A Muslim woman led the first prayer to Allah on the Wisconsin Assembly floor on Thursday. Janan Najeeb, the president of the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition and founder of the Islamic Resource Center, had been invited to give the invocation by Rep. Mandela Barnes, D-Milwaukee, who professes to be a Christian. He told reporters that he invited Najeeb to promote diversity and portray Muslims in a positive light.
“There is just so much for us to get over in terms of our fears,” Barnes told the Journal Sentinel.
Najeeb said that it was her hope that lawmakers “will realize that Muslims are part of the fabric of our society … and we are adding our story to the stories of the many communities that came before us and created this country.” In addition to offering an Islamic prayer, she also read from the Koran, citing Ar-Rum 30:22 and Al-Hujurat 49:13.
