Longtime District 1 Councilmember and practicing Muslim Fazlul Kabir has been sworn in as the new Mayor of College Park in a special election that concluded on May 6, 2023. The special election was held as a result of the resignation of the former Mayor Patrick Wojahn before his March arrest on child pornography charges. Fazlul’s victory was a landslide, having garnered nearly 20% more votes than his other three opponents combined. Kabir believes he will be the city’s first male immigrant mayor and the first Muslim mayor in the state of Maryland. Mr. Kabir had significant support from the Muslim community who volunteered to support his campaign.
Fazlul Kabir who was raised in Bangladesh is a regular attendee of the Darus Salaam community and his children attended Al Huda School. He is founder of the Hollywood Farmer’s Market. In a statement after his mayoral victory Fazlul Kabir offered the following, “Along the line, I am incredibly grateful to this country and my neighbors for your love, acceptance and support over the years and for allowing me to serve you. I wasn’t born in this country, I wasn’t raised in this country. I am an immigrant, I am a person of color, and I am a Muslim. Yet you all entrusted me with the biggest opportunity to serve you. By electing me, you have genuinely shown the best of College Park – a truly inclusive, diverse and welcoming community that can be a model for other communities in this country.â€
