Riaz Khan is of man of great courage, conviction, and principle. I have known Riaz for years, since we were both candidates for city council in our respective cities in 2019. Even back then, I was greatly impressed by Riaz’s activism on behalf of the community in Mukilteo, including advocating for the building of the mosque. The Islamic Center of Mukilteo (ICOM) has taken many years of work behind the scenes and faced some public opposition.
Now Riaz is a founding board member of the Asian Service Center and helps do incredible community outreach to the entire immigrant population locally, including Ukrainian war refugees.
Earlier this year, in response to extreme anti-police positions being adopted by certain members of the Washington State Democratic Party, Riaz was brave enough to sign on to a letter that we cowrote with another local BIPOC city council member. Many Democrats in elected positions told me that they privately agreed with the contents of our letter, but they were afraid to sign their name to it because of the potential blowback. Riaz was not afraid.Â
And I don’t think that Riaz will ever hesitate to assert himself as an independent thinker who does what he genuinely thinks is best for everyone in his community, not just his own supporters. In a world where the major political parties expect lockstep loyalty from all of their elected officials, the willingness to think independently is more vital than ever.Â
It would be a great detriment to the community in Mukilteo if they lost Riaz Khan as a member of their city council. I encourage Mukilteo voters to keep him on for four more years.
Respectfully,
Jenna Nand, Edmonds
DISCLAIMER: The views and comments expressed are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the Lynnwood Times nor any of its affiliates.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
