US Town Elects Muslim City Council

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A Detroit suburb has made history by electing a city council where a majority of members are Muslim.

The town of Hamtramck has four Muslim-Americans as city council members. Two councilmen - Anam Miah and Abu Musa – were re-elected. Saad Almasmari received the most votes. He received 22 percent of the vote.

Almasmari moved to Hamtramck in 2009. He became a U.S. citizen in 2011.

Hamtramck has a population of 22,423, and 41 percent are foreign-born, according to the United States Census Bureau. Estimates of Hamtramck’s Muslim population stands between 30 percent and 50 percent, according to United Press International.

The Muslim population of Hamtramck came from Yeman, Bangladesh and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Reactions to the campaigns and elections varied. Almasmari said his campaign posters were damaged by paint. Bill Meyer, a city leader, says the Muslim council members “bring stability, security and sobriety while lessening the amount of drugs and crime in the city."

Meyer’s comments came from a Detroit Free Press article on the Hamtramck election campaign.

I'm Mario Ritter.

Jim Dresbach reported this story for VOANews.com. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

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