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Muslim-American community in Milwaukee city seeks representation in government

The Arab News reported that leaders in the Muslim-American community in Milwaukee in the state of Wisconsin are hoping to achieve representation in the city government to reflect their growing numbers and needs.
The city of Milwaukee’s diverse Muslim community is concentrated in the 13th district and is seeking to have its own representation in the city council, known as the Common Council, in which 15 districts are represented by 15 aldermen. However, differences over representation with the Hispanic-Latino community, which seeks to increase its own presence in the city government, has brought the issue to public attention.
Arab and Muslim Americans were legally counted as “white” in the last census, contributing to their under-representation. Community leaders say that the 13th district has tens of thousands of Muslim residents whose national origins lie in the Middle East and other parts of the world.
After the US national census last year, the Hispanic and Latino community, which controls two other districts, wanted to represent the 13th district as well. This reflects a desire to have more representation, as a result of its own growing population, once redistricting is approved by the city government. This situation has created a conflict about who should be representing the 13th district.

The Latino community had sought to have a Hispanic-majority or near-majority 13th district by advocating the transfer of heavy Latino areas into the 13th district and removing areas with the least number of Latinos.
Under this scheme, the Muslim community in the district would be chopped up between different districts and lose its economic and political contiguity to accommodate the objectives of the Hispanic leaders.
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Janan Najeeb, a community leader and president of the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition and director of the Islamic Resource Center, told Arab News that the Arab and Muslim community has no problem with the Latino community — in fact she considers them natural allies who have shared the same struggles.
Najeeb said that leaders from the Muslim and Hispanic communities have had many meetings to resolve their differences in a way that will benefit both groups. She added that all the redistricting maps submitted by the leaders of the Hispanic community proposed remapping the wards or areas that were heavily Muslim and dispersing them in different areas, causing them to lose their concentration in the 13th district. The plan would ultimately deprive the Muslim community of the opportunity to have a Muslim representation in the city government, she said.
Najeeb said that the Muslim community was still expanding and it would be unfair to let another ethnic group represent them when they could represent themselves.
She said: “We want a Muslim representation in the city that would reflect our own interests and issues."
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Milwaukee’s city government has not passed the Hispanic community’s proposed remapping and redistricting, leaving the original district map intact. This is considered a major win for the Muslim community as it leaves its areas part of one district.
The 13th district is home to the largest concentration of Muslims in Wisconsin. The community is very mixed, reflecting the diversity of the Muslim world itself as many people have roots in the Middle East, US, Africa, Asia and Europe. It also includes a growing number of Latino Muslims.
There are more than 100 Muslim businesses and institutions in the district, with three mosques including the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, hosting the largest mosque in Wisconsin, and the Salam School with 1,000 students on two campuses, civic institutions, pharmacies and medical clinics.
Despite its growing numbers and visible presence, the Muslim community not just in Wisconsin but across the US cannot select a category in the census to reflect its ethnicities or national origins; instead it had to select the “white” category in the 2020 census.
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The Arab and Muslim community in the US has long fought to have a “MENA” category to reflect Americans who come from the Middle East and North Africa. Should this designation be accepted in the future, Arab and Muslim communities across the US would benefit from many federal programs aimed at supporting minority groups.
Najeeb said: “Ultimately, the real issue for us is not with the Hispanic community, whom we consider allies and friends, rather with the designation of us as “white” — thus depriving us of proper representation and many state and federal benefits.”
Source: arabnews
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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