Texas Muslims gather to celebrate historic legislature wins

AUSTIN: On Tuesday, January 10, an anticipated 500 Muslims from around Texas will gather at the Texas Capitol in Austin to view the swearing-in ceremony and celebrate the historic wins of Suleman Lalani and Salman Bhojani. Lalani and Bhojani will be the first Muslim representatives in the Texas Legislature.

“Tuesday will be a proud day for the Texas Muslim community,” said Farrukh Shamsi, Emgage Texas State Board Chair. “Combined with other wins by Muslim Americans across the country, the 2022 election felt like a validation of our place both in our state and in this country.”

Hundreds of attendees will travel to Austin on buses arranged by organizations including Emgage. Emgage will also be providing / sponsoring lunch for attendees, who will be gathering in the Capitol Extension building to view the ceremony.

A record number of Muslims were elected to public office at the federal, state and municipal levels in the 2022 midterms. In Austin, Zohaib Qadri became the first Muslim elected to the Austin City Council.

Representatives of Emgage will be available for press interviews. Photo opportunities, including communal prayer, will be in Capitol Extension rooms E2.026 and E2.030.

LOCAL CONTACTS: 

• Ruth Nasrullah, Communications Consultant, rnasrullah@emgageusa.org, (713) 397-9994
• Farrukh Shamsi, State Board Chair, (713) 398-3373
• Palwasha Sharwani, Interim Executive Director, (832) 382-6267

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About Emgage

Emgage educates and mobilizes Muslim American voters in support of policies that enable our communities to thrive and democracy to flourish.

Contact

Emily Churchill

National Director of Communications

press@emgageusa.org