Nabeela Syed, an Indian-American Muslim woman, made history as the first Muslim woman to be elected to the Illinois State General Assembly after winning a significant victory in the US Midterm Elections held on Tuesday, November 8.
Nabeela, only 23 years old, is also one of the youngest representatives to win the election for the 51st House district of the Illinois legislature. `
On Wednesday, Syed took to Twitter to express her delight at being the Democratic candidate to flip a Republican-held suburban district.
Syed further wrote in her Instagram caption that when she ran for State Representative, she had made it a mission to engage in the conversation to invite people to engage in democracy and hope that better leadership can represent their values. She also expressed gratitude to the people in her community for believing in her.
Nabeela Syed, who beat incumbent Republican Chris Bos by 52.3% of the vote, has become the first Muslim in the Illinois state legislature along with Palestinian-American Abdelnasser Rashid, who is also the first to be elected to the Illinois General Assembly.
Syed, who wears a hijab, was born and raised in Palatine, Illinois, and graduated from the University of California with degrees in Political Science and Business. She is known for always being an active voice for her community, especially those underserved and underrepresented in government institutions. She serves as president of a pro-bono consulting organization that helps local businesses.
In her election manifesto, Syed promised to consider and address public issues such as equal rights, health care, education, and taxation.
Her website says Syed’s goal is to build a better Illinois for residents today and tomorrow and to create an Illinois with a strong economy, sustainable infrastructure, affordable health care, and higher education.
Syed is currently known to work for non-profit organizations, explicitly assisting them with their digital strategy and supporting various civic engagement initiatives, including voter mobilization, limiting sexual assault on college campuses, and increasing gender equality.
Syed is also a mentor to youth as a high school debate coach and a vocal supporter of interfaith dialogue and is frequently involved in empowering young Muslim women to lead.
