COMMUNITY MATTERS nonprofit) and done consulting work. She now manages the county’s contact efforts. ■ Nadia Hasan (D), a daughter of immigrants elected to the Beaverton City Council (Ore.), brings a wealth of experience as a former high school teacher in Beaverton schools and a human resources/marketing professional who has worked at Nike, Fred Meyer, Warner Bros. and other Fortune 100 companies. ■ In Wisconsin Samba Baldeh, 49, who emigrated from the Gambia in 2000, became the first Muslim elected to the Wisconsin State As sembly, as well as the first Black man to represent Dane County in the legislature. A former president and current member of the City of Madison common council, he was declared the winner with 80% of the vote in a White-majority district. ■ In Florida, lawyer Christopher Benjamin, became the first Muslim American elected to a statewide office — he represents the state’s 107th District in the House of Representatives. After a three-year tour of duty in the US Army, Christopher enrolled in south Florida’s only HBCU, Florida Memorial University, where he led various campus organizations as the Kappa Gamma chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, the NAACP college division and served as class president and attorney general of the Student Disciplinary Council. He has his own law practice, The Barrister Firm, and is a certified mediator, a qualified arbitrator, a special magistrate in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and an active public servant. ■ In Delaware, Madinah Wilson-Anton (D), 27, became the first Muslima lawmaker to serve in the state’s General Assembly and the first Muslim to hold the local state House seat, securing 72% of the vote. She first made waves back in September by defeating the 11-term incumbent Rep. John Viola. In her own words, her win sends a message “to our community that we are a part of this country, no matter if you’re a first-generation or if you’re a descendant of enslaved Africans. We’re all part of this country.”
Name
State
Public Office
Aziz Akbari
Calif.
Alameda County Water District Director
Aliya Christi
Calif.
SF City College Board
Hosam Haggag
Calif.
Santa Clara City Clerk
Omar
Calif.
Sunnyvale City Council
Sam Din Hindi
Calif.
Foster City
Farrah Khan
Calif.
Mayor
M. Saud Anwar
Conn.
State Senate
Christopher Benjamin
Fla.
State House
Ako Abdul Samad
Ia.
State House
Raheela Ahmed
Md.
Prince George’s County Public Schools Board of Education
Sam Baydoun
Mich.
Wayne County Commission
Eric Sabree
Mich.
Wayne County Treasurer
Adel Mozip
Mich.
Dearborn Public Schools Board
Yameen Jaffer
Mich.
Pittsfield Board of Trustees
Mo Sabbagh
Mich.
Crestwood School Board
Charlene Elder
Mich.
Wayne County 3rd circuit court
Helal Farhat
Mich.
Wayne County 3rd circuit court
Mariam Bazzi
Mich.
Wayne County 3rd circuit court
Abdullah Hammoud
Mich.
State House
Sharon Dumas El- Amin
Minn.
Minneapolis Board of Education
Nida Allam
N.C.
Durham County Board of Commissioners
Nasif Majeed
N.C.
State House
Mujtaba Mohammed
N.C.
State Senate
Safiya Wazir
N.H.
State House
Aboul Khan
N.H.
State House
Fahim Abedrabbo
N.J.
Clifton Board of Education
Feras Awwad
N.J.
Clifton Township Board of Education
Melinda Huerta Lee
N.J.
West Orange Board of Education
Sahar Aziz
N.J.
Westfield School Board
Smita Nadia Hussain
N.J.
Bloomingdale Board of Education
Bernice “Tina” Jallo
N.J.
Somerset County Surrogate’s Court
Yousef J Saleh
N.J.
City of Jersey City Council
Khizar A. Sheikh
N.J.
Mountain Lakes Borough City Council
Fozia Janjua
N.J.
Mt. Laural City Council
Zeeshan Siddiqi
N.J.
Old Bridge City Council
Mohammad Ramadan
N.J.
Haledon City Council
Shahin Khalique
N.J.
Paterson City Council
Zohran Kwame
N.Y.
State Assembly
Robert Mamdani Jackson
N.Y.
New York State Senate
Charles Fall
N.Y.
New York State Assembly
Mauree Taylor
Okla.
State House
Sharif Street
Penn.
State Senate
Jason Dawkins
Penn.
State House
14 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
