An 18-year-old Muslim has been elected to the Round Rock Independent School District on a platform of keeping “political and religious interference out of public school classrooms.”
Ayaan Moledina, a child of Pakistani immigrants, ran for Place 3 on RRISD’s School Board. According to his policy platform, Moledina plans to protect DEI programs through “affinity groups like Black Student Unions and Gender Sexuality Alliances,” keep “religion out of our classrooms,” and limit “the use of student restraint practices.” Moledina met the age requirements for ballot eligibility by “just a few days,” according to reports.
Moledina lists several progressive and Islamic endorsements on his website, including The School Board Project, an organization that is “here to support progressive school board candidates,” as well as CAIR Action Texas and Muslim lobbying group Emgage Action Texas.
U.S. Reps. Greg Casar (D–Austin) and Joaquin Castro (D–San Antonio) both endorsed Moledina. Casar is a former member of the Democratic Socialists of America, and is the only male member of “The Squad,” a congressional faction composed of several former DSA members and organized by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D–NY).
Moledina is not the only Muslim candidate elected Tuesday.
According to a report released Thursday by CAIR and CAIR Action, approximately 100 Muslim candidates won bids for a federal, state, or local office across the country. Among those is the Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, the first Muslim elected to the Senate. U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar (D–MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D–MI) were reelected to their seats in the U.S. House.
Letitia Plummer won her race for Harris County judge against Republican Orlando Sanchez. Plummer has advocated for limiting Harris County’s cooperation with immigration enforcement “beyond what state and federal law require.”
Austin City Councilman Zo Qadri won his bid for re-election, as did State Reps. Salman Bhojani (D–Euless) and Suleman Lalani (D–Sugar Land).
