Fauzia Janjua has become the first Muslim and Pakistani-American to take oath for the office of the mayor of New Jersey. She took an oath of her new responsibility on the Holy Quran alongside her husband and children at Township Hall.
Fauzia’s father Idris belongs to Chakwal while her mother is from Lahore. Her father migrated to the US, where she was born, in the 1970s. She opted for community service and is imparting education to poor children and prisoners. With her election, the position of mayor has gone to Democrats for the first time in 36 years. Before her election, the mayor slot was always held by a Republican representative.
In the speech she gave on the historic occasion, Fauzia Janjua described her election as the first Muslim lady of Pakistan origin as a moment of pride, reports The News.
New Jersey State Representative, Carol Murphy, wrote on X: “It is such a great honour to administer the oaths of office tonight in Mount Laurel. It was extremely special to celebrate my dear friends — Mayor Fozia Janjua (1st Muslim & South Asian Mayor in township history) & Deputy Mayor Nik Moustakas on this historic occasion.”
It is such a great honor to administer the oaths of office tonight in Mount Laurel. It was extremely special to celebrate my dear friends — Mayor Fozia Janjua (1st Muslim & South Asian Mayor in township history) & Deputy Mayor Nik Moustakas on this historic occasion. pic.twitter.com/LaZB4GluKR
— Carol Murphy (@carolmurphyNJ) January 3, 2024
Her election came about just days after when the Imam of a local mosque was shot dead.
