Birmingham Elects New Muslim Mayor

Birmingham, MINA – Board member Muhammad Afzal becomes the new mayor of Birmingham after being sworn in on Tuesday.

He becomes the first Birmingham resident to become mayor in a place where he has lived for more than 50 years.

“The new #BrumLordMayor in Birmingham, Muhammad Afzal has taken office after the Creation of mayors at the Council Building,” wrote the Birmingham City Council as quoted from About Islam on Saturday.

Afzal is a Muslim who was born in Pakistan and came to England in 1969. Then, he settled in Birmingham with his wife, Tazeem.

Afzal was first elected as a board member in 1982 from the city of Aston Ward. Birmingham City Council said in an online statement it was Britain’s longest-serving Muslim council member. Afzal was elected by the city council’s ruling labor group in January 2020.

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Even though he was supposed to take office in May 2020, the coronavirus lockdown was a hindrance.

The veteran labor politician is Birmingham’s fifth Muslim mayor with a Pakistani background. The other four are Mahmood Hussain, Abdul Rashid JP, Shafiq Shah, and Muhammad Azim.

Hussain was Birmingham’s first Muslim Lord Major while Shah held the record as youngest Lord Major. Earlier this month, the city of Preston officially welcomed Council Member Javed Iqbal as the 693th mayor and the first Muslim to hold the position. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)