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How many Muslim Americans have served in the U.S. Congress (House and Senate) from 2015–2025, and who are they?
Executive summary
Available sources report that five Muslim Americans have been elected to the U.S. Congress as of 2025, and four Muslim members were serving in the 119th Congress (all in the House) in early 2025 (counts and names vary slightly by source) [1] [2] [3]. Major names consistently listed across the reporting are Keith Ellison, André Carson, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Lateefah Simon; Ellison served earlier, while Carson, Omar, Tlaib and Simon are identified as members in or after 2015–2025 coverage [4] [3] [5].
1. Who the five people are — a concise roll call
The set of five individuals that multiple listings identify as Muslim Americans elected to Congress are: Keith Ellison (first elected 2006), André Carson (entered via special election 2008 and serving through 2015–2025), Ilhan Omar (elected 2018, serving 2019–present), Rashida Tlaib (elected 2018, serving 2019–present), and Lateefah Simon (elected to the House and listed as beginning service in 2025) [4] [6] [3].
2. The 2015–2025 timeframe: who served when
Keith Ellison’s congressional service ended in 2019, so his tenure overlaps the early part of this window (2015–2019); André Carson served continuously through the whole period (2015–2025); Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib both served from their 2019 inaugurations through the 2019–2025 period; Lateefah Simon is reported as a member starting with the 119th Congress in 2025 [4] [3] [5] [7].
3. How many were serving in the 119th Congress (2025‑27) and sources of the count
Pew’s religious composition note for the 119th Congress counts one Muslim newcomer (Lateefah Simon) and identifies the presence of Muslim members overall in the new chamber; separate aggregated lists and encyclopedic pages state that four Muslims currently served in the 119th Congress and that five have been elected to Congress historically through 2025 [3] [1] [2].
4. Points of agreement and where reporting differs
Encyclopedic and list pages (Wikipedia/Wikiwand/grokipedia) converge on the “five elected, four serving in the 119th” formulation [1] [2] [4]. Pew frames the 119th Congress’s faith makeup and explicitly names Lateefah Simon as the single Muslim newcomer in that cycle while listing Muslim members among other non-Christian faiths [3]. Some news outlets (e.g., AP-style international wire and community organizations) focus on the three or four Muslim incumbents re-elected in 2024 and note Simon’s election as expanding the count; these pieces vary in emphasis but do not contradict the five/eight counts above [8] [9] [10].
5. How identity is being counted — denominational, cultural, and family ties
Listings differ in whether they include members “raised in Muslim families” or who identify as Muslim versus those with Muslim heritage but different current religious identification; for example, some lists note figures raised in Muslim households who are now agnostic or unaffiliated and exclude them from the formal Muslim-member tally [1] [2]. The sources used here treat the five named individuals as Muslim Members of Congress while flagging others as “raised in Muslim families” when applicable [1].
6. Political and representational context (why the numbers matter)
The small number—four serving members in the House during the 119th Congress and five historically by 2025—signals a tiny but visible congressional presence relative to the U.S. population; reporting and advocacy groups framed recent elections (especially Simon’s win) as historic gains for Muslim-American representation and as politically consequential in debates over civil rights and U.S. foreign policy [9] [8]. Pew’s religious-composition piece places Muslim members alongside other non-Christian faiths to show shifting faith demographics on Capitol Hill [3].
7. Limitations and unanswered questions in the available reporting
Available sources do not offer a single, official government roster that uses a uniform standard for “Muslim” identity; instead they rely on self-identification, reporting, or biographical detail [1] [4]. Sources do not comprehensively list whether every member publicly self-identifies religiously for each election cycle; therefore counts reflect how the cited compilations and reporting classified members through 2025 [1] [3].
Conclusion — what readers should take away
Multiple public lists and Pew’s analysis align: five Muslim Americans have been elected to Congress as of 2025 and four were serving in the 119th Congress (all in the House), with the key names being Keith Ellison, André Carson, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Lateefah Simon [1] [3] [4]. Differences in coverage track how identity is defined and which newcomers are counted; readers should note that some compilations also mention people raised in Muslim families who no longer identify as Muslim, and that counts depend on the sources’ inclusion criteria [1] [2].