SUGAR LAND, Texas (KTRK) -- This year's Midterm Elections generated a fig of historical firsts successful American politics. For the archetypal clip successful the Texas State Legislature's history, voters elected not 1 but 2 Muslim lawmakers to service connected Capitol Hill.
One of them is Dr. Suleman Lalani, a practicing geriatric attraction doc successful the Fort Bend County country for much than 17 years.
Lalani came to the U.S. successful the aboriginal 90s aft graduating from aesculapian schoolhouse successful his autochthonal state of Pakistan. He completed his interior medicine residency successful New York and fellowship astatine the Baylor College of Medicine. He yet settled down successful Sugar Land aft getting joined and having 3 sons.
He opened a accepted signifier that was located down the Sugar Land Town Center and Houston Methodist Hospital Sugar Land Hospital for astir 2 decades. While serving with antithetic assemblage and nonprofit organizations, Lalani said that's wherever his involvement successful authorities began. His run slogan was the "right medicine for Texas."
"I was the ambassador to the U.S. Congress for the Alzheimer's Association. That's wherever I got the spirit of authorities and passing the bills. America is simply a onshore of opportunities. But I was precise soon awakened that we are precise mediocre erstwhile it comes to healthcare access. The astir hurtful portion arsenic a doc was erstwhile I knew there's a attraction oregon cure, but my diligent could not spend it," helium said.
"I thought that if I could get into authorities and walk a mates of bully laws, we could alteration this generation. A good, steadfast nine is simply a productive one," helium added.
Two years ago, helium decided to adjacent his signifier and power to semipermanent care, wherever helium makes rounds astatine aggregate nursing homes. He said the power allowed him a much flexible docket that accommodated the clip committedness required to tally for office. He won the spot for House District 76 connected his 2nd try.
The issues Lalani said helium is focused connected are healthcare, acquisition and COVID-19 recovery, equitable economical recovery, protecting the grid, and biology sustainability.
Lalani's victory, on with Salman Bhojani to House District 92 successful Tarrant County, is important for a authorities legislature that has not ever embraced its Muslim community. According to the Texas Tribune, erstwhile Sen. Dan Patrick boycotted the senate's first-ever supplication by a Muslim cleric successful 2007. Patrick present presides implicit the Senate arsenic lieutenant politician aft winning reelection astir 2 weeks ago.
The Texas Tribune besides reported that successful caller years, the yearly Texas Muslim Capitol Day, successful which Muslims from crossed the authorities sojourn the Capitol to larn astir authorities government, has been met with protest. In 2017, much than a 1000 supporters formed a quality shield astir Muslim visitors to support them from demonstrators.
The insubstantial wrote that successful 2015, then-state Rep. Molly White near instructions for her unit to inquire Muslim visitors to travel to her bureau connected Texas Muslim Capitol Day to state allegiance to the United States.
Lalani told ABC13 helium hopes his beingness connected Capitol Hill volition marque the Muslim assemblage successful Texas consciousness much welcome, included, and represented.
"It's amended precocious than never. One happening I judge is ignorance leads to fear, which leads to choler and past hate. We are present to larn astir each other. We person truthful galore things successful common. We request to absorption connected what our strengths are, and that's wherever we physique up upon each other," helium said. "As a physician, erstwhile idiosyncratic comes up to maine to instrumentality attraction of their ailment, I don't inquire them what their contention oregon religion is. I privation to bring that aforesaid mindset into the legislature."
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