How many Muslims have ever served in U.S. Congress and who are they?
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Executive summary
As of the 119th Congress (sworn in January 2025), available reporting identifies four Muslims serving in the U.S. House: André Carson (D‑IN), Ilhan Omar (D‑MN), Rashida Tlaib (D‑MI) and Lateefah Simon (D‑CA) [1] [2] [3]. Multiple outlets and organizational statements note that prior to 2006 no Muslim had been elected to Congress and that Keith Ellison was the first Muslim elected in 2006 [4] [5].
1. Who has served: a short roll call and how sources count them
Contemporary sources list the four current Muslim members of Congress in the 119th Session as Representatives André Carson, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Lateefah Simon [1] [2] [3]. Wikipedia’s running list also records the historical first: Keith Ellison, elected in 2006, is widely cited as the first Muslim elected to Congress [4]. Congressional resolutions and celebratory statements from advocacy groups reaffirm those milestones [5] [1].
2. Why numbers vary across reports
Different outlets and lists sometimes give different totals because they treat “have ever served” versus “currently serving” differently and because backgrounds (raised Muslim vs. identifying Muslim) are handled inconsistently. For example, CAIR and advocacy reporting celebrated four Muslims serving in the 119th Congress after Lateefah Simon’s 2024 victory [1] [6]. Other reporting about the 2024 elections emphasized that three incumbents (Carson, Omar, Tlaib) were re‑elected that cycle, which can create confusion between the immediate post‑election count and the later sworn‑in membership that includes a newcomer [2] [7].
3. The milestones: firsts and notable facts
Keith Ellison’s 2006 election is repeatedly identified as the first time an openly Muslim candidate won a U.S. congressional seat [4]. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib are consistently identified as the first Muslim women in Congress and have been prominent national figures since their initial victories [2] [8]. Lateefah Simon’s 2024 election expanded the number in the 119th Congress to four, a development highlighted by CAIR and other community organizations [1] [6].
4. How research organizations tally religion on the Hill
Pew Research’s analysis of the religious composition of the 119th Congress explicitly notes “one Muslim (Rep. Lateefah Simon, D‑Calif.)” among non‑Christian newcomers while also documenting broader trends in religious self‑identification on Capitol Hill [3]. That methodology—relying on members’ own declarations or authoritative rolls—helps explain why some sources list the exact same membership while others emphasize newcomers versus returning members [3].
5. What’s not in the sources: scope and limitations
Available sources in this packet do not provide a definitive, exhaustively sourced list of every person in U.S. history who might have converted to Islam while in office or who was privately Muslim but publicly identified otherwise; they also do not resolve edge cases like members “raised in a Muslim family” who later identify differently [4] [3]. For example, Wikipedia notes members raised in Muslim families who later converted, and Pew flags coding choices, but a complete historical audit of every member’s private faith journey is not present in these materials [4] [3].
6. Political context and competing viewpoints
Coverage shows Muslim members have been politically consequential—re‑election stories framed them as influential voices on foreign policy debates, notably regarding Israel and Gaza [2]. Advocacy groups framed recent gains as milestones for representation and mobilization of Muslim voters [1] [6]. At the same time, mainstream reporting documents backlash and rising Islamophobic rhetoric in some corners of politics, illustrating competing trends—greater representation alongside intensified partisan attacks [9] [2].
7. Bottom line for readers seeking a definitive figure
If you mean “how many Muslims are currently serving in the 119th Congress,” contemporary sources cited here put that number at four—André Carson, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Lateefah Simon [1] [2] [3]. If you mean “how many people of Muslim faith have ever been elected to Congress since U.S. history began,” the sources provided catalogue milestones (Keith Ellison as the first in 2006) but do not present a single, definitive historical tally that resolves all edge cases; available sources do not mention a complete, authoritative list beyond those named here [4] [5].
Sources cited: Wikipedia list of Muslim members [4]; Washington Post reporting on political backlash [9]; election reporting on re‑elections [2] [7]; Pew Research on religious composition [3]; Senate resolution and Congressional text [5] [10]; CAIR and advocacy reactions [1] [6].