The First Muslim-American Women Elected to Congress

On Tuesday, Rashida Tlaib and Ilan Omar, were elected to the United States Congress. Both women are Muslim-Americans and Democrats. These two women are the first Muslim-Americans to be elected to Congress. This historic win has already been praised on social media.

This is important because, as we discussed in class, Muslims in American media are usually criminalized, dehumanized, alienated, and portrayed as terrorists. It gives many an unrealistic idea about the Muslim community and makes it difficult for many to live free of prejudice in this country. However, these two women are showing positive representation for Muslim-Americans, and women. These historic wins show that Muslim-American women can be powerful, smart, and capable of leading our nation. Muslims have been symbolically annihilated in this country for years, it's important that we increase the amount of representation of Muslims in our media and show them in a positive light.