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Muslim-majority city in US names street after Bangladesh ex-PM Khaleda Zia, says BNP
The Hamtramck City Council has approved a proposal to rename “Carpenter Street” as “Khaleda Zia Street”. BNP confirmed the decision via its Facebook.
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.
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.
