Record number of Muslims wins in US Midterm Elections 2018

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Record number of Muslims wins in US Midterm Elections 2018

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) had earlie said that 95 percent of eligible Muslim voters turned out at the polls

Monday November 12, 2018 11:39 PM, ummid.com News Network

Washington: Despite a strong wave of Islamophobic attacks, as many as 55 Muslims have won the United States Midterm Elections held on November 06, 2018, Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) said Sunday.

CAIR said of the total 55 Muslims who won in the local, state assemblies and national elections, 11 are in California.

Among the notable winners are Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Mujtaba Mohammed. While Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib are first Muslim women to enter US Congress, Mujtaba Muhammad won the senate in North Carolina.

According to Jetpac, a group dedicated to increasing Muslim involvement in U.S. politics, some 128 Muslims ran in the 2018 election at all levels of government from very local (precinct captains) to national (U.S. senators).

Out of the 23 who ran national office (Congress) or statewide positions such as governor, 16 lost in primary races, leaving 07 to compete in the general election. 04 of them won, including Michigan Democrat Socialist Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. In addition, Indiana Congressman André Carson was re-elected and former Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison won his bid for state attorney general.

Indian American and a Democrate, Mujtaba Mohammed, a former staff attorney at the Council for Children’s Rights and assistant public defender, ran for the North Carolina state Senate and won the election. Similarly, Pakistani-American Hasan Jaleesi belonging to Democratic Party became the state assembly member of Maryland for the second time consecutively.

Five Muslim American women became the members of the local office in the Bay area of California in the midterm election. Sabina Zafar was elected San Ramon City Council member, Farrah Khan became council member from Irvine City Council from California itself. Ayesha Wahab was elected for Hayward city council, while Maimona Afzal was elected for Franklin-McKinley Board of Education.

Javed Ellahie was elected as a member of Monte Sereno City Council in Santa Clara County. Maimuna Afzal has been elected member of Franklin McKinley School Board. Cheryl Sudduth elected as West Country Wastewater district director in West County, according to CAIR.

"The election of five American Muslims to local office in the Bay Area on Tuesday is a sign voters are ready for diverse leadership despite troubling increases in hate crimes nationwide", Bay Area representatives of CAIR, Zahra Billoo. said Sunday.

"Before Tuesday, only one elected official among hundreds of representatives on the region's local councils, panels and boards was Muslim", she said.

"These victories come in the face of CAIR's recent report revealing a 17 percent increase in bias-motivated incidents and a 15 percent increase in hate crimes against American Muslims since Trump took office," she added.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) had earlie said that 95 percent of eligible Muslim voters turned out at the polls. Seventy-eight percent of Muslim voters cast ballots for Democratic Party candidates and 17 percent for Republican Party candidates.

“The high turn out of Muslim voters and the election of Muslims and members of other minority communities nationwide are an affirmation of the strength and diversity of our political system and a rebuke to the Trump administration’s divisive and fear-based policies,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.

“It was obvious that many young people who voted Tuesday were concerned about the direction of our nation and wished to make their voices heard in their local community and in Washington, D.C", he added.

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