Saba Ahmed

{{Infobox person

| name = Saba Ahmed

| image = Saba Ahmed.png

| birth_date = January 11, 1985

| birth_place = Rawalpindi, Pakistan

| nationality = Pakistani American

| citizenship = Pakistan
United States

| education = Portland State University (BS)
University of Portland (JD)

| occupation = President of the Republican Muslim Coalition

| party = Republican

| movement = Conservatism

}}

Saba Ahmed (born January 11, 1985){{Cite web|url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/134561/saba-ahmed|title = The Voter's Self Defense System}} is a Pakistani-American political activist, lawyer, and engineer. She is the founder and president of the Republican Muslim Coalition,{{cite news |title=I am Muslim and Republican – and was attacked by people in my party |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/04/muslim-republican-attacked-heritage |accessdate=June 16, 2018 |work=The Guardian |date=July 4, 2014}} former lawyer at the United States Patent and Trademark Office,{{cite news |title=Who Is Saba Ahmed? Muslim Republican Wearing American Flag Hijab Spars With Trump Spokesperson On Fox News |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/who-saba-ahmed-muslim-republican-wearing-american-flag-hijab-spars-trump-spokesperson-2190163 |accessdate=June 16, 2018 |work=International Business Times |date=November 18, 2015}} and former engineer at Intel. She has urged Muslim Americans to vote Republican.{{cite news |title=Saba Ahmed: Urging US Muslims to vote Republican |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/02/saba-ahmed-urging-muslims-vote-republican-160223122816776.html |accessdate=June 16, 2018 |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=February 5, 2016}} She supports Donald Trump,{{cite news |title=Republican Muslim Leader Wants Trump To Address Religious Prejudice |publisher=National Public Radio|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/02/28/517657397/republican-muslim-leader-wants-trump-to-address-religious-prejudice |accessdate=June 16, 2018 |date=February 28, 2017}} but has said she is "deeply hurt by [his] ignorant views of Islam."

File:RMC - USA.png

Biography

Ahmed was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, moved to America when she was 12, and then grew up in Oregon.

She came to public attention as a friend of the family of Mohamed Osman Mohamud, convicted for his attempt to bomb a Christmas tree lighting in Portland, Oregon. Ahmed was interviewed by the press.{{cite news |last1=Mapes |first1=Jeff |title=Saba Ahmed's unusual race for an Oregon congressional seat |url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/mapesonpolitics/2011/08/saba_ahmeds_unusual_race_for_a.html |accessdate=June 16, 2018 |publisher=The Oregonian |date=August 19, 2011}} She posited that he may have been "framed."{{cite news |last1=Freedman |first1=Samuel G. |title=A Republican Muslim Out to Expand the Ranks |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/09/us/a-republican-muslim-out-to-expand-the-ranks.html |accessdate=June 17, 2018 |work=The New York Times |date=January 8, 2016}}{{cite news |last1=Theriault |first1=Denis |title=No One Was Going to Die |publisher=Portland Mercury |date=December 2, 2010|id={{ProQuest|845512930}} }}

In January 2011, she was in the local news because her family said she was missing, but she was actually safe in California.{{cite news |last1=Woolington |first1=Rebecca |title=Missing Beaverton woman found safe in California hotel |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/beaverton/index.ssf/2011/01/missing_beaverton_woman_safely_located_in_california_hotel.html |accessdate=July 5, 2018 |publisher=The Oregonian |date=January 20, 2011}} At that time her family claimed she was diagnosed with a mental disorder, but Ahmed has denied that. In 2011, she ran for U.S. Congress as a Democrat.

In 2014, she published an essay in The Guardian, explaining that she had become a Republican in 2014 because she believes her Islamic pro-life, pro-traditional family, pro-business, pro-trade values are aligned with GOP. In June 2014, at a panel hosted by The Heritage Foundation on the Benghazi attacks, activist Brigitte Gabriel taunted her after asking about their portrayal of all Muslims as bad.{{cite news |date=June 19, 2014 |title=Heritage event attendee describes 'a hostile, unfriendly environment' |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2014/06/19/heritage-event-attendee-describes-a-hostile-unfriendly-environment/ |accessdate=June 16, 2018}}{{cite news |last1=Milbank |first1=Dana |title=Dana Milbank: Heritage's ugly Benghazi panel |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-heritages-ugly-benghazi-panel/2014/06/16/b8bd423c-f5a3-11e3-a606-946fd632f9f1_story.html |accessdate=July 5, 2018 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 16, 2014}} In 2015, she made headlines for wearing an American flag hijab on Fox News. She was discussing Trump's comment that he would consider shutting down certain radical mosques after a series of terrorist attacks in Paris. She invited Trump to go to a mosque.{{cite news |title=Can Anyone Explain Why Saba Ahmed is Wearing That? |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/lester-charlie/can-anyone-explain-why-sa_b_8591678.html |accessdate=June 17, 2018 |publisher=Huffington Post |date=November 18, 2015}}{{cite news |last1=Amatulli |first1=Jenna |title=Total Badass Goes On Fox News In Patriotic Hijab |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/saba-ahmed-fox-news-hijab_us_564ca031e4b06037734bdfe2 |accessdate=June 17, 2018 |publisher=Huffington Post |date=November 18, 2015}}{{cite news |last1=Nguyen |first1=Tina |title=Why These Muslim Republicans Aren't Worried About Trump |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/12/muslim-republicans-donald-trump-ban |accessdate=June 17, 2018 |publisher=Vanity Fair |date=December 11, 2015}}{{cite news |last1=Canal |first1=Emily |title=Saba Ahmed's American Flag Hijab Is A $10 Scarf Sold In Times Square |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilycanal/2015/11/19/saba-ahmeds-american-flag-hijab-is-a-10-scarf-sold-in-times-square/#3d8e75b4214e |accessdate=July 5, 2018 |work=Forbes |date=November 19, 2015}}{{cite news |last1=Nigh |first1=Ben |last2=Shamsian |first2=Jacob |title=This Muslim woman is a proud Republican — and she thinks Trump will come around on Islam |url=http://newbostonpost.com/2015/11/30/muslim-republican-saba-ahmed-works-to-build-bridges/ |accessdate=July 5, 2018 |publisher=Business Insider |date=December 5, 2015}}{{cite news |last1=Bettis |first1=Kara |title=Muslim Republican Saba Ahmed works to build bridges |url=http://newbostonpost.com/2015/11/30/muslim-republican-saba-ahmed-works-to-build-bridges/ |accessdate=July 5, 2018 |publisher=New Boston Post |date=November 30, 2015}}{{cite news |last1=Goldmacher |first1=Shane |title=Republican Muslim Coalition founder to Trump: Come to a mosque with me |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2015/12/republican-muslim-trump-mosque-216665 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180705150052/https://www.politico.com/story/2015/12/republican-muslim-trump-mosque-216665 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 5, 2018 |accessdate=July 5, 2018 |publisher=Politico |date=December 11, 2015}}{{cite news |last1=Mak |first1=Tim |title=Republican Muslims Hope the GOP Hate Away |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/republican-muslims-hope-the-gop-hate-away |accessdate=July 5, 2018 |publisher=The Daily Beast |date=November 25, 2015}}