Muslim candidates Daryle Aziza Avila Chevalier and Adam Hamei win U.S. House seats
Daryle Aziza Avila Chevalier and Adam Hamei won U.S. House elections, becoming the first Muslims to represent their states.
Translated by Qiyas from الراي — Original source
- Chevalier, of Dominican origin, converted to Islam in 2018 and is among the most prominent supporters of Palestine and the Palestinian people.
- Hamwi, an Egyptian-American surgeon, becomes the first Muslim to represent New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives.
New York Democratic candidate Daraylis Avila Chevalier won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives during the midterm elections.
Avila Chevalier, a researcher and political activist of Dominican descent, studied the Middle East at Columbia University and engaged in pro-Palestinian activism before converting to Islam.
She caused a major upset in the primary elections by defeating veteran Democratic Representative Adriano Espaillat for New York’s 13th congressional district, with support from the Democratic Socialists of America and the city’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
Americans of Egyptian descent also made a notable presence in the elections, extending beyond Abdul Azziz’s victory in Michigan, to include physician Adam Hamwi, who won a House seat representing New Jersey’s 12th congressional district.
Hamwi, an American surgeon of Egyptian descent, previously served in the U.S. Army and participated in medical missions in conflict zones, including Iraq and Gaza.
He gained widespread media and political attention for his volunteer work in Gaza Strip hospitals during the Israeli war, as well as for his testimonies regarding the humanitarian and medical conditions there, before deciding to run in the elections for the first time.
Hamwi successfully defeated Republican Greg Milley, becoming the first Muslim to represent New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives, in a state with a large Arab and Egyptian community.
