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 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 American. 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.
Title: Michigan Candidate Hopes to Become First Muslim American Governor
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/2e4dc83b-b39e-468f-955e-a7510b5177e7_hq.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Michigan Candidate Hopes to Become First Muslim American Governor' data-article-id='3245'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='6438'>Abdul El-Sayed grew up in the American state of Michigan.</span> <span data-start-time='6438' data-end-time='15813'>This year, he is hoping to be nominated as the Michigan Democratic Party’s candidate for governor.</span> <span data-start-time='15813' data-end-time='21771'>But he did not always think that such a goal was possible.</span> <span data-start-time='21771' data-end-time='28646'>“When I graduated college, Bill Clinton asked me why I was going to med school, and he asked if I ever considered running for office.</span> <span data-start-time='28646' data-end-time='31021'>And at that time, I thought that was off limits to me.”</span> <span data-start-time='31021' data-end-time='34604'>El-Sayed is Muslim American.</span> <span data-start-time='34604' data-end-time='45292'>He remembered facing anger after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States.</span> <span data-start-time='45292' data-end-time='48688'>“I was the captain of my football team, and I was a junior in high school.</span> <span data-start-time='48688' data-end-time='54292'>And the week after 9/11 the games were canceled that week, but the week after, we were back on the field.</span> <span data-start-time='54292' data-end-time='56729'>And I remember that football game.</span> <span data-start-time='56729' data-end-time='59896'>For the first time, people were calling me names that I would hear for the rest of my life.</span> <span data-start-time='59896' data-end-time='61792'>‘Raghead,’ … ‘Osama.’</span> <span data-start-time='61792' data-end-time='63333'>Funny thing is, my brother’s name is Osama.</span> <span data-start-time='63333' data-end-time='64854'>And I used to say, ‘You’ve got the wrong El-Sayed.’”</span> <span data-start-time='64854' data-end-time='74146'>Now, he is trying to make history as the first Muslim American governor in the country.</span> <span data-start-time='74146' data-end-time='83521'>El-Sayed told VOA his religion and ethnic roots have been important in his life.</span> <span data-start-time='83521' data-end-time='90292'>Yet both have fueled attacks by some of his political opponents.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/c99421f7-39d1-43ae-be8c-0bffb56171db_tv_w1080_h608_s.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=11155 data-hint-location='45292' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/what_does_captain_mean.wav'>What does captain mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='the leader or head of something'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/to_buy_clothes.wav'><span>to buy clothes</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/to_get_dressed.wav'><span>to get dressed</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/the_leader_or_head_of_something.wav'><span>the leader or head of something</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/a_student.wav'><span>a student</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=11156 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/elsayed_grew_up_where.wav'>El-Sayed grew up where?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='Michigan'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/new_york.wav'><span>New York</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/brazil.wav'><span>Brazil</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/spain.wav'><span>Spain</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/michigan.wav'><span>Michigan</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=11157 data-hint-location='6438' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/he_is_hoping_to_be_nominated_as_the_michigan_democratic_partys_candidate_for__blank_.wav'>He is hoping to be nominated as the Michigan Democratic Party's candidate for <span class='blank'>governor</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='governor'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/governor.wav'><span>governor</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/senate.wav'><span>senate</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/supreme_court.wav'><span>supreme court</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2687/president.wav'><span>president</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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