(Religion News) Nabeela Syed made history in this year’s midterms when she defeated a Republican incumbent in Illinois’ 51st District, making her the youngest member of the Illinois General Assembly and among the first Muslims elected to the state Legislature.
“It is so important for us to have a seat at the table, for us to have a voice in the legislative process,” Syed, a 23-year-old Indian American who is Muslim, told a local TV news reporter soon after her win. Syed recalled a conversation with a friend who said he never thought he’d see a name like hers on hundreds of yard signs in their community.
To Syed, candidacies like hers are viable “if people put in the time, the effort and the money,” she said in a podcast series documenting her historic campaign. Syed joined Abdelnasser Rashid as the first Muslims elected to the Illinois State House.
