Meeting Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib
By Tahir Ali

Shrewsbury : Rashida Tlaib, Congresswoman for Michigan 13 th District, was scheduled to be in the New England area for a speaking engagement at Harvard University in early March. Dr Amjad Bahnassi, Mohammad El-Rafaei and yours truly, decided to make use of this opportunity to support the congresswoman - our voice in Congress.

The Muslim community was quickly mobilized and we all met with the Congresswoman at Dr Bahnassi’s residence on  March 4, 2023.

Dr Bahnassi introduced Representative Rashida Tlaib to each community member and vice versa.

In her address, Rashida, recalled her first victory in 2018 as the Democratic Representative, and said that the Media rushed to her house. "One of the reporters asked my grandmother how she felt now that 'your granddaughter has won'. It was an esthetic moment."

The Representative went on to add, "I told my supporters that I shall bring changes on the floor, and my friends cautioned me to do so 'little by little'. Rashida responded right back, "No, I am going to walk in there." And that she did; she was the change on the floor, she likened herself as a 'walking bill'.

Rashid's Finance Director, Rasha Mubarak, also of Palestinian descent, talked highly of the Congresswoman and felt proud to be at her side. The host, Amjad Bahnassi, stated that he was happy to see that the Congresswoman was well received by the community. He and others were impressed by her, in general, and for her passion for the underprivileged in her district." El-Rafaei could tell that how proud she is with her origin. 

As I presented my book - 'The Muslim Vote Counts' -  to the Honorable Representative - I also pointed out that just like her being the first Muslim woman to be elected in Congress, we also have a few Firsts present in the gathering that memorable evening: Farooq Ansari, who is the First Muslim elected as a District National Delegate and myself as the First National Delegate-at-Large. Both were Also plected in 1992.

Present in the gathering were: Nicole Mossalem candidate for State Rep; Sarah Ansari running for Westboro School Committee and Mohammad Missouri of JetPack (grassroots political organization).

 

It was a successful and enjoyable event, both participation- and collection-wise. The Congresswoman impressed everyone with her charm and friendliness. The community needs more members like Rashida and Ilham Omar. In Rashida’s own words,  "We have a lot of work to do."

 

( Tahir Ali is the author of the book 'Muslim Vote Counts')