Khaleda Zia Gets Her 'Way' In US: Michigan City Renames Street After Bangladesh’s Late PM

The city of Hamtramck in the US state of Michigan has officially approved the renaming of a prominent thoroughfare in honour of Begum Khaleda Zia, the three-time Prime Minister of Bangladesh and chairperson

of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The decision, ratified by the Hamtramck City Council on Thursday, serves as a poignant tribute to the veteran politician, who passed away on December 30, 2025, at the age of 80 following a prolonged illness.

According to the council’s resolution, a specific section of Carpenter Street—spanning the stretch between Joseph Campau and Conant Streets—will now be officially recognised as “Khaleda Zia Street”. The move was spearheaded by four Bangladeshi-origin councillors, reflecting the growing political influence of the South Asian diaspora within the city. For many local residents, the renaming is a symbolic acknowledgement of Khaleda Zia’s role as the first female Prime Minister of the Muslim-majority nation and her contributions to female education and economic reform in Bangladesh during her tenures in the 1990s and early noughties.

The decision is deeply intertwined with Hamtramck’s history as a trailblazer for Muslim representation in American civic life. Once a predominantly Polish-American enclave known for its automotive industry, the city has undergone a dramatic demographic shift over the last quarter-century. In 2013, Hamtramck was recognised as the first Muslim-majority city in the United States, primarily due to large waves of immigration from Yemen and Bangladesh. This demographic change was mirrored in its governance; by 2015, the city had elected the nation’s first Muslim-majority city council. This trend culminated in 2022, when Hamtramck became the first US city to be governed by an entirely Muslim city council alongside a Muslim mayor.

The renaming of the street is seen by the local Bangladeshi community—the largest concentration in Michigan—as a validation of their heritage and their contributions to the city’s social fabric. Supporters of the initiative noted that the gesture follows a similar precedent set in Chicago, where a street was named after Khaleda Zia’s husband, the late President Ziaur Rahman. As Hamtramck continues to celebrate its multicultural identity, “Khaleda Zia Street” stands as a permanent testament to the global links and democratic aspirations of its residents. The official unveiling ceremony is expected to draw significant participation from the Bangladeshi-American community across the Midwest.