(VOA) A very late election night victory rally in Michigan for candidate Rashida Tlaib on Aug. 7, followed a week later by an election night victory rally in Minnesota for candidate Ilhan Omar, marked an inflection point in American politics.
The two, both Democrats, are the first Muslim-American women to win a congressional primary election. With at most token opposition in the Nov. 6 general election, they are virtually assured of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives next January.
Their historic breakthrough comes as a record number of Muslim-Americans have entered national politics, in part to protest the Trump administration’s immigration and border security policies, including an executive order upheld by the Supreme Court restricting travelers from five majority-Muslim countries.
