On November 3rd 2026, Muslims made history during the midterms. With at least 7 Muslims taking a seat in the U.S. Congress, we have broken through barriers that many didn't think would happen. Not only did we gain more Muslim representation in our government, but we also broke through a barrier of religious hatred that has been going on for years.

According to the Religion News Service, there were at least 7 Muslims who took office in the United States Congress. One was Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan, who became the first Muslim to serve in the U.S. Senate. These elections showed us that we can break through religious hatred. Islamophobia has played a huge role in American politics for many years now.

These mid-term elections also show that Americans are willing to look past someone's religion and judge them by what they believe and how they can serve their people. This is huge when you know that we have been looked at as suspicious ever since the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001.

With Abdul El-Sayed winning the Senate seat for Michigan, he has broken many records. Abdul is 42 years old and previously served as Detroit's director of health. He comes from an Egyptian family and won the election by around 7 percent against republican Mike Rogers. Abdul received many attacks throughout his campaign because of his religion. He was called a jihadist by President Trump and accused of having terrorist sympathies.

He still won his election. This may mean that scaring people about Muslims won't get you as far as it used to.

The House of Representatives also witnessed significant Muslim electoral success. Incumbent Democrats André Carson of Indiana, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Lateefah Simon of California secured reelection. Newcomers Dr. Adam Hamawy of New Jersey and Darializa Avila Chevalier of New York also won seats in Congress. California Democrat Aisha Wahab, who had won an earlier special election, was leading her race for a full term when the initial report was published. Her victory would bring the number of Muslim members of Congress to eight.

Significant progress has been made since 2006, when Keith Ellison of Minnesota became the first Muslim elected to Congress. Many Muslims made their mark in America through medical practices, businesses, school systems, and many other fields for many years but were underrepresented.

 

Muslims gained representation not only in Washington but around the country as well. Several states saw Muslims win state and local offices, including Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas, to name a few. Over 160 Muslim candidates ran for office in 2026, compared with 145 in 2022.

Something that caught my attention was how Muslim and Jewish votes may have played a role in Michigan's election. El-Sayed spoke out against Israel attacking Gaza and our involvement in aiding them. This led to backlash from many Jewish leaders and groups who felt that he was being anti-semitic.

Polls showed that most Michigan Jews voted for El-Sayed. A poll of early voters showed that 57% voted for El-Sayed, but he wasn't the only Democrat they voted for. Another female candidate running for governor, Jocelyn Benson, received more votes from the Jewish community.

This shows that while we can speak out against Israel's government, we are not automatically anti-semitic towards Jewish Americans. There are still Jewish citizens who feel threatened by the rise of anti-semitism but both sides should learn to accept each other's beliefs.

El-Sayed's election may therefore create opportunities for constructive dialogue, provided that both communities approach their differences with mutual respect.

For decades, segments of American conservative media have contributed to an atmosphere in which Islam has often been portrayed primarily through the prism of terrorism, extremism, and national security. Fox News personalities, including Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly, have faced sustained criticism for programs that amplified anti-Muslim stereotypes.

Nathan Lean wrote about some of these right-wing figures in his book The Islamophobia Industry: How the Right Manufactures Fear of Muslims.  Many of these people spread fear by spreading the idea that Islam doesn't align with American values.

One great example was when the Islamic Center was being built around the old World Trade Center site in Manhattan. The idea that it was supposed to be an Islamic place of worship turned into a huge controversy after politicians started spreading misinformation about what it really was. They wanted people to believe that this was a desecration to the memory of those who died on 9/11.

This is one way you can play someone's religion against them. Even though Muslims are just like everyone else who lives in America, they have rights that are just as equal as any other religion that we have here. This didn't stop some people from arguing their point about Muslims and terrorism.

When it came to the issue of Syrian refugees, many people tried to argue that if we allowed them in, they would just become terrorists. People like Robert Spencer and Brigitte Gabriel tried to spread these ideas. We should always be cautious about allowing foreigners into our country, but many of these people took it too far.

Muslim Americans suffered from this as well.  Whether they were doctors, teachers, business owners, soldiers, or students, they had to deal with the fear that they might be labeled a terrorist because of their religion.

It looks like the 2026 election proved that there is only so much damage you can do by bashing someone's religion. In some states, voters decided to allow Muslims to take office and run for political positions. This doesn't mean that Islamophobia isn't going on in our country today, but that it may not be the deciding factor when people vote.

Another thing to note about the newly elected members is that they come from many different ethnic backgrounds. Some are of Arab descent, African American, South Asian, and even Latino. One of the newly elected women is Darializa Avila Chevalier; she is the daughter of Dominican immigrants who converted to Islam. She may be the first Latina Muslim to serve in Congress.

These new politicians will come from all walks of life, just like everyone else. They may think differently on taxes, immigration, international relations, schooling, health care, etc. So, we should not think of these new elected officials as one group of Muslims but more as Americans of all religions.

Nathan Lean covered some of these right-wing individuals in his book called The Islamophobia Industry: How the Right Manufactures Fear of Muslims.  They all had something to do with trying to make us afraid of Muslims and that they don't follow American values.

The Islamic Center near the site of the old World Trade Center in Manhattan was a perfect example. Once word got out that they wanted to build an Islamic center at that location, it became a hot topic among politicians who lied to the public about what it actually was. People were led to believe that it was an insult to those who lost their lives on 9/11.

By targeting a person's religion, you can do things like this. Muslims are no different than anyone else who resides in America; they have the same rights as all other religions that we allow in our country. But that didn't stop people from saying otherwise when it comes to Muslims and terrorism.

With the Syrian Refugee crisis, there were many who stated that if we let these people into our country, they would become terrorists. People such as Robert Spencer and Brigitte Gabriel tried to spread these messages. Of course, we should be cautious about letting people from foreign countries into our country, but these individuals took it one step too far.

American Muslims were affected by this too.  They could be doctors, teachers, own businesses, serve in our military, or even be students. All of them had to live in fear of being accused of being a terrorist due to their religion.

We believe that we learned our lesson with the 2026 elections. There can only be so many times that we can attack someone for their religion. It seems that in some states, they wanted Muslims to hold office and run for political positions. Which doesn't mean that we aren't seeing islamophobia today, just that it's not the reason why people are voting.

Another thing to mention about these newly elected officials is that they represent a variety of races. Arab, African American, South Asian, and Latina.  Darializa Avila Chevalier is one of the newly elected women; she is of Dominican descent and converted to Islam. She will probably be the first Latina Muslim to hold office in Congress.

These new politicians will have various beliefs. Like anyone else running for office, they will have different views on taxes, immigration, other countries, schools, etc. We shouldn't lump these new officials together as Muslims. They are like all of us Americans who have different religions.