US city Hamtramck in Michigan has elected all-Muslim City Council and a Muslim mayor named Amer Ghalib in its first ever Muslim-American government according to reports. Khalil Refai, Amanda Jaczkowski and Adam Albarmaki who have won the City Council election in Hamtramck last week would join the three current members. All six members identify as Muslim.
Muslim residents constitute more than half of the population in the multicultural city Hamtramck where different religious and cultural backgrounds coexist. Storefronts in Hamtramck display signs in Arabic and Bengali while the windows of the shops showcase Bangladeshi garments and Jambiyas, a type of short curved blade from Yemen. Hamtramck has transformed over the years to become a safe heaven for Arab and Asian immigrants specially those from Yemen and Bangladesh. Around 42% of the residents in the city are foreign born while more than half were believed to be practising Muslims.
Muslim city councilmember-elect Amanda Jaczkowski noted, “People are still proud of their culture specifically, whereas if it’s assimilation, we would lose the uniqueness.” Among the six Muslim council members, five of them were immigrants, and one is a convert to Islam. Jaczkowski further said, “It’s important to remember that although we all happen to be practicing Muslims, we are elected through the processes set forth by the United States, Michigan, Wayne County and Hamtramck,”
Dawud Walid, executive director for the Michigan chapter of CAIR said, “The historic election … will usher in the first city in America to have a Muslim mayor and completely Muslim city council,” adding, “The political voice of Muslims in Southeastern Michigan can no longer be ignored.”
According to M. Baqir Mohie El-Deen, policy program manager at the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the city of Hamtramck which consists of more than 28,000 population was once a hub for Polish American immigrants. Mohie El-Deen said, “This City Council truly represents all the elements of Hamtramck history, whether they are Arabs, South Asian or European descendants.”
Ghalib is a healthcare professional and a Yemeni immigrant and arrived in the US over 20 years back. He has degree in biological science as well as health/nursing science and works at a medical centre. He has three children.
