(COLUMBUS, OH, 01/12/23)– On Tuesday, January 3, CAIR-Ohio attended the Swearing-in Ceremony of Representative Munira Abdullahi and Representative Ismail Mohamed to the Ohio Statehouse. Later in the week on Saturday, staff members joined a community event to celebrate Representative Abdullahi and Representative Mohamed as the first Muslim State Representatives in Ohio.
During the ceremony, CAIR-Ohio Executive Director Amina Barhumi congratulated and voiced her Rep. Abdullahi and Rep. Mohamed and how monumental this new opportunity is for them and the community. Barhumi highlighted the importance of representation in a time where unfair legislation is being enforced that are especially harmful to immigrant, refugee, Black, Somali communities.
One of them being House Bill 458, which is a bill that was recently signed into law by Gov. DeWine that will dramatically affect Ohio’s election process through harmful and unnecessary measures. This will also hinder the voting rights of marginalized communities in many ways. As a community impacted by such laws and that constantly fights for equity and equality, we are looking forward to seeing the changes that will come with having Muslim representation in these spaces and when forming legislation.
History is in the making, but this is just the beginning of an ongoing journey to empower the Muslim community. CAIR-Ohio will continue to work towards engaging community members and Muslims in Ohio and continue paying close attention to policies to prevent discriminatory strategies from being implemented into law.
