Which U.S. cities have elected Muslim mayors and what are their biographies?
Executive summary
A wave of Muslim Americans has won mayoral posts at the municipal level in the United States in recent years, with notable examples in Michigan suburbs, Maryland, New Jersey and — as of 2025 reporting — New York City; these victories reflect local demographics, long-term civic organizing and growing political visibility [1] [2] [3]. Reporting and organizational directories show Michigan as a particular hub, while CAIR’s directory and multiple news accounts make clear that this is a growing but still small share of U.S. mayorships overall [4] [5].
1. Dearborn — Abdullah Hammoud: the Arab‑American first
Abdullah Hammoud, first elected mayor of Dearborn in 2021 and re‑elected in subsequent cycles, is cited as Dearborn’s first Muslim and first Arab‑American mayor and was described in profiles as one of the youngest mayors in the city’s history after entering office in January 2022 [1] [6]; international reporting that summarized later victories also identifies Hammoud as a leading Muslim mayor in Michigan [2] [7]. Local coverage frames Hammoud’s triumph as rooted in Dearborn’s large Arab and Muslim population and in a campaign promising “change and bold leadership” to address municipal challenges [7] [6].
2. Dearborn Heights — Mo Baydoun: from acting mayor to a full term
Mo Baydoun secured a full mayoral term in neighboring Dearborn Heights after serving as acting mayor following his predecessor’s resignation, and his election is grouped with the recent cluster of Muslim mayoral victories in the Detroit suburbs reported by CAIR and international outlets [2]. Reporting emphasizes the continuity of local leadership and Baydoun’s path from acting to elected chief executive as part of a broader regional shift toward Arab‑American and Muslim representation [2].
3. Hamtramck — Amer Ghalib (and tightly contested results)
Hamtramck, a small city long noted for its large Muslim population, elected Amer Ghalib as mayor in a historic result covered by PBS and other outlets, marking the city’s first Muslim mayor in that cycle [1]. Some reporting around later contests noted ultra‑close margins and certification issues — with other sources indicating mayoral contests where two Muslim candidates were vying and certification remained pending at times — underscoring how local vote counts and certification can leave outcomes in flux [2].
4. College Park, Maryland — Faizul Kabir: a recent first in Maryland
Faizul Kabir won a special election to become mayor of College Park in 2023 and is widely reported as the first Muslim mayor in Maryland, a milestone repeated in coverage of Muslim‑American civic gains [2]. Local reporting frames Kabir’s mayorship as part of broader diversification of suburban leadership in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area [2].
5. Montgomery, New Jersey — Sadaf Jaffer: the first female Muslim mayor
Sadaf Jaffer made history in January 2019 as the first female Muslim American mayor in the United States when elected in Montgomery Township, Somerset County, New Jersey; she has also been described as the first female South Asian and Pakistani‑American mayor in U.S. history, an achievement recorded in encyclopedic and demographic summaries [8] [9]. Coverage of Jaffer’s tenure has highlighted both the symbolic significance of her election and the local policy priorities that motivated her candidacy [8].
6. New York City — Zohran Mamdani and the national spotlight
Reporting in 2025 identified Zohran Mamdani as the first Muslim elected mayor of New York City, a development treated as historic in national coverage and in lists of prominent American Muslims [3] [9] [10]. News narratives placed Mamdani alongside other recent Muslim mayoral victories to illustrate a record year for Muslim representation, while noting he also faced Islamophobic attacks during his campaign, a dynamic covered in regional reporting [10].
7. Context, limits and a longer history
Records compiled by CAIR and other outlets show dozens of Muslim elected officials across states and identify Michigan as having a leading count of Muslim officeholders including multiple mayors and judges, but they also stress that municipal mayors who are Muslim remain a small fraction of all U.S. mayors [4]. Local variations, tight vote counts in some cities, and evolving 2025 election narratives mean any contemporary list is a snapshot; available sources document the mayors named here but do not claim to be an exhaustive inventory of every Muslim mayor in U.S. history [4] [5].