A record 83 Muslim candidates have won a seat in U.S. congressional elections at either the federal, state or local level, according to estimates by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
A total of 150 American Muslims have filed as candidates in 23 states in these midterms to act as representatives of this community of some 3.5 million people.
This year’s victories, according to provisional estimates of the group, collected by ‘Time’ magazine, far exceed the 71 registered in the 2020 elections by this organization.
Among some of the most outstanding victories are those of Nabeela Syed and Abdelnasser Rashid, as the first Muslim congressmen elected to the Illinois State Assembly, or the first Muslims elected to the Texas legislature: Salman Bhojani and Suleman Lalani.
In Georgia, Palestinian-American Ruwa Romman became the first Muslim woman elected to the state House of Representatives; one of four Muslims to win a seat in the state.
Seventy-four percent of American Muslims registered to vote cast their ballots in these elections, according to a CAIR poll, expressing their opinion on such issues of concern as the economy (31 percent of respondents), civil rights (16 percent) and other social issues (15 percent).
