OKC Muslim leader announces run for city council after Nikki Nice files for Senate run

A prominent Muslim leader is declaring his intention to represent the residents of Oklahoma City's northeast community.

Masood A. Haqq, 42, announced his campaign Thursday for Oklahoma City Council's Ward 7, which is the area where the city's historically Black community prominently resides on the northeast side of town. As a Black American Muslim man, his connection to the area runs deep and has been cultivated for more than a decade.

"OKC is on the cusp of becoming one of the greatest cities in the world, but it can only do that with a strong and thriving Ward 7," Haqq said. "As goes Ward 7, so goes OKC."

The announcement came after Ward 7 Councilwoman Nikki Nice, 43, filed to run for State Senate District 48 on Wednesday as a Democrat.

Haqq plans to run on a platform emphasizing economic development, expanding educational equity, improving health outcomes and protecting affordable senior care in Ward 7. Co-founder of Peace of Mind Pediatrics headquartered in the metro's northeast side, Haqq said he is keenly aware of how the intersection of these different topics affects the holistic development of an individual over their lifetime.

"When my wife and I opened a pediatric clinic in 2015, we wanted to invest in the future of Oklahoma, by raising the health care standard for children against all odds," Haqq said. "Ward 7 embodies the same spirit. We've been redlined, overlooked and underinvested in, yet we have as rich a history as anyone."

More: Free clinic in OKC's Eastside aims to bring critical health care access to those who need it

Haqq, who moved from Atlanta to Oklahoma City in 2012, said he's running to be a voice for the northeast Oklahoma City community that carries immense pride in its history.

As board chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Oklahoma, the state's largest Muslim civil rights advocacy group, Haqq also has experience with navigating difficult times when his Muslim background intersected with hot-topic politics in ways that he didn't expect. Last year he quickly resigned his membership from an advisory group recommending that copies of the Ten Commandments be placed in public school classrooms across the state, after which he said he did not like the idea of being used as "a pawn in some political game."

Related: Muslim leader denies being in group Ryan Walters says wants Ten Commandments in schools

Haqq is optimistic, however, that the nature of Oklahoma City's nonpartisan elections will allow voters to see him fully for who he is and the experiences he could bring to the council.

"I just have to make sure that people meet me," Haqq said. "The more that we speak to people and meet them where they are, where their passion lies, where their pain points lie, and then just try to put all that together into a policy and an approach, the more that I’ll end up being someone who is a uniter."

Haqq's run to succeed Nice triggered by her run to fill Senate seat

Ward 7 Councilwoman Nikki Nice filed to run for State Senate District 48, a seat that will be vacated later this year by Sen. George Young.

Young, D-Oklahoma City, announced in early February he would be stepping down from his Senate District 48 seat on Nov. 15, 2024. Young was first elected to the Oklahoma House in 2014 and then to the Senate in 2018.

Haqq said he shares a good relationship with Young, who encouraged him to take on more responsibility for his community by running for public office. Last month, Haqq even presented Young a Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of CAIR Oklahoma.

Related: State Sen. George Young's retirement means he's changing lanes, not resigning from life

A pastor for Greater Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, Young told CAIR-OK members that he announced his resignation in February so that the state wouldn't have to pay for a special election and there would be ample time for interested people to run as his successor. He also admitted the state's contentious political environment had "worn on" him over the past decade, arguing that Gov. Kevin Stitt's administration had focused on making issues divisive rather than working with coalitions on solutions.

"Some of the things that they're trying to roll back, those things provided an opportunity for me," Young said. "Those things provided a pathway for me, and so it's very important that we keep fighting for them, we keep strong and we keep trying to make sure that we're involved."

While Young and Rep. Jason Lowe, D-Oklahoma City, have expressed support for Nice during conversations with The Oklahoman, Haqq has said he is not planning to seek her endorsement for the city council seat.

"I consider Councilwoman Nice to be a friend, but I'm not seeking endorsements," Haqq said. "Now, if somebody wants to, then by all means, we welcome that. But my conversations with her have been more just information-based, just exchanging of ideas, making sure the things she's been championing and the things that she's been able to do successfully are able to continue and even be enhanced."

More: Plans set for former NE OKC mosque to be torn down, new mosque to be built nearby

The filing period for this year's elections is Wednesday through Friday, a deadline Nice had to meet to run for state Senate. But for Ward 7's city council seat, the election will be held in February 2025 and candidates can officially file to run starting in December.

However, Haqq intends to begin fundraising and knocking on doors later this month.

"Most people campaign from December to February. But I'm not most people," Haqq said with a laugh.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Muslim leader announces run for city council