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Afghan refugee and first hijab-wearing Muslim woman wins Australia Senate seat

By The South Asia Times

CANBERRA: Afghan refugee and the first hijab-wearing Muslim woman on Monday won the Senate seat in Australia.

According to the Election Commission, Fatima Payman has been elected the Senate member from the Western Australia.

“WE WON!!! I'm proud to announce that I've officially been elected as a Senator for Western Australia,” Fatima posted on her Facebook page.

“Thank you everyone for your love and support! We did it!,” she added.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese congratulated Fatima for her tremendous victory and called it “big news” for Australia.

Australians across the country sent congratulatory messages to Fatima over her victory and called this big day for their country.

“Many congratulations Fatima Payman - WA Labor for Senate. You’ve worked so hard for this and in doing so demonstrated your intelligence, compassion and strong commitment to Labor values of inclusion and justice. I can’t wait to watch you fly!,” Dr Katrina Stratton, member of parliament said.

“Senator elect Fatima Payman I am so proud of you & that you’re in our Labor team xx,” another Senator Sue Lines wrote on Facebook.

Fatima arrived as a refugee from Afghanistan with her parents and three siblings, before growing up in Perth's northern suburbs.

In her early years, her father worked around the clock as a kitchen hand, a security guard and a taxi driver. Her mother looked after the family before starting her own small business of providing driving lessons, according to SBS News,

Inspired by the hard work of her parents when she was younger, Ms Payman became an organiser for the United Workers Union and, after losing her dad to leukemia in 2018, decided she wanted to represent hard working Australians like him who strived to make ends meet, according to report.

She is passionate about breaking down barriers for women, young people and culturally diverse communities.