Michigan city elects first-ever Muslim majority city council. What is your immediate reaction?

2015-11-09T12:53:20-05:00

I think this is extraordinary, especially because we are in an era where distrust and/or hatred of Muslims or Arabs is seemingly de jure. With false claims of no-go zones or the sky is falling warnings of impending Sharia laws. What are your thoughts on this?

From the Christian Science Monitor:
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2015/1108/Michigan-city-elects-first-ever-Muslim-majority-city-council?cmpid=FB

The city of Hamtramck, an enclave of Detroit, made history this week when it became what is likely the first city in America to elect a Muslim-majority city council.

Historically Polish, the city of about 22,000 voted three Muslim Council candidates onto the six-member panel, one of whom was an incumbent Muslim council member not up for reelection this year. This means that the freshly formed council now has a two-thirds Muslim majority. The mayor, Karen Majewski, is Polish.

According to Bill Meyer, a Hamtramck community leader who isn’t Muslim, the incumbent Muslim councilmen have accomplished a lot for the city.
"[They’ve] helped bring stability, security and sobriety while lessening the amount of drugs and crime in the city,” he told the Detroit Free Press.
The election was also a landslide, he added. "The election was far from close, with the three Muslim winners each gaining over 1,000 votes, while the other three candidates garnered less than 700 votes each."

Many believe it’s the first time an American city has elected a Muslim majority city council, though the city itself has been under a similar spotlight before. In 2004, Hamtramck garnered heavy attention when the city council allowed a mosque to broadcast its call to prayer from loudspeakers. Opponents claimed it was an intrusion of Islam into their lives.

At that point, only one city council member was Muslim.
But Hamtramck’s Muslim population has been steadily growing, thanks to heightened immigration. Today it is estimated that half of Hamtramck is Muslim. According to University of Michigan-Dearborn professor Sally Howell, Hamtramck might have become the first city to have a Muslim majority in 2013.

“The growth is taking place in these Muslim communities, and they are transforming the city scape,” Howell told Washington Post. “It’s become much more visible in the last 15 years.”

In the early 20th century, Polish immigrants flocked to Hamtramck because of a Dodge Brothers plant built in 1914. By the 1970s, Polish-Catholics made up 90 percent of the city. But Asian and Arab immigrants began to settle there as the Poles moved to the suburbs. Most of them come from Bangladesh and Yemen.

The latest US Census surveys found that Hamtramck is now 24 percent Arab, mostly Yemeni, 19 percent African American, 15 percent Bangladeshi, 12 percent Polish, and 6 percent Yugoslavian. Out of the four new Muslim council members, three are Bangladeshi and one is Yemeni.

Getting to a Muslim majority wasn’t easy. In the past, Muslim candidates have been harassed, accused of terrorism, and some Bangladeshi voters were asked to show proof of citizenship by poll workers.

One of the winners Tuesday is Saad Almasmari, a 28-year-old student who received the highest percentage of votes – 22 percent. He moved to the US in 2009 and two years later, he became a US citizen.

At the end of the day for Hamtramck, he said, it’s not about religious unity.

“Although we are Muslims, it doesn’t have anything to do with serving the community,” Almasmari said. “It’s not about religion. It’s not about Muslim unity. We are planning to work for everyone.”

Michigan city elects first-ever Muslim majority city council

The city of Hamtramck, Michigan has voted three Muslim city council candidates into office Tuesday, forming a Muslim majority local government.

Response by Sgt Kelli Mays made Nov 9 at 2015 12:58 PM

2015-11-09T12:58:37-05:00

I'm not surprised. There is a huge Muslim population around the Detroit area.

DEARBORN MICHIGAN...another suburb area around Detroit. They have a Sheriff who is Muslim and believes in Sharia law. There has already been a few investigations in DEARBORN and it's a town/city that is being watched by many.
Recently more than ONE news outlet has gone into Dearborn and interviewed folks there....and the MAJORITY of them favor Sharia law.
All I have to say is SHARIA law does NOT belong in the US....it has no business here.
Out of many of the interviews when asked since they prefer sharia law over the US constitution, and it's never going to be allowed to happen here, why do they stay. Most of them replied they stay because they LOVE the US and the freedom they have.
Isn't this contradicting themselves?

Response by SN Greg Wright made Nov 9 at 2015 1:05 PM

2015-11-09T13:05:34-05:00

CPT Ahmed Faried Fine by me, so long as, like I would say about any religion, they're not trying to bring their religion into their governing. The vast majority of Muslims on the planet just want to live their lives...just like the vast majority of any group of humans.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Nov 9 at 2015 1:06 PM

2015-11-09T13:06:00-05:00

It will be instructive to see what they do with the city now.

Response by Col Joseph Lenertz made Nov 9 at 2015 1:06 PM

2015-11-09T13:06:19-05:00

Based on their own words: "It’s not about religion. It’s not about Muslim unity. We are planning to work for everyone,” my reaction is "not a problem...maybe not even newsworthy." As long as their actions match their words, all is well, and this city will be better off as a result.

Response by SGT Jeremiah B. made Nov 9 at 2015 1:19 PM

2015-11-09T13:19:21-05:00

No reaction. How many city councils are majority Christian/Jewish/white/black/insert majority demographic here?

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 9 at 2015 1:48 PM

2015-11-09T13:48:54-05:00

Non-issue. I won't hold a politician's Muslim faith against them any more than I will a politician's Christian or Jewish faith. Their job is to govern the city, not to convert it or force upon it religious laws. Honestly I am more concerned about Fundamentalist Christians than about moderate Muslims. Extreme fundamentalism in any faith is a very dangerous thing.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 9 at 2015 2:02 PM

2015-11-09T14:02:02-05:00

What is this de jure distrust or hatred of Muslims or Arabs? There may be a de facto disposition against Muslims, but the laws continue to operate in favor of protecting all religious practices. Ironically, doesn't the fact that such a notable election took place show that there is no de jure opposition to Muslims or Arabs?

Response by CW3 Jim Norris made Nov 9 at 2015 2:15 PM

2015-11-09T14:15:56-05:00

If, and it's a huge if, we stop immigration for a period - say 10 years - we might have a chance of assimilating these folks. As long as they have the impression that Islam supersedes the US Constitution we are going to have a terrible future. Look at Paris, parts of which close for Islamist prayer, see England where whole towns are now avoided by non-Islamic Englishmen, women are harassed if not wearing the hijab.....that is your future.

Response by LTC John Shaw made Nov 9 at 2015 2:33 PM

2015-11-09T14:33:59-05:00

I don't agree with your initial statement and don't find it extraordinary that a majority Muslim district would elect a majority Muslim city council.

Response by SrA Art Siatkowsky made Nov 10 at 2015 12:26 AM

2015-11-10T00:26:59-05:00

Why are we concerned about this? Did he yell death to the Americans? If not then who cares? I am more concerned with if he is a democratic or a republican.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Nov 10 at 2015 3:00 AM

2015-11-10T03:00:13-05:00

As long as they can maintain Separation of Church and State, I don't care if they are members of the Church of Satan.

Response by LTC Eric Coger made Nov 10 at 2015 4:57 AM

2015-11-10T04:57:31-05:00

No issue. Though they have some internal issues, just like anyone of faith. We use our faith and our morals as a guide in all of our actions, but in the public sphere we must look at the office and the job and the whole. The only legitimate issue one could have with this is if they attempt to implement Sharia or if they are in any way fundamentalists. Same would be said of any "hardcore" adherents of any religion.

I don't see an issue with the ID requirement. We need universal ID checks for verification for voting just like we do for dozens of other activities in our civil lives. It's common sense when 10% of Mexico's citizens are on extended stays in the US.

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 10 at 2015 11:04 AM

2015-11-10T11:04:55-05:00

nothing... wait until what they are doing something then I will start "making decision". :)

Response by Cpl Matthew Wall made Nov 10 at 2015 12:23 PM

2015-11-10T12:23:08-05:00

Not surprised by this as Michigan has been a state where Muslims seem to move to. Was only a matter of time for Michigan.