Tag Archives: Ghazala Hashmi – PhD

Meet Ghazala Hashmi: Daughter of AMU Alumnus is New Virginia Lt Governor

November 6, 2025Amazing Feats, Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World OpinionAzhar Rafiq, Dr. Ghazala Hashmi, Dr. Zia Hashmi, Female Muslims of Hyderabad, Female Muslims of Telangana, Ghazal Hashmi - Lt Governor - New Virginia, Ghazal Hashmi - University of Richmond, Ghazala Hashmi, Ghazala Hashmi - Director - Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning - Reynolds Community College - Richmond, Ghazala Hashmi - First Indian-American Woman in Virginia State Senate - USA, Ghazala Hashmi - First Muslim American in Virginia State Senate - USA, Ghazala Hashmi - First Muslim and First South Asian American - Lieutenant Governor of Virginia - USA, Ghazala Hashmi - PhD, Ghazala Hashmi - Reynolds Community College, Indian American Ghazala Hashmi, Indian Muslims, Muslim Women of India, Muslim Women of Telangana, Muslims of Hyderabad, Muslims of India, Muslims of India - Positive News, Muslims of Telanagana, Muslims of Telangana, Noor Rafiq, Noor Rafiq - Chesterfield County Public School, Noor Rafiq - University of Virginia, Positive News of Indian Muslims, Positive News of Indian Muslims of American Origin, Positive News of Muslims of Hyderabad, Positive News of Muslims of India, Positive Stories of Indian Muslims, Positive Stories of Muslims of India, Prof Zia Hashmi, Prof Zia Hashmi - Aligarh Muslim University, Tanveer Hashmi, Tanveer Hashmi - Osmania University's Women's College, Yasmin Rafiq, Yasmin Rafiq - Chesterfield County Public School, Yasmin Rafiq - University of Virginia, Zia Hashmimpositiveone@gmail.com

Hyderabad, TELANGANA / New Virginia, U.SA :

Indian-American Ghazala Hashmi, who is closely linked with the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), has won the Virginia Lieutenant Governor 2025 Election result of which was declared on Monday.

Virginia:

A Democrat Party candidate, Ghazala Hashmi, defeated Republican candidate and the state’s first gay statewide nominee, John Reid, to become first Muslim and first South Asian American elected as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, a Republican stronghold.

Ghazala Hashmi polled over 55% votes as against her nearest rival John Reid who got the support of around 44.7% voters. Hashmi had earlier defeated five primary challengers in June, narrowly winning the nomination with 28% of the vote, as per the final result of the Virginia Lieutenant Governor Election 2025.

Ghazala Hashmi was the first Muslim woman to be elected to the Virginia State Senate following her stunning victory over sitting Republican Senator Republican Glen Sturtevant in the 2019 U.S. elections.

Ghazala Hashmi was born in India and emigrated to the US as a child with her family. She is also a former director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning at Reynolds Community College.

Ghazala Hashmi’s AMU Link

Ghazala Hashmi was born to Zia Hashmi and Tanveer Hashmi in Hyderabad in 1964. She spent her childhood days at her maternal grandparents’ house in Malakpet, Telangana.

She migrated to the United States with her mother and older brother as a 4-year-old child to join her father in Georgia.

Ghazala Hashmi’s mother, Tanveer Hashmi, is an alumna of Osmania University’s Women’s College in Kothi from where she did BA and B.Ed before migrating to the United States.

Ghazala’s father Professor Zia Hashmi is the alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) from where he did MA and LLB. He completed his PhD in International Relations from University of South Carolina and soon after began his university teaching career. He retired as the Director of Centre for International Studies which he founded.

Ghazala Hashmi is married to Azhar Rafiq. The couple have two adult daughters – Yasmin and Noor – who both graduated from Chesterfield County Public Schools and the University of Virginia.

According to information available on her official website, Ghazala Hashmi is an experienced educator and an advocate of inclusive values and social justice. Her legislative priorities focus on public education, voting rights and the preservation of democracy, reproductive freedom, gun violence prevention, environmental protection, housing, and affordable healthcare access.

Hashmi spent nearly 30 years as a professor, first teaching at the University of Richmond and then at Reynolds Community College. At Reynolds Community College, Hashmi also served as the Founding Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL).

Former Minister, MLA and BRS leader KT Ramarao has congratulated Ghazala Hashmi on her victory.

“This is massive! From Malakpet to Virginia… Congratulations to Ghazala Hashmi on becoming the first Indian-American Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. There is nothing more beautiful when democracies celebrate diversity of the world”. KTR wrote on X.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> United States / by ummid.com news network / November 05th, 2025

First Muslim woman in Virginia Senate from teaching family

December 7, 2019Community Involvement / Social Issues, NRI's / PIO'sAzhar Rafeeq, Azhar Rafeeq - Associate Professor - School of Medicine - Virginia Commonwealth University, Dr. Ghazala Hashmi, Dr. Sara Ali Khan, Dr. Sohail Hashmi, Dr. Zia Hashmi, First Muslim Woman in Virginia State Senate - USA, Ghazala Hashmi, Ghazala Hashmi - Director - Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning - Reynolds Community College - Richmond, Ghazala Hashmi - First Indian-American Woman in Virginia State Senate - USA, Ghazala Hashmi - First Muslim American in Virginia State Senate - USA, Ghazala Hashmi - PhD, Sohail Hashmi, Sohail Hashmi PhD, Tanveer Hashmi, Zia Hashmi, Zia Hashmi - Director - Centre for International Studies - University of South Carolina, Zia Hashmi PhDmpositiveone@gmail.com

Hyderabad, TELANGANA / Virginia, U.S.A :

Hyderabad:

Ghazala Hashmi, who made history by becoming first Muslim woman to be elected to Virginia State Senate, hails from a family of educationists in Hyderabad.

Migrating to the United States with her family when she was just four, the Indian-American scored a stunning victory over sitting Republican Senator Glen Sturtevant.

The 55-year-old, a Democrat, was elected from Virginia’s 10th Senate District to become the first Muslim-American woman to serve in the State Senate.

A former literature professor and former director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning at Reynolds Community College, Richmond, she served as an educator for more than two decades.

Hashmi dedicated her win to her supporters with a tweet saying it belonged to all those who believed in the need for “progressive change in Virginia”.

“This victory, is not mine alone. It belongs to all of you who believed that we needed to make progressive change here in Virginia, for all of you who felt that you haven’t had a voice and believed in me to be yours in the General Assembly,” she tweeted.

In another tweet, she also admired the state’s willingness to make the change. “Today we sent a message that the status quo is no longer accepted,” wrote Hashmi, whose campaign focused on education, healthcare, gun violence prevention and environmental protection.

Hashmi was born in 1964 in a highly-educated family. Her parents Zia Hashmi and Tanveer Hashmi obtained higher education degrees from reputed institutions.

Zia Hashmi did MA and LLB from Aligarh Muslim University, where he was also the president of Student Union in early 1950s. Tanveer Hashmi is an alumnus of Osmania University’s Kothi Women’s College. She did BA and B.Ed.

Zia Hashmi later did PhD in International Relations from University of South Carolina. He retired as the Director of Centre for International Studies at the same university.

According to Ghazala Hashmi’s relatives, she was a bright student right from her school days. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern University and a PhD from Emory University in Atlanta.

Her elder brother Dr Sohail Hashmi, who did PhD in International Relations from Harvard University is a Professor at Massachusetts while younger sister Dr. Saira Ali Khan is a physician based in Florida.

Hashmi shifted to Virginia in early 1990s with her husband Azhar Rafeeq, who is Associate Professor in School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University.

The couple has two daughters. Elder one, Yasmin, who has done Masters in Public Health Administration, is working in Washington while Noor is doing Engineering.

source: http://www.mangalorean.com / Mangalorean.com / Home> Agency News / by IANS / November 08th, 2019