Charles Bilal

Charles Bilal was mayor of Kountze, Texas. He is notable for being the first Muslim in America to be elected as an American Muslim to a US municipality.^[1][2]

Bilal lives in Kountze, Texas where he was elected as the first Muslim Mayor of a US municipality. Mr. Bilal is a motivational speaker and has had invitations to Saudi Arabia, sponsored by the Royal Embassy of Saudia Arabia. In 1994 Mayor Bilal participated on political council on how American Muslims can be elected to political offices.

He was the first US Mayor to receive an official invitation from the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia via Amanah Magazine owner, Lukman Umar. As result of this invitation Mayor Bilal visited Indonesia and spoke to audiences on the importance of American Muslim elections to the political arena. His ten day visit in Indonesia in 1993 was welcomed by thousands of individuals who were honored to have him as a guest to their country.

Accomplishments

A few of his accomplishments include:

Appointment as member of the World Council of Mayors by the Hon. Mayor Johnny Ford, Tuskegee, Alabama. Mayor Ford was the founder of the National Conference of Black Mayors in Washington, D.C. on April 28, 1994.

In 1994, Mayor Bilal arranged the visit by Muhammad Ali's (the Boxing champion) to Kountze, Texas, initiating funding for a youth center.

Mr. Bilal was a sponsor at the DeQuincy Louisiana State Prison giving motivational lectures to the Muslim community within the institution, 1970-1993.

Interviews

Mr. Bilal's many personal interviews include:

• CNN
• New York Times
• Chicago Tribune
• Houston Chronicle
• Mainichi Daily News: Japanese News Agency interviewed Mr. Bilal in New York City.

References

1. ^ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=VP&p_theme=vp&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAFF61BB571F9F8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
2. ^ http://www.america.gov/media/pdf/books/being-muslim-in-america.pdf

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Name	Bilal, Charles
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