Bill Gates daughter engaged to Egyptian Muslim Nayel Nasser

WASHINGTON - In what could trigger a religious debate in the coming months, the world's richest man Bill Gates's daughter, Jennifer, has reportedly engaged an Egyptian Muslim.

Ms. Jennifer Gates, the eldest daughter of the billionaire founder of Microsoft, got engaged to Nayel Nasser, who hails from Egypt.

Nayel, 29 and Jennifer, 23, studied at the prestigious Stanford University and have been dating for the last two years, US media reports.

And last week during a skiing holiday, the two love birds, whose affair has remained a top-secret, got engaged in an undisclosed place, the reports said.

Islam vs Christianity

The Gates family are strict adherents to Christianity, which is predominant in America's heterogeneous population, reports say.

And Nasser, whose details about his background remain scanty, is, however, a Muslim from Africa's most populous nation.

Both Christian and Islamic doctrines dictate that one can only marry someone from the same religious background, thus the anticipated decade.

It's not clear if any of the duos converted to the other one's religion, to make it easier for a smooth union. Conversion may be inevitable though.

Both are lovers of sports

Sports, the US media says, is the epicenter of the relationship, with the two being avid lovers of equestrian games.

Nassar has qualified to represent Egypt in showjumping at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the reports added.

He is ranked 35th in the world. He grew up in Kuwait, where members of his family still live. Nayel now lives in Chicago.

Making the relationship public

On her Instagram page with 217,800 followers, Jennifer made the relationship public for the first time on Thursday through a fairly long post.

“Nayel Nassar, you are one of a kind,” Jennifer wrote in her post, adding “Absolutely swept me off my feet this past weekend, surprising me in the most meaningful location over one of our many shared passions."

She added: "I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives learning, growing, laughing and loving together. Yes, a million times over.”

In response, Nasser said: “I’m feeling like the luckiest (and happiest) man in the world right about now. Jenn, you are everything I could have possibly imagined… and so much more.”

He added: "I can’t wait to keep growing together through this journey called life, and I simply can’t imagine mine without you anymore. Love you more than you can possibly imagine and thank you for making every single day feel like a dream to me."

Relationship proves America's diversity

Although the Muslim nations have decried before of alleged prejudices, the courtship between the two proves America's undying spirit of diversity.

During the last polls, the population of non-natives had substantially increased, leading to the election of multi-ethnic people to Congress.

Ilhan Omar, a Somali-born refugee, was one of the dozens who managed to get elected. Another Muslim lady, Rashida Tlaib, also won polls.

But despite the tremendous achievements of America in terms of rights and freedoms, Donald Trump has often been accused of discrimination.

So volatile has been his foreign policies, that Congress has often blasted him, including the latest impeachment which is currently being debated by the Senate.

Last week, Washington also imposed travel bans on Sudan, Nigeria, Eritrea, and Tanzania, which have a sizeable Muslim population.

GAROWE ONLINE