“There’s definitely been an evolution since then. At first, people thought I was running to make a point and that I wasn’t serious. But now they know I have common-sense approaches to issues and can talk policy,” she said.

Meanwhile, Amatul-Wadud, who is both African-American and Muslim, said her scarf “makes her easily visible as a Muslim.”

“I’m running to be a voice for the voiceless and marginalized,” she told ABC News. Amatul-Wadud is running to unseat Democratic Rep. Richard Neal.

Tlaib and Saad said they haven’t received much negative attention within their districts for their religion, though they say most of the hatred comes via social media.

“It’s not much of an issue in my district. My style is more attacked than my faith or ethnicity. But that being said, I have received hate mail and social media attacks across the country accusing me of promoting Sharia law,” Tlaib said.

Saad echoed Tlaib's sentiments, noting her faith “rarely comes up in [her own] district.”

“But there have been social media trolls promoting messages of discouragement,” she said.

Ultimately, these women hope to inspire voters both within and beyond their religious communities.

“We’ve attended iftar dinners during Ramadan and knocked on doors in the same way we’d visit churches. We’re never taking any voters for granted,” Saad said.

Tlaib agreed.

“There’s not a large concentration of Arab and Muslim voters in my district,” she said. “We’re talking to a lot of African-American voters and women under 35 who want to see themselves reflected in their representatives.”

Furthermore, they believe their progressive politics come first.

“More than anything, I’m running as a progressive and trying to get people back on the message,” Saad said.

Meanwhile, Tlaib noted the importance of representation that reflects the people.

“The Democratic establishment told me to wait my turn. But there’s currently no moral compass in Congress. I want to show that people can win over money and the establishment,” she said.

To Bhojwani, these women's candidacies demonstrate that \"legislatures are truly reflective of our population, signals to other American Muslims that they too can run and win, and sends the message that any district in America can be represented by anyone -- not just old white men.\"

Because, in the end, each woman believes the issues are what matter most.

“When you knock on doors, no one asks you about your religion. People ask about fixing health care and immigration,” Saad said.

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