US Muslim-majority city renames street to honour ex-Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia

According to Bangladeshi daily Desh Rupantor, Carpenter Street in Hamtramck, Michigan, will now be known as Khaleda Zia Street.

Hamtramck, a city of 28,433 residents, has emerged as a prominent hub for Bangladeshi immigrants in Michigan. 

Nearly 70 percent of its population identifies as Muslim, making it the only city in the United States governed entirely by an all-Muslim city council.

Bangladeshi-origin councillors drive initiative

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Media Cell announced the development through a Facebook post, stating that the renaming reflects international acknowledgement of Khaleda Zia’s leadership and contributions to Bangladesh.

The media cell credited four councillors of Bangladeshi origin on the Hamtramck City Council for facilitating the initiative, highlighting the growing political influence of the Bangladeshi diaspora in the region.

A city shaped by immigration

Local demographics underline Hamtramck’s multicultural character. 

The Detroit Free Press reported that nearly 40 percent of the city’s population is foreign-born. 

Reflecting this diversity, official signage at City Hall appears in English, Arabic and Bengali.

Banglatown in Hamtramck is home to one of the largest Bangladeshi communities in the US. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Rizhwan Ahmed

This is not the first time a Bangladeshi leader has been honoured in the United States. 

Previously, a street in Chicago was named after former Bangladeshi President Ziaur Rahman.

Khaleda Zia’s death

Khaleda Zia, who served three terms as prime minister and was the long-standing chairperson of the BNP, passed away on December 30 after a prolonged illness. She was 80.

The former prime minister was laid to rest with full state honours the following day.

BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan read out a written statement on behalf of the party, attended by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, senior military officials and political leaders. 

He claimed Khaleda Zia had been imprisoned for over two years from February 8, 2018, in what he described as a “false case,” adding that her health deteriorated severely due to inadequate medical treatment.

“The nation witnessed that the leader who entered prison on foot emerged from solitary confinement gravely ill,” Khan said, as quoted by Dhaka Tribune.

Sheikh Hasina rejects blame

Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina strongly rejected allegations blaming her and the Awami League for Khaleda Zia’s death.

“The claim that I am responsible for her death is categorically untrue. To politicise a death in this way reflects a troubling tendency to replace truth with accusation. At moments like this, Bangladesh deserves dignity, not division,” Hasina stated.