Jakarta (ANTARA) – After the name of Zohran Mamdani shocked public opinion because he became the first Muslim to be elected mayor of New York on Tuesday evening (11/4), the spotlight of public opinion is now focused on the figure of Ghazala Hashmi.
On the same night that Zohran Mamdani was announced as mayor of New York, Ghazala Hashmi made history as the first Muslim woman elected lieutenant governor of Virginia.
Not only in Virginia, she also became the first Muslim woman to be elected to the office of lieutenant governor in any state in the United States (US).
Hashmi won the contest with fellow Democrat Abigail Spanberger, who also made history as the first woman to serve as governor of Virginia.
Even before making history at the state leadership level, he became the first Muslim and Indian-American to sit in the Virginia Senate.
In her victory speech on Tuesday evening (4/11), Ghazala Hashmi thanked her supporters and said: “Together, we have charted a new historical path.”
The following is Ghazala Hashmi’s profile and life story for you to read.
The woman whose full name is Ghazala Firdous Hashmi was born in Hyderabad, India on July 5, 1964. Her family then moved to the United States in 1969 when she was just four years old and settled in Georgia.
He studied English literature at Georgia Southern University and received a doctorate (PhD) in American literature from Emory University in Atlanta, USA.
Before entering politics, Hashmi was a teacher and academic administrator for decades. He taught first at the University of Richmond and then at Reynolds Community College, where he founded the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
She married Azhar Rafiq in the late 1980s and has two daughters, Yasmin and Noor. The Hashmi family has lived in the Richmond area since 1991.
Hashmi first entered politics in 2019, when she was elected to become the first Muslim woman to serve in the Virginia State Senate. In 2023, he successfully defended his position as incumbent president in the Virginia State Senate.
Six years later, Hashmi made history again by becoming the first Muslim woman to be elected lieutenant governor of Virginia. In addition to this historic achievement, the public now awaits the public policies he will introduce in the state of Virginia.
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Reporter: Melusa Susthira Khalida
Publisher: Alviansyah Pasaribu
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