US voters are poised to elect two Muslim women to Congress in the midterm election next week, marking a historic first even as anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric has been on the rise.

Ilhan Omar, a Somali refugee, is all but certain to be elected to the US House of Representatives in a heavily-Democratic district in the Midwestern state of Minnesota, where she is the party's nominee.

Rashida Tlaib, a social worker born in Detroit to Palestinian immigrant parents, will win a House seat in a district where she is running unopposed.

The two will be the first Muslim women to serve in the US Congress. They will increase the total number of Muslims in Congress to three.

Congressman Andre Carson, who is Muslim and African American, is likely to win reelection in his safely-Democratic district in the state of Indiana.

The expected electoral milestone is in stark contrast to the rise in anti-Muslim sentiment around the country. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported a 21 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in the first six months of 2018.

Trump 'a wake-up call'

Both Tlaib and Omar have positioned themselves as polar opposites of President Donald Trump and his Republican Party.

They oppose Trump's restrictive immigration policies, support a universal health care system which Republicans oppose, and want to abolish US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE has conducted raids throughout the country, leaving immigrant communities terrified of deportations -- including longtime Iraqi refugees in Michigan.

"The election of Donald Trump was a wake-up call," Colin Christopher of the Islamic Society of North America told AFP.

"Now we're seeing communities that were once absent from public conversations... all of a sudden are really engaged."

The two women are part of a historically diverse crop of candidates -- by race, gender, and sexuality -- challenging Republican incumbents.

They reflect a Trump era in which race and women's rights and empowerment have emerged as flashpoint issues for Democrats, and identity politics are increasingly important.

Polls indicate next week's election will likely hand Democrats control of the lower house of Congress in a rebuke of Trump's administration. The Senate is seen as more likely to stay in Republican majority control.

Anti-Trump message

Tlaib was born and raised in Detroit -- the eldest of 14 children. In 2008, she became the first Muslim woman to serve in the Michigan state legislature.

The 42-year-old has positioned herself as a champion of the working class and strongly anti-Trump. During the 2016 presidential campaign, she heckled then-candidate Trump during a speech in Detroit. &nbsp;

Tlaib won the Democratic party's primary election in August in a predominantly African American district.

"Her district does not have many Muslims in it," said Dawud Walid, executive director of CAIR's Michigan chapter.

"I don't believe that her ethnic or religious identity has had much of a part to play in her victory nor any opposition against her."

Tlaib has been mindful of the historic nature of her candidacy. During her tearful primary election victory speech in August, with her mother by her side, she said relatives in the West Bank were watching her success.

"It just shows how incredibly wonderful our country can be," she said. "All the ugliness and the hatred that you hear out there, it's not who we are."

With no Republican opposing Tlaib, she will be elected next week to a two-year term to replace longtime Congressman John Conyers who stepped down in December amid sexual harassment allegations and failing health.

First Somali-American lawmaker

Ilhan Omar also has forged a progressive political identity. She supports free college education, housing for all, and criminal justice reform.

The hijab-wearing Minnesota state lawmaker's personal identity has played a big role in her campaign. She is the first Somali-American legislator in the US.

Omar fled her native country's civil war at the age of eight, and later immigrated with her family to the US. &nbsp;

She was inspired by politics early on, when accompanying her grandfather to his first election vote.

"I just fell in love with politics and with what it could do," she told Elle magazine in September.

"I decided to run because I was one of many people I knew who really wanted to demonstrate what representative democracies are supposed to be."

In 2016, the 36-year-old won an uncontested seat in the legislature of her Midwestern home state, where there is a sizable Somali population.

Running for a congressional seat in a heavily-Democratic district that includes the city of Minneapolis, she is expected to easily defeat her Republican challenger.

She would replace Keith Ellison, who was the first Muslim elected to Congress in 2006. He gave up his seat to run for the state's attorney general's office.

US voters are poised to elect two Muslim women to Congress in the midterm election next week, marking a historic first even as anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric has been on the rise.

US voters are poised to elect two Muslim women to Congress in the midterm election next week, marking a historic first even as anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric has been on the rise. Ilhan Omar, a Somali refugee, is all but certain to be elected to the US House of Representatives in a heavily-Democratic district in the Midwestern state of Minnesota, where she is the party's nominee. Rashida Tlaib, a social worker born in Detroit to Palestinian immigrant parents, will win a House seat in a district where she is running unopposed. The two will be the first Muslim women to serve in the US Congress. They will increase the total number of Muslims in Congress to three. Congressman Andre Carson, who is Muslim and African American, is likely to win reelection in his safely-Democratic district in the state of Indiana. The expected electoral milestone is in stark contrast to the rise in anti-Muslim sentiment around the country. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported a 21 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in the first six months of 2018. Trump 'a wake-up call' Both Tlaib and Omar have positioned themselves as polar opposites of President Donald Trump and his Republican Party. They oppose Trump's restrictive immigration policies, support a universal health care system which Republicans oppose, and want to abolish US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE has conducted raids throughout the country, leaving immigrant communities terrified of deportations -- including longtime Iraqi refugees in Michigan. "The election of Donald Trump was a wake-up call," Colin Christopher of the Islamic Society of North America told AFP. "Now we're seeing communities that were once absent from public conversations... all of a sudden are really engaged." The two women are part of a historically diverse crop of candidates -- by race, gender, and sexuality -- challenging Republican incumbents. They reflect a Trump era in which race and women's rights and empowerment have emerged as flashpoint issues for Democrats, and identity politics are increasingly important. Polls indicate next week's election will likely hand Democrats control of the lower house of Congress in a rebuke of Trump's administration. The Senate is seen as more likely to stay in Republican majority control. Anti-Trump message Tlaib was born and raised in Detroit -- the eldest of 14 children. In 2008, she became the first Muslim woman to serve in the Michigan state legislature. The 42-year-old has positioned herself as a champion of the working class and strongly anti-Trump. During the 2016 presidential campaign, she heckled then-candidate Trump during a speech in Detroit. Tlaib won the Democratic party's primary election in August in a predominantly African American district. "Her district does not have many Muslims in it," said Dawud Walid, executive director of CAIR's Michigan chapter. "I don't believe that her ethnic or religious identity has had much of a part to play in her victory nor any opposition against her." Tlaib has been mindful of the historic nature of her candidacy. During her tearful primary election victory speech in August, with her mother by her side, she said relatives in the West Bank were watching her success. "It just shows how incredibly wonderful our country can be," she said. "All the ugliness and the hatred that you hear out there, it's not who we are." With no Republican opposing Tlaib, she will be elected next week to a two-year term to replace longtime Congressman John Conyers who stepped down in December amid sexual harassment allegations and failing health. First Somali-American lawmaker Ilhan Omar also has forged a progressive political identity. She supports free college education, housing for all, and criminal justice reform. The hijab-wearing Minnesota state lawmaker's personal identity has played a big role in her campaign. She is the first Somali-American legislator in the US. Omar fled her native country's civil war at the age of eight, and later immigrated with her family to the US. She was inspired by politics early on, when accompanying her grandfather to his first election vote. "I just fell in love with politics and with what it could do," she told Elle magazine in September. "I decided to run because I was one of many people I knew who really wanted to demonstrate what representative democracies are supposed to be." In 2016, the 36-year-old won an uncontested seat in the legislature of her Midwestern home state, where there is a sizable Somali population. Running for a congressional seat in a heavily-Democratic district that includes the city of Minneapolis, she is expected to easily defeat her Republican challenger. She would replace Keith Ellison, who was the first Muslim elected to Congress in 2006. He gave up his seat to run for the state's attorney general's office.

US voters poised to elect 2 Muslim women to Congress in midterm elections

About two dozen rallies were planned across the United States on Saturday to denounce sharia law, the Islamic legal and moral code that organizers say poses a threat to American freedoms, but critics believe the condemnation masks anti-Muslim hatred.&nbsp;

ACT for America, a self-described grassroots organization focusing on national security, has scheduled protests in New York, Chicago, Boston, Denver and Seattle, as well as many smaller cities. Hundreds of people pledged on social media to attend.

At a rally on the steps of the Pennsylvania state capitol in Harrisburg, the atmosphere was tense.&nbsp;

Barricades and a heavy police presence, including officers mounted on horses, separated about 60 anti-sharia demonstrators from an equal number of counter-protesters, many dressed in black masks and hoods and chanting &quot;No&nbsp;Trump, no KKK, no Fascist USA.&quot;&nbsp;

More than a dozen men belonging to the anti-government Oath Keepers were on hand, invited by ACT to provide security. Most of them carried handguns.

Leann Koons, 35, of Ricketts Glen, Pennsylvania, said she came to the rally &quot;because I stand for women&#39;s and children&#39;s rights. I don&#39;t like how they treat women.&quot;

Chris Achey, 47, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, said he did not hate Muslims but believes that much of Islam is incompatible with Western culture.

&quot;The Constitution is the law of the land,&quot; he said. &quot;We have to be careful with who we let in the country.&quot;

The event ended without violence, and police said one counter-demonstrator was arrested.&nbsp;

On its website, ACT described sharia, which covers many aspects of Muslim life including religious obligations and financial dealings, as incompatible with human rights. It said sharia justifies the oppression of women and homosexuality, and advocates female genital mutilation.

But critics say the organisation vilifies Muslims and has repeatedly equated Islam with extremism. In their view, the rallies are part of a wave of anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment fueled by President Donald&nbsp;Trump, who called for a ban on Muslims entering the country during his election campaign.

Molly Freiburg, 33, of Philadelphia, was one of the counter-protesters but not part of the larger group clad in black.

&quot;America is not in danger from sharia law,&quot; she said. &quot;This manifestation at the Capitol is actually a way to make our Muslim neighbors feel uncomfortable.&quot;

A representative for ACT for America could not be reached for comment.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the country&#39;s largest Muslim advocacy group, urged Americans to participate in one of several local educational events being organized in &quot;a peaceful challenge to Saturday&#39;s hate rallies.&quot;&nbsp;

It also warned Muslims to take extra precautions against potential violence over the weekend.

Anti-Muslim incidents rose 57 per cent last year, including a 44 percent jump in anti-Islamic hate crimes, CAIR said in a report released in early May.

Oath Keepers said on its website that it was &quot;answering the call to defend free speech against those who would use terrorist violence or the threat of violence to shut it down.&quot;

The Southern Poverty Law Center says Oath Keepers is &quot;one of the largest radical antigovernment groups in the United States,&quot; organized around a &quot;set of baseless conspiracy theories.&quot;

Refuse Fascism, a coalition of activists advocating confrontational tactics to oppose what it calls the&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;&quot;regime,&quot; said it would show up at the rallies &quot;to counter the xenophobic hatred and lies, defy intimidation and drown it out.&rdquo;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

A self-described grassroots organization focusing on national security?scheduled protests in New York, Chicago, Boston, Denver and Seattle, as well as many smaller cities

About two dozen rallies were planned across the United States on Saturday to denounce sharia law, the Islamic legal and moral code that organizers say poses a threat to American freedoms, but critics believe the condemnation masks anti-Muslim hatred. ACT for America, a self-described grassroots organization focusing on national security, has scheduled protests in New York, Chicago, Boston, Denver and Seattle, as well as many smaller cities. Hundreds of people pledged on social media to attend. At a rally on the steps of the Pennsylvania state capitol in Harrisburg, the atmosphere was tense. Barricades and a heavy police presence, including officers mounted on horses, separated about 60 anti-sharia demonstrators from an equal number of counter-protesters, many dressed in black masks and hoods and chanting "No Trump, no KKK, no Fascist USA." More than a dozen men belonging to the anti-government Oath Keepers were on hand, invited by ACT to provide security. Most of them carried handguns. Leann Koons, 35, of Ricketts Glen, Pennsylvania, said she came to the rally "because I stand for women's and children's rights. I don't like how they treat women." Chris Achey, 47, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, said he did not hate Muslims but believes that much of Islam is incompatible with Western culture. "The Constitution is the law of the land," he said. "We have to be careful with who we let in the country." The event ended without violence, and police said one counter-demonstrator was arrested. On its website, ACT described sharia, which covers many aspects of Muslim life including religious obligations and financial dealings, as incompatible with human rights. It said sharia justifies the oppression of women and homosexuality, and advocates female genital mutilation. But critics say the organisation vilifies Muslims and has repeatedly equated Islam with extremism. In their view, the rallies are part of a wave of anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment fueled by President Donald Trump, who called for a ban on Muslims entering the country during his election campaign. Molly Freiburg, 33, of Philadelphia, was one of the counter-protesters but not part of the larger group clad in black. "America is not in danger from sharia law," she said. "This manifestation at the Capitol is actually a way to make our Muslim neighbors feel uncomfortable." A representative for ACT for America could not be reached for comment. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the country's largest Muslim advocacy group, urged Americans to participate in one of several local educational events being organized in "a peaceful challenge to Saturday's hate rallies." It also warned Muslims to take extra precautions against potential violence over the weekend. Anti-Muslim incidents rose 57 per cent last year, including a 44 percent jump in anti-Islamic hate crimes, CAIR said in a report released in early May. Oath Keepers said on its website that it was "answering the call to defend free speech against those who would use terrorist violence or the threat of violence to shut it down." The Southern Poverty Law Center says Oath Keepers is "one of the largest radical antigovernment groups in the United States," organized around a "set of baseless conspiracy theories." Refuse Fascism, a coalition of activists advocating confrontational tactics to oppose what it calls the Trump "regime," said it would show up at the rallies "to counter the xenophobic hatred and lies, defy intimidation and drown it out.”

Protesters rally against sharia law in dozens of US cities

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US voters poised to elect 2 Muslim women to Congress in midterm elections

Protesters rally against sharia law in dozens of US cities