HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-06-12 Euless Articles
“We’ve made history,” says first
Muslim ever elected to public office
in Euless
Published May 22, 2018
Salman Bhojani, right, with his family before the council meeting, was sworn in as a Euless council
member Tuesday night, May 22, 2018. Bhojani, criticized by opponents for being Muslim, won by a
close margin. pmoseley@star-telegram.com Paul Moseley
EULESS
Salman Bhojani, the first Muslim to be elected to public office in Euless, took the oath of
office Tuesday.
“We’ve made history,” Bhojani said. “I am the first minority and the first Muslim to be
elected.”
Bhojani said he is there to represent everyone in Euless, including those who did not
vote for him.
“I will make sure that I am worthy of their trust,” he said. “I am the first minority elected
in Euless. I have a lot of burdens on my shoulders to do things in the right way .”
State Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, conducted Bhojani’s swearing-in ceremony, and
presented the new council member with a gavel from Texas House Speaker Joe Straus
and Anchia. He also received a resolution from U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-
Dallas.
Anchia and Bhojani two became friends while practicing law at the Haynes and Boone
law firm. Anchia praised Bhojani as a good leader who is a parent, attorney and scout
leader.
“I too am the son of immigrants. We shared our experiences and bonded,” Anchia said.
“I think Euless is getting a man of very high character and a family man, a Boy Scout
leader and an entrepreneur. He embodies not only the values of this country but also of
this city. They are getting a great American.”
Bhojani defeated conservative candidate Molly Maddux in the Place 6 race by 37 votes
after a contentious campaign where Bhojani received harsh criticism from Rep.
Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, who wrote on his Facebook page that Bhojani is Muslim
and had a dangerous agenda. In his post, Stickland said that Bhojani is an attorney,
lifelong Democrat and someone who will raise taxes.
Bhojani said he is eager to put the campaign behind him and work hard to get things
done as a positive role model.
He added that Tuesday’s swearing-in was about American values “It was not about faith,
it was not about where I came from,” he said. “We are forgetting what those American
values are. We are really becoming more intolerant.
“Most Americans are immigrants. If you go down we all immigrated from Europe and
other places in the world. We have to be accepting of one another. There are positive
things about diversity and if you are united with diversity, you can use it a positive
force.”
Salman Bhojani, before the council meeting, was sworn in as a Euless council member Tuesday night,
May 22, 2018. Bhojani, criticized by opponents for being Muslim, won by a close
margin. pmoseley@star-telegram.com Paul Moseley
Bhojani, 38, at attorney who immigrated from Pakistan in 1999, started out mopping
gas station floors before owning two stores while in law school. He has served on the
city’s park board for four years.
According to U.S. Census figures, 33 percent of the population in Euless is non-white.
Published June 1, 2018
When Islamophobia Backfires
While Muslim-bashing is relatively common in Texas and
other red states, two recent incidents from North Texas show
that it’s not always political gold.
Salman Bhojani at his swearing-in. SOHAIL ABBAS/SAM MEDIA SOLUTION
In Texas, Islamophobia has been a ticket to political success for some. Irving Mayor Beth Van
Duyne was appointed to a position in the Trump administration after gaining national notoriety by
fueling fears of creeping Sharia law in her Dallas suburb. Congressman Louie Gohmert, a Tyler
Republican now running for his eighth term, has raised anti-Muslim paranoia to new heights,
warning about “terror babies” and claiming that “radical Islamists” are being trained to “act like
Hispanic[s]” to cross the border.
But two recent incidents in the North Texas cities of Euless and Plano show that, even in Trump’s
America, Islamophobia can backfire under the right circumstances. In communities with growing,
diverse populations, coalitions that work across religious and ethnic lines and organize on social
media are more likely to mobilize pushback against Islamophobia.
That’s what seems to have happened last month, when Pakistani-born attorney Salman Bhojani
became the first Muslim elected to the city council in Euless, a Fort Worth suburb of 50,000. But
a right-wing opponent’s attempt to make his religion a wedge issue is what drew national attention
to the race.
“EULESS RESIDENTS BEWARE,” state Representative Jonathan Stickland, R-
Bedford, warned on Facebook two weeks before the election, endorsing Bhojani’s opponent.
Calling Bhojani “a Muslim, a lawyer, and a lifelong Democrat,” Stickland said it was “thanks to”
Bhojani that “the Koran was read for the first time at a city council meeting” — as if that were
subversive. (In fact, it was apple-pie American: The Muslim Boy Scout troop that Bhojani
leads presented the American flag and recited verses about respecting other faiths.)
Bhojani is the first Muslim to be elected elected to the city council in Euless. SOHAIL
ABBAS/SAM MEDIA SOLUTION
News of Stickland’s comments spread quickly in the local media, as well as
on Facebook and Twitter. Not only were Muslims outraged, but so were Jewish and Christian
clergy, who condemned “attacks on [Bhojani’s] faith and ethnicity.” In the end, Bhojani squeaked
past his opponent, Molly Maddux, by 37 votes.
Key to Bhojani’s win was his ability to reach across ethnic and religious lines in a city that is
majority white, but where 1 in 5 residents are foreign-born, mostly from Asia and Africa, which
account for most Muslims worldwide.
Unsurprisingly, Islamophobia is more prevalent among people who have little or no contact with
Muslims.
How did Stickland’s comments affect the race? “It’s hard to say,” Bhojani told the Observer. “I’m
sure they turned out some votes for my opponent. I also know they got me some votes; voters told
me as much. What’s certain is that they earned Representative Stickland a lot of bad press. On the
positive side, they also helped unite people … in opposition to religious bigotry.”
Similar dynamics are playing out in Plano, a half-hour east of Euless. While the Dallas suburb is
also majority white, more than a quarter of its 286,000 residents are foreign born, mostly from
Asia.
Islamophobia is “a relatively new word for a much older concept in American politics —
fear of the other.”
As in Euless, the Plano story starts with a Facebook post. “Share if you think Trump should ban
Islam in American schools,” read the post that Plano city council member Tom Harrison shared in
February. The accompanying video showed female students wearing headscarves.
After learning that the 73-year-old Harrison had shared other inflammatory posts (one read: “In
the 19th century, all slaveholders were Democrats. In the 21st century, all slaveholders are
Muslims. Their allies are Democrats”), his fellow council members called for his resignation and
voted to censure him. Harrison refused to step down, but did issue an online apology saying the
February post “was not meant as a personal attack against the Islamic faith.”
Unpersuaded, a grassroots group called #OurPlanoOnePlano, connecting via a private Facebook
group, organized a petition drive to force a recall election. One organizer, attorney Ann Bacchus,
told the Observer that more than 200 volunteers collected nearly 4,500 signatures — well beyond
the nearly 2,800 required. The city council voted on April 9 to hold a recall election, the first in
Plano’s history, this November.
A group picture at a #OurPlanoOnePlano meeting. COURTESY/ANN BACCHUS
At a #OurPlanoOnePlano meeting in late April, I met a diverse group that included Hindus and
Christians, as well as Muslims. Subir Purkayastha, a Hindu and naturalized U.S. citizen, said he
joined the recall effort because “a politically motivated attack on one religion is an attack on all
religions.”
Harrison has insisted that he’s not xenophobic. His spokesperson, Allan Samara, told
the Observer that “numerous Plano Muslims … have extended a hand of friendship” to Harrison.
Samara also said that the council member isn’t sure how the offensive posts appeared on his
Facebook timeline and that it was possibly inadvertent. Whatever Harrison did or didn’t do, the
fact that he claims Muslim support as a defense signals the growing influence of the city’s
immigrant community.
Islamophobia is “a relatively new word … for a much older concept in American politics — fear
of the other,” said Texas Christian University political scientist Emily Farris. And despite the
positive news from Euless and Plano, Islamophobia still thrives in Texas, particularly in rural
swaths with minimal religious and ethnic diversity.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has often shared anti-Muslim posts. Six-term state
Representative Dan Flynn, R-Canton, told constituents in 2014 that the British Parliament had
given “Sharia principles” a place in British law; he also warned that America’s “Judeo Christian
heritage … is under attack.”
There doesn’t seem to be a black-and-white answer to why Muslim-bashing is politically effective
in some places and times and a liability in others. But demographics offer some clues. Muslims
accounted for less than 2 percent of Texas’ 2010 population, and they’re concentrated in urban
areas: two-thirds live in Greater Houston or the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Outside the major cities,
Islamophobic politicians have little to fear from alienating Muslims — and potentially much to
gain by playing to anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiments in the Republican base.
“People are watching and paying more attention for racist posts and comments. People of all
faiths have shown that they are determined to fight Islamophobes.”
In Dallas-Fort Worth, on the other hand, the Muslim population more than tripledbetween 2000
and 2010. Mosques — 73 in the DFW area — dot the cityscape, and it’s not unusual to see women
wearing the hijab. That doesn’t mean that DFW is free of Islamophobia, of course, even in some
multicultural communities. State Representative Jeff Leach, R-Plano, co-authored the anti-
Sharia House Bill 45 last year, which drew vigorous criticism from the Muslim community.
But in typically low-turnout local elections, energized voters who rally around victims of religious
attacks could be decisive. That happened in Irving’s 2016 city council elections, when anger over
Van Duyne’s anti-Sharia campaign triggered a strong pro-Muslim showing at the polls.
Further, Bhojani and #OurPlanoOnePlano succeeded by reaching across religious and ethnic lines
— in part by connecting through social media. That may reflect a broader trend. “[B]ecause of
the threat from Trump and … the GOP-controlled Legislature, minorities are working much more
closely together on so many issues,” said Aftab Siddiqui, a Democratic activist and president of
the Dallas Peace & Justice Center.
“People are watching and paying more attention for … racist posts and comments,” said Euless
Democratic Party committee member M. Emad Salem. “People of all faiths have shown that they
are determined to fight Islamophobes.”
That’s certainly true in Plano and Euless. If local governments, not just states, are the laboratories
of democracy, the preliminary lab results from these two Texas suburbs look promising.
Published Thursday, June 7, 2018
Euless' first Muslim council member says goal wasn't to win, but
to show that anyone can run for office
Salman Bhojani considers his May victory for a Euless City Council seat a miracle.
The 38-year-old lawyer, who ran unsuccessfully for council last year, said this time around was
even tougher.
Weeks before the May 5 election, Republican state Rep. Jonathan Stickland of Bedford published
several Facebook posts describing Bhojani as "a dangerous man" and "a Muslim, lawyer and
lifelong Democrat who supports raising your taxes."
Bhojani, the first Muslim elected to public office in Euless, said the days that followed were a
struggle.
Some voters asked if he planned to bring Shariah law into Euless. Others said they refused to vote
for him because he didn't eat pork. And some called his wife, Nima, a terrorist and other names at
a polling location.
Some of the name-calling and cynicism took place in front of the couple's 9-year-old daughter and
12-year-old son, he said.
"There were so many odds against us," Bhojani said. "To my knowledge, I don't know anyone who
not only had to run against their opponent but also against your own state representative. It is truly
a story of David versus Goliath. How do you even fight that fight?"
But Bhojani said those challenges gave him a new outlook on why he wanted to win the Place 6
seat in the city of 55,000 residents.
"I don’t think success was to win. It was a goal to win," he said. "Success was displaying our
values and telling people that Muslims can be contributing citizens of America, and they are good
people as well. They are people who care about America."
State Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, presented Salman Bhojani a gavel after Bhojani's swearing-in
ceremony last month.
On May 22, state Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, swore in Bhojani and presented him with a gavel
from Texas House Speaker Joe Straus and himself. Bhojani also received a special congratulatory
message from U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas.
Anchia said that he and Bhojani became friends while both worked for the Haynes and Boone
law firm nearly five years ago and that Bhojani invited him to conduct the swearing-in.
"I'm really proud of the people of Euless for this outcome," Anchia said. "He's just a terrific guy."
Bhojani's mother, Yasmin Bhojani, and father, Abdul Sultan Bhojani, also were there to witness
the swearing-in. His father said he was hesitant about Bhojani's plans to run for office because
politicians usually are viewed negatively back home in Pakistan.
But after seeing his son campaign, he decided his son could make a big impact in Euless, he said.
"I'm very proud of him," he said, smiling. "I feel like I'm on seventh heaven."
Hani Elhassan of Euless, who also attended the ceremony, said he was happy to see more
diversity among the city's representatives.
"These are the type of people that we need to get on the City Council," said Elhassan, who voted
for Bhojani.
Bhojani recites the pledge of allegiance before his swearing-in.
Mopping floors to elected office
Bhojani moved to North Texas with his family after finishing his health and sciences degree in
Montreal. He abandoned his plan to go into medicine after finding he didn't have the stomach for
it.
Because finances were tight at home, he said, he began working long shifts cleaning gas stations.
"Even when I was getting married — after my court marriage — I went in and did a 12-hour shift
at the gas station," Bhojani said.
The couple eventually bought four gas stations but decided to pursue a different path after their
son was born.
"When my son was about 2 years old, I thought about what if he got up one day and asked me,
'Dad, we don't consume alcohol or cigarettes, so why are we selling that?'" he said.
A friend advised him to pursue a law career, which later led him to Anchia, who four years ago
planted the idea of running for office, Bhojani said. He said he saw running for City Council as a
way to give back to his community — a teaching that is at the core of his Ismaili Muslim faith.
"We are encouraged by the Aga Khan, our spiritual leader, to do a lot of community service inside
the community as well as outside of the community," he said. "We're encouraged to build bridges
with other communities."
As a council member, Bhojani said he wants to engage Euless residents and connect them with the
city services they need.
"I want more people to come in and use these services because they're the ones who are paying for
it," he said. "If I can get more participation from them, then it would be a win-win for everybody."
Bhojani is sworn into the Euless City Council's Place 6 seat.
Faith and family
Bhojani credits his faith for getting him through his campaign. He said Stickland's comments left
his campaign with a lack of morale, so he decided to meditate to help him overcome the
stress. That was when he decided to ignore any negativity and instead highlight the positive things
that diversity can bring to Euless.
"When you really take in deep breaths and get more oxygen to your brain, you relax and you
think about what’s at your core," Bhojani said. "It wasn't negativity. ... It was about the whole
journey."
He credits his wife for encouraging him to move forward during the most difficult times. Nima
Bhojani admits it wasn't easy to face negative comments from opponents online and in person, but
she said her husband's supporters gave them the strength they needed.
"The toughest thing was to face the people who showed hatred. I asked myself, 'Are these my
neighbors? Are their kids the ones my kids play with?'" she said. "But there are a lot of good people
out there, too."
Bhojani's father-in-law, Pyarali Merchant, gave him a hug at last month's ceremony.
She also was concerned that her children were being exposed to negative remarks about their
father. "I asked [her husband], ‘Why do you have to do this? My kids are listening to this,'" she
said. "My son would come from school, and he would check the newspaper and Facebook. He
would see what people were commenting. He is 12, almost 13, so he is aware of everything."
Nima Bhojani said she's hopeful the community will be more accepting now that her husband is
on the council, but she's concerned that peace will be disrupted if her husband decides to run again
in three years. But he isn't worried about that now.
"We will fight that battle when we get there," he said to her, smiling.
Published June 9, 2018 at 4:17 pm
Euless Police Warn Of Suspicious Person
At Park
EULESS (CBSDFW.COM) – Euless police are warning the community of a suspicious person
involved in four incidents at a park.
Police say they have responded to four incidents of “offensive contact” involving a man at Bob
Eden Park over the last two weeks. The area is near Midcities and North Industrial.
Police describe the person as a white male between 25 and 35 years old and about six-feet tall
with a slender build. He has very short black hair and a medium-growth beard. He has been seen
wearing construction boots and long-sleeved hoodies. His vehicle is described as a newer-model
white pickup truck.
Police reminded the people who visit the park to be aware of their surroundings and to walk with
a friend if possible. Anyone who witnesses suspicious behavior is asked to call 911.
in construction
Hwy Limits Type of Work
Estimate
(millions)
FM 1709 Stonebridge Ln to US 377 Pavement overlay & repairs $3.7
FM 920 & SH 114 Various locations, Wise County Pavement overlay & repairs $8.3
PROJECTED PROJECTS
statistics
$680 M Total
Let To Date
$867 M PROPOSED LETTING
FY 2018
CONSTRUCTION*
TOTAL CONTRACTS $4.4 B
*includes CDAs
50%
Average
Project
Completion
update
Hwy Limits Type of Work
Estimate
(millions)
Bid
(millions)
Over/
Underrun
(%)
FM 3136 FM 4 to County Rd 316, Johnson County Add shoulders $5.8 $5.8 -0.4
I-35W At FM 917, Johnson County Safety lighting $0.5 $0.5 -13.1
FM 3391 I-35W to east of Burleson, Johnson County Pavement overlay & repairs $2.2 $2.1 -3.5
I-35W County Rd 604 to the Tarrant County Line
Johnson County Pavement overlay & repairs $10.3 $10.3 -0.2
FM 1884 At B B Fielder Rd, Parker County Traffic signal $0.1 $0.1 -3.1
FM 5 I-20 to FM 1187, Parker County Pavement overlay & repairs $5.5 $5.0 -9.5
Burleson
Retta Rd At Village Creek Bridge replacement $2.5 $2.4 -4.6
SH 26 I-820 to Bedford Euless Rd Landscaping $3.0 $3.0 -2.4
SH 180 Tierney Rd to Louise St Pavement overlay & repairs $7.2 $5.8 -19.3 MAYAWARDED PROJECTS JUNO n May 22, TxDOT held a public meeting in
Euless for a $28 million project to ease
congestion on SH 121 between the North
Tarrant Express and the DFW Connector.
The new shoulder-widening project will
better accommodate periods of heavy
traffic on SH 121 from SH 183 to Glade
Road. Widened inside shoulders for both
north and southbound SH 121 will be
designed to act as additional lanes
during peak-use periods.
The new peak-use lanes will be
managed by TxDOT’s TransVISION
Center similar to the system in use on
SH 161. The peak-use lanes were added on SH 161 to
connect with the President George Bush Turnpike
(PGBT) to improve mobility on that corridor.
The SH 121 peak-use lanes will relieve mainlane con-
gestion and enhance safety and mobility by relieving the
bottleneck between the DFW Connector and North
Tarrant Express.
Overhead dynamic message signs will alert drivers
when they can use the peak-use lanes.
The lanes would continue to act as a
shoulder during non-peak hours.
The proposed three-mile project would
include widening overpass bridges at
Harwood Road, Cummings Drive, Cheek-
Sparger Road, and Farm to Market Road
157.
Construction activities associated with the
proposed project will occur within the
existing right of way and no new right-of-way easements
will be required.
The project is estimated to be awarded to a contractor
this fall.
Future SH 121 Widening Peak-Use Lanes on SH 161
JUNE 2018