Congressman Ro Khanna Gets Support from Sacramento Muslim Community

By Ras H. Siddiqui

Rohit “Ro” Khanna has been the US Congressman representing the California 17 th District since 2016. He is a Democrat who will be facing Republican Ritesh Tandon in the November general election. And barring any huge surprises he is slated to win handily, especially since he received more votes in the June 2026 primary election than all the other five candidates combined. His district is in the San Francisco Bay area covering the cities of Cupertino, Milpitas, Newark, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale (which form the heart of hi-tech Silicon Valley) plus parts of Fremont and San Jose. He has had a remarkable political journey and has taken stands which are challenging but remain based on principles.

Khanna is a part of a progressive grouping sometimes referred to as the “Bernie Sanders Democrats” who have successfully taken the lead in championing causes which we believe mainstream America is ready for despite being labeled as “Socialists.” It will be interesting to see how well these Democrats fare during this November’s mid-term elections since it is possible that the American voter will steer that way.

One main reason is a growing affordability problem in this country, and that many young voters think that the priorities of the current Republican administration are misplaced. Americans like any other people in the world desire affordable healthcare and housing and are more focused on local needs like getting their kids a good education. But will President Trump who has proved to be a survivor thus far spring another surprise in November?

Congressman Khanna has had support far beyond the district he represents and his campaign fundraiser in the Sacramento area on Friday, August 28, 2026, at the Town & Country Event Center in Rancho Cordova was not a surprise. With Br. Waseem Bawa, Dr Hiba Hamdan and Dr Jawad Arif taking the initiative as hosts, the event drew some of the “who’s who” of the Muslim community in the region who came to meet, listen to, and support him. Ro has not shied away from the plight of the Palestinian people and had himself visited the Occupied West Bank and has liberally shared some of his experiences upon his return. This, plus his support of “people first” policies, have certainly gained the attention of young people in the community.

After a great dinner, the formalities began with an Islamic invocation. Br Waseem was emcee for the evening and introduced Congressman Khanna. Br Waseem and Dr Hiba Hamdan both clearly articulated the viewpoint of the local community on not just genocide in Gaza but the Palestinian issue, as well as its impact on larger regional events. Dr Hiba focused locally too (ICE) and said that we as a community are living in times when we cannot afford not to be engaged. She also spoke about kids in Gaza being targets of Israeli violence and deprivation and that we just cannot ignore what has been going on. She added that for quite a while our voices were not heard. But the tide is turning and now we have emerging voices like Zohran Mamdani, Abdul El-Sayed and right here in our backyard, Ro Khanna.

Congressman Ro Khanna was quite relaxed and amongst friends here and delivered a poignant and candid talk on several issues. He first thanked the hosts for not only supporting him but like-minded candidates across the country. He also shared some of his experiences after his visit to the West Bank and particularly the town of Hebron, He said that what he witnessed stunned him. He was there along with an Israeli citizen and a Jewish American, but the guard singled him out and asked him if he was a son of Isaac (Jewish) or a son of Ishmeal (Arab). He added that when he said that he was a Hindu, it took the guard completely by surprise. Ro also shared that he has never felt more acutely race conscious (his Punjabi roots) than when he was in the West Bank.

The open hostility of the settlers towards the native Palestinian population did not escape the congressman’s attention either while he was there. This is not an ideological conflict, but it is the dehumanization of a people that is going on, he said. He described the situation there as worse than apartheid. Ro spoke of the daily indignity of violence that the Palestinians are facing at the hands of settlers every day. Examples like a Palestinian American being beaten for not being able to speak Hebrew. And the IDF also always takes the side of the settlers, he said. He asked that if young settlers brandishing guns can mistreat/detain an American Congressman, imagine what life is like for Palestinians there. We need to educate the American people and people around the world about these facts on the ground, said Khanna.

Khanna added that one individual on their own cannot bring change, but a large group of people can. We now have a chance to bring changes like we have not had during the past 15 years, he said. And on that note, the event moved to an extensive Q&A session which gave the attendees a chance to interact. I did get a chance to ask Ro about the chances of ever getting universal healthcare in the US. He said that the move towards it could be incremental and that just reducing the Medicare age of enrollment down to fifty could be a major step in that direction.

Congressman Ro Khanna is an oddity. He represents a district which possibly holds more wealth than any other in this country, yet he focuses his attention on the problems of working-class families, immigrants, and seniors. He is an Indian American (born in Philadelphia), a practicing Hindu, who derives inspiration from his maternal grandfather, Amarnath Vidyalankar (born in what is now Pakistan), who had actively joined the struggle for India’s independence from the British in the 1940s. In his own words Khanna describes that struggle as secular. And today it comes as no surprise that Ro retains those secular values, and that many voting Americans (including Muslims) support him.