The state of New Jersey is making history as Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, founder of the website MuslimGirl.com, announced that she is running for Congress in the 6th district. Amani is making history by being the first-ever Muslim woman to run for the federal office in New Jersey.
Amani took to her Instagram to post a series of black and white pictures, describing who she is and what she is about. Check it out:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-kI6mKJobv/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The 27-year-old announced her entirely digital campaign, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, revealing that the health crisis is making it more apparent than ever that the American public needs progressive change.
In a statement, the blogger who writes about everything from fashion to politics, also touched upon the importance of highlighting the plight of under-represented communities in America.
“This moment is a stark reminder that we can no longer wait for incremental change. Our leadership can and must put the health and well-being of working families and the most vulnerable among us front and center. I’m proud to represent a coalition of under-represented communities in what’s nothing less than a historic fight for our lives.”
Amani’s 2020 campaign will focus on liberal causes in America which includes the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, student debt forgiveness, and criminal justice reform.
As a first-generation American, the young social activist has shared her experiences of growing up in a post-9/11 world with immigrant parents. She credits herself as a leading critic of US President Donald Trump’s policies against her community.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-aHOz5Jeih/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Amani was interviewed by renowned magazine Forbes back in 2017, who asked her about the current culture of ‘Islamophobia’ to which she said,
“People understand through empathy that hateful rhetoric targeting Muslims or other minorities – that that rhetoric doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It has real life and death consequences in our daily lives and I think that people can only really understand it if they do access that empathy.
That’s what brings me to make the stories. I think that stories are the best way for us to increase that empathy, to humanize us and make those connections happen. Really, it’s the stories that unite us, right? It’s those human experiences that we all share that really bring us together.”
It is great to see a Muslim woman running for office in the US and we wish her all the best. If she is successful, she could join other renowned Muslim Congresswomen such as Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar.
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