s candidate for governor. But he did not always think that such a goal was possible. “When I graduated college, Bill Clinton asked me why I was going to med(ical) school, and he asked if I ever considered running for office. And at that time, I thought that was off limits to me.”

El-Sayed is Muslim America. He remembered facing anger after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States.

“I was the captain of my football team, and I was a junior in high school. And the week after 9/11 the games were canceled that week, but the week after, we were back on the field. And I remember that football game. For the first time, people were calling me names that I would hear for the rest of my life: ‘Raghead,’ … ‘Osama.’ Funny thing is, my brother’s name is Osama. And I used to say, ‘You’ve got the wrong El-Sayed.’”

Now, he is trying to make history as the first Muslim American governor in the country.

El-Sayed told VOA his religion and ethnic roots have been important in his life. Yet both have fueled attacks by some of his political opponents.

Aliqismet BADALOV,
“Khalq qazeti”