Fauzia Janjua, a Pakistani-American woman, has been elected as the town mayor of New Jersey.
Fauzia, a native of Chakwal, Punjab, took the oath of her new responsibility on the Holy Quran in the Township Hall alongside her spouse and kids.
She is the first Muslim woman of Pakistani descent to be elected as a town mayor in New Jersey. During her address on the occasion, Fauzia expressed her delight in being elected.
"It is such a great honor to administer the oaths of office tonight in Mount Laurel," wrote Carol Murphy, a state representative from New Jersey, on X. Celebrating my close friends Mayor Fozia Janjua (the first South Asian and Muslim mayor in township history) and Deputy Mayor Nik Moustakas on this momentous occasion was incredibly special."
Fauzia's mother is from Lahore, and her father, Idris, is from Chakwal. Fauzia was born in the US, where her father immigrated in the 1970s. She added that she has chosen to perform community service and is teaching impoverished kids and inmates.
For the first time in 36 years, Democrats have won the mayoral race in the town since her election. The office of mayor was consistently held by a Republican representative before her election.