I grew up living next to the Noor Islamic Cultural Center surrounded by a large Muslim community. The community around the mosque was always very passionate about politics and civic engagement. However, it has been a struggle advancing issues that affect our community because of the way our neighborhood is segmented through gerrymandering.
The Muslim community living around the mosque is split into two congressional districts and two statehouse districts. As a minority group, it is already difficult enough to make our voices heard, and gerrymandering exacerbates that issue. It’s very disheartening to be among such an enthusiastic community that unfortunately gets silenced by greedy political practices.”
- Hadiya Aktar
My name is Amina Wase and I live in Centerville, placing me in Ohio’s 10th Congressional District. I’m 17 years old, and I am a senior at Centerville High School.
As a Muslim-American who is civically engaged in my community, I witness the direct impacts that the gerrymandered districts have on minorities.
A substantial Muslim community in my area is split between districts. Right now, from my house, I can walk about 5 minutes east, and I will suddenly be in another district. But my Muslim neighbors 5 minutes east of me are still part of my community. We should be in the same district to be fairly represented.
Being split between districts heavily impacts how our Muslim community can advance issues. In a time where Americans overwhelmingly hold negative ideas of Muslims, it is essential that we have the ABILITY to elect representatives to uphold our rights
