Hamtramck is first American city to elect majority Muslim council

A diverse Detroit enclave known for its Polish heritage elected three Muslim-Americans to its city council Tuesday night, reportedly making it the first Muslim-majority city council in the country.

Saad Almasmari, a Yemeni American, received the most votes of the six candidates on the ballot, while incumbents Abu Musa and Anam Miah, both Bangladesh natives, were re-elected. The trio joined Bangladeshi council member Mohammed Hassan to form the first majority Muslim city council in America, a local ABC News affiliate reported.

“Although we are Muslims, we’re going to work for everybody and represent everybody in the Hamtramck city, regardless of their religion, ethnicity or color of skin,” Mr. Almasmari said.

University of Michigan-Dearborn associate professor Sally Howell, an expert on Michigan and U.S. Muslims, told The Associated Press she’s unaware of another Muslim-majority council. The council in nearby Dearborn has an Arab-American majority, but not all are Muslim, she said.