5 Reasons Muslim Millenials Should Be Inspired By The 2016 Election

There's a lot of discussion out there about why Muslim Americans should go out and vote this year -- most of it stemming from fear of a Trump presidency -- but there are some little known, but inspirational people running for office. As a young, Muslim American candidate running for office myself, I know how important it is for our community to be aware of those with the courage to take on Trump's bigotry with their messages of hope this election cycle. Here's a list of young Muslim Americans to get excited about and inspired by this November.

Ilhan Omar: Candidate for Minnesota State Representative (MN)

Uchechukwu Iroegbu / Via Facebook: IlhanMN

"Born in Somalia, Ilhan and her family fled the country’s civil war when she was eight. The family spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya before coming to the United States... Omar, running as a Democrat in an overwhelmingly Democratic district, is expected to make history as the first Muslim refugee elected to political office." (source: www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/26/meet-muslim-refugees-turned-american-political-candidates-ilhan-omar-and-ahmad-rafah.html)

#ImDefinitelyWithHer

Website: www.ilhanomar.com

Ahmad Rafah: Candidate for Santa Clara City Council (CA)

Ahmad Rafah / Via ahmadrafah.com

I was born in a refugee camp during my parents' escape from the Soviet-Afghan War in Afghanistan. My family and I grew up in poverty, but with hard work, we achieved the American Dream. Part of the reason I'm running is because there are ZERO Muslim American elected officials in the entire San Francisco Bay Area. If elected, I would be the first Muslim American elected to Santa Clara City Council and the first Afghan American ever elected in United States history.

Website: www.ahmadrafah.com

Raaheela Ahmed: Candidate for Prince George's County School Board (MD)

Raaheela Ahmed / Via Facebook: RaaheelaAhmed

"Raaheela Ahmed is a young community activist and leader. She has been in the Prince George’s County Public School System for her entire 13 year-long academic career... Raaheela is currently an Advsory Associate with the Global Public Sector of Grant Thornton LLP. She provides financial management services to the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Protective Service. On the side, she is a Court Appointed Special Advocate for a foster care youth in Prince George's County."

To top it off, Raaheela has earned numerous recognitions, such as "Governor O’Malley’s Citation for “Outstanding Service,” the David Craig Memorial Award, the Marguerite DeRosa Memorial Award, the Eda T. Bloom Memorial Scholarship, and the National Honor Society Scholarship."

Website: www.raaheela.com

TR Radjabov: Candidate for Georgie State House (GA)

TR Radjabov / Via Facebook: pg

Tokhir Radjabov, or "T.R.," was "born in the Soviet Union to a school teacher and businessman. Shortly thereafter, the Soviet Union collapsed, leaving the country in a brutal civil war, and TR’s parents knew if they wanted him to have a future, they needed to send him to the land of opportunity. At 15, TR arrived in the U.S., with $200, no family or friends, and speaking very little English... Today, TR is an accomplished entrepreneur with several healthcare business. He lives in Lilburn with his wife and two beautiful daughters."

Fun fact: He will become first Muslim-American in the Georgia General Assembly when he wins.

Website: www.tr2016.win

Aziz Akbari: Candidate for Alameda County Water District Board of Directors (CA)

Aziz Akbari / Via Facebook: aziz4acwd

Aziz is a young Indian-American running for a prized seat on the Alameda County Water District. "Over the past two and a half years, he has served as a Consumer Affairs Commissioner in Alameda County – the youngest to ever serve in this capacity. Aziz is a product of our local public schools, having attended Parkmont Elementary School, Centerville Junior High School, and Washington High School. His educational background is in Industrial and Systems Engineering with foci in Resource Planning and Data Sciences from the University of Southern California. Aziz served as a Senator in the Undergraduate Student Government and served on the Board of Presidents in the Residential Student Government while pursuing his degree. He is a member of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, the Water Education Foundation, and the Sierra Club."

Did you know: Aziz made his first mark on local politics by running for Mayor of Fremont at the age of 18.

Website: www.aziz4acwd.com

It's about time that Muslims start to build their political power here in America. It's a good thing we have some amazing Muslim leaders from around the world to look up to as we go on this difficult journey to elected office, like...

Shabana Mahmood, Yasmin Qureshi, Rushanara Ali

Shabana Mahmood/Yasmin Qureshi/The Evening Standard

Mahmood, Qureshi, and Ali are the UK's first female elected MPs (they were elected together in 2010). #breakingbarriers

Maryam Monsef

Khaama Press / Via khaama.com

Maryam Monsef is the first Afghan MP to ever be elected to Canada's House of Commons. She was elected in 2015, and now serves as the Minister of Democratic Institutions. #winning

And who could forget Sadiq Khan?

Wikipedia / Via en.wikipedia.org

London's new Mayor since May 2016, Sadiq Khan is not only London's first Muslim mayor, he's the first ethnic minority to serve as Mayor. #makinghistory

There's always hope to found, even in political years like 2016. Hopefully, these incredible individuals inspired you like they inspire me to keep going, keep fighting, and keep the hope alive that someday, we will get the seats at the table we deserve. Now get out and VOTE, support these candidates, and make 2016 a year worth celebrating!