The battle to win the White House has entered its most important phase as the Democratic and Republican candidates compete in swing states. It was almost a week before the fate of Kamala Harris or Donald Trump was decided.
It is an equally crucial moment for a number of races including Congress, House of Representatives and Senate in various states in the United States.
Michigan is one of these swing states. It is home to a large population of Muslim Americans, especially those of Middle Eastern heritage.
Here, Pakistani-American Democrat Aisha Farooqi is competing for state assembly seats. Representing the 57th District is a daunting task as she faces Republican incumbent Thomas Koh on November 5.
She successfully advanced from the Democratic primary on August 6, 2024. She defeated her Democratic challengers Tyler Fox and Douglas Wagner with 66.8% of the vote.
On the other hand, her competitor Thomas Kuhn won the primary unopposed. It is interesting to know that both Farooqi (4537) and Kuhn (4657) received almost equal numbers of votes for their parties.
In the last general election, Cohen defeated Farocki by 17,606 votes (52.6%) to 15,842 votes (47.4%).
Can Faruqi close the gap and beat the incumbent? Well, if she does, she will become the first Pakistani-American woman member of the Michigan House of Representatives.
Who is Ayesha Farooqui?
Farooqi is the daughter of a self-made Pakistani couple who hail from Lahore. Her parents were professors of chemistry at the University of the Punjab. They immigrated to Scotland where Faruqi was born.
The girl was nine years old when the family moved to Detroit, where she graduated from Farmington High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy.
Long before entering professional life, Farooqi volunteered at a local health clinic for a year. She lives in Sterling Heights, Macomb County.
Farocki currently works as an Assistant Prosecutor in Wayne County. She has also served on the Zoning Board of Appeals for the City of Sterling Heights, and is a member of the Macomb County Black Caucus and the Jewish Muslim Advisory Committee.
Approvals
Farooqi has some strong endorsements that could help her raise money and spread her word.
Notable figures include Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Senator Stephanie Chang, State Representative Donavan McKinney, State Representative Sharon McDonnell, Macomb County Mayor Anthony Wickersham, Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor, Sterling Heights Mayor Pro Tem Liz Sierawski, and Troy School Board Trustee Imina Alec. , Madison Heights Councilor Quinn Wright, Sterling Heights Councilman Michael Radtke, and activist/community leader Joel Rutherford.
Additionally, AFSCME, MEA, Emily’s List, MI List/Fems for Dems, SMART Local 80, IBEW, Equality Michigan, Planned Parenthood, Run for Something, No Future Without Today, and Moms Demand Action also endorsed her candidacy.
But the biggest challenge to her campaign is the current situation in the Middle East. A number of Arab American Muslims believe that “Kamala Harris has a similar role in the genocide of Palestinians.”
Recently, a large number of prayer leaders supported Donald Trump. Prominent American Muslim Bilal Al-Zuhairi said in his statements, “We as Muslims stand with President Trump because he promises peace, not war. We support Donald Trump because he promised to end the war in the Middle East and Ukraine.”
Perhaps these imams forgot that Trump described Joe Biden as a “Palestinian.”
In light of the current situation in the Middle East, every American Muslim candidate, Democratic or Republican, bears the daunting task of convincing Muslim voters.
“Elections are not always held to elect the best candidate. They are often held to capture the lesser of two evils,” veteran US lawyer Jaspreet Singh told this writer.
Can Faruqui convince voters to choose Democrats in her constituency? The answer lies in The Alchemist – the novel that inspired millions of people including Farocki.
If one believes Paulo Coelho, a number of his sayings fit the fate of the ambitious Pakistani American Farooqi as well. For example:
- “The possibility of realizing a dream is what makes life interesting.”
- “When someone really wants something, the whole universe conspires to help that person achieve their dream.”
And last but not least.
- “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible, and that is the fear of failure.”
Al-Farouqi claims to be fearless.