A street in Hamtramck, in the US state of Michigan, has been approved for a name change in honour of the late Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The Hamtramck City Council has approved a proposal to rename “Carpenter Street” as “Khaleda Zia Street”. The party confirmed the decision via its official Facebook page.
“A street named after the three-time former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson of Bangladesh, late country leader Begum Khaleda Zia, in Michigan, United States. Whose name is - "Khaleda Zia Street," the post in Bangla read.
According to a report by BD News 24, the designated area spans the section of Carpenter Street located between Joseph Campau and Conant Street.
The initiative was reportedly spearheaded by four Bangladeshi-origin councillors currently serving on the Hamtramck City Council.
According to the BNP Media Cell, this is not the first instance of a Bangladeshi leader being honoured on American soil. A street in Chicago was previously named after the late president Ziaur Rahman.
Khaleda Zia was a three-time former prime minister of Bangladesh. She passed away on December 30 while receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital in the national capital, Dhaka.
{{/usCountry}}Khaleda Zia was a three-time former prime minister of Bangladesh. She passed away on December 30 while receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital in the national capital, Dhaka.
{{/usCountry}}Zia was laid to rest with state honours the following day at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, beside the grave of her husband, Zia ur Rehman.
More about Hamtramck, USA’s first Muslim-majority city
Hamtramck is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, United States. It is an enclave within Detroit, the heart of America's automotive industry. The city is named after Jean Franois Hamtramck, a French-Canadian soldier who commanded Fort Shelby during the War of 1812.
According to the 2020 census, Hamtramck had a population of 28,433, making it the most densely populated municipality in the state.
Hamtramck's transition to the first Muslim-majority city in the US stemmed from waves of immigration beginning in the late 20th century, as its traditional Polish-American population declined amid Detroit's industrial downturn and suburban flight.
Hamtramck became a Muslim-majority city in 2013, and the city also had a Muslim-majority governing council in 2015. In 2022, Hamtramck became the first US city with an all-Muslim city council.
According to a report by the Detroit Free Press, Hamtramck has the highest percentage of immigrants in Michigan, the largest concentration of Bangladeshi immigrants in the state, and the second-highest percentage of Arab residents, after Dearborn.