Rashida Harbi Tlaib born (on July 24, 1976) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for Michigan’s 13th congressional district since 2019. The district includes the western half of Detroit, along with several of its western suburbs and much of the Downriver area. A member of the Democratic Party, Tlaib represented the 6th and 12th districts of the Michigan House of Representatives before her election to Congress.
In 2018, Tlaib won the Democratic nomination for the United States House of Representatives seat from Michigan’s 13th congressional district. She ran unopposed in the general election and became the first woman of Palestinian descent in Congress, the first Muslim woman to serve in the Michigan legislature, and one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, along with Ilhan Omar (D-MN). Tlaib is a member of The Squad, an informal group of six (four until the 2020 elections) U.S. representatives on the left wing of the Democratic Party.
Quick Facts Of Rashida Tlaib
| Celebrated Name | Rashida Tlaib |
|---|---|
| Age | 47 Years of 2024 |
| Nick Name | Rashida |
| Birth Name | Rashida Harbi |
| Birth Date | 1976-07-24 |
| Gender | Female |
| Profession | American Politician |
| Place Of Birth | Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Father | Harbi Elapsed |
| Siblings | 13 |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Palestinian |
| School | Bennett Elementary, and Phoenix Academy |
| High School | Southwestern High Schoo |
| College / University | Wayne State University and Western Michigan University Cooley Law School |
| Religion | Muslim |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Spouse | Fayez Tlaib (Ex) |
| Married Date | 1998 |
| Children | Adam Tlaib and Yousif Tlaib |
| Political Inclination | Democratic |
| Educational Qualification | Bachelor of Arts in political science and Juris Doctor |
| Famous For | First Muslim woman to serve in the Michigan legislature |
What is Rashida Tlaib Famous For?
– First Muslim woman to serve in the Michigan legislature.
– First Palestinian-American woman elected to Congress.
Where was Rashida Tlaib Born?
Rashida Tlaib was born on 24 July 1976. Her birth name is Rashida Harbi. She was born to Palestinian immigrants. Her birthplace is in Detroit, Michigan in the United States. She holds American nationality. She has 13 siblings. She is the eldest of 14 children. As the eldest sibling, she played a role in raising her siblings.
She attended elementary school in Harms, Bennett Elementary, and Phoenix Academy. She graduated from Southwestern High School in 1994. She then enrolled at Wayne State University. She graduated from Wayne State with a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1998. She later earned her Juris Doctor from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School in 2004.
Michigan House of Representatives
- She interned with State Representative Steve Tobocman in 2004.
- She was hired to Tobocman’s staff when he became Majority Floor Leader in 2007.
- Tobocman encouraged Tlaib to run for his seat in 2008. She won the eight-way Democratic primary. She later won the general election with over 90% of the vote.
- She won the general election bid for office in 2010 defeating Republican challenger Darrin Daigle.
- She won the reelection to the Michigan House in the newly redrawn 6th District in 2012.
- Because of term limits, she could not run for the Michigan House for the fourth time. She ran for the Michigan Senate in 2014 but lost to incumbent Senator Virgil Smith.
- She is the second Muslim to serve in the Michigan State House of Representatives after James Karoub.
- She is also the second Muslim woman to serve in a state legislature nationwide after Jamilah Nasheed of Missouri. She and a Republican Justin Amash were the first two Palestinian-American members of the Michigan legislature.
- She left the state legislature and worked at Sugar Law Center.
U.S. House of Representatives
- She ran for John Conyer’s seat in Congress in 2018.
- She had raised $893,030 in funds as of July 2018.
- She finished second to Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones in the Democratic primary for the special election.
- She defeated Jones and Bill Wild in the Democratic primary for the general election.
- She became the first Palestinian-American woman in Congress. She also became one of the first two Muslim women in Congress along with fellow Democrat Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
- She took the congressional oath of office on 3 January 2019. She swore in on an English-language translation of the Quran wearing a traditional embroidered Palestinian dress, thawb.
- Her won inspired a number of Palestinian and Palestinian-American women to share pictures on social media. They shared her pictures with the hashtag #TweetYourThobe.
- She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
Political Positions
- She opposed providing aid to a “Netanyahu Israel” and supported the Palestinian right of return and a one-state solution.
- She openly supports the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
- She has criticized Saudi Arabia’s human rights violations and the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.
- She has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration and advocated the impeachment of the President.
Who is Rashida Tlaib Married Too?
Rashida Tlaib was previously a married woman. She was married to Fayez Tlaib. They got married in 1998. The couple has two children together. They are Adam Tlaib and Yousif Tlaib. They got divorced in 2015.