As the daughter of a Palestinian Muslim immigrant and an American Jewish woman, 25 year-old Hannah Risheq feels her background is well suited for inclusive politics and thus is running for Virginia State Delegate of District 67.
Ms. Risheq, a self described progressive democrat, says she wants to challenge hate and stereotypes. “I want to make sure that Muslims and Jews are represented at every table and that our voices and concerns are heard.” As a child, Ms. Risheq’s parents practiced both Islam and Judaism, and taught her about other religions. “We would celebrate Passover with my mom and Ramadan/Eid with my dad… I think that my family shows that compromise can happen and if we work together we can achieve peace.”
The candidate says she is also part of a group called the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, describing it as “a network of Muslim and Jewish women who meet and talk about ways to work towards building bridges and fighting hate, negative stereotyping and prejudice.”
In the wake of the recent rise of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, Ms. Risheq declares that “the bottom line is, hate won’t win in America.”
