Timeline of
Muslim Firsts
A chronological record of the Muslims who broke barriers across every field, from Nobel laureates and astronauts to political pioneers and Olympic champions.
First Muslim Astronomer in the West
Hyder Ali (attributed)
Early Muslim scholars and soldiers interacted with Western institutions, though specific "firsts" from this era are difficult to verify.
First Muslim Nobel Laureate
Anwar Sadat
Egyptian president shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Menachem Begin for the Camp David Accords.
First Muslim Nobel Prize Winner in Science
Abdus Salam
Pakistani physicist shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for electroweak unification theory.
First Muslim Woman to Win Olympic Gold
Nawal El Moutawakel
Won the 400m hurdles at the Los Angeles Olympics, also the first African woman to win Olympic gold.
First Muslim in Space
Sultan bin Salman Al Saud
Flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-51-G, helping deploy the ARABSAT-1B satellite.
First Forbes Billionaires List Includes Muslim Wealth
Sultan of Brunei
Hassanal Bolkiah listed among the world's richest, estimated at $25 billion from oil revenues.
First Muslim Nobel Prize in Literature
Naguib Mahfouz
Egyptian novelist won the Nobel Prize in Literature, the first Arabic-language writer to receive the honor.
First Muslim Military Chaplain in the U.S.
Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad
Commissioned as a U.S. Army chaplain, providing Islamic religious services to Muslim soldiers.
First Muslim Elected to UK Parliament
Mohammed Sarwar
Won Glasgow Govan constituency for the Labour Party, becoming the first Muslim MP in British history.
First Muslim Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Ahmed Zewail
Egyptian-American chemist won for his work on femtochemistry, the study of chemical reactions on extremely short timescales.
First Muslim Woman to Win the Nobel Prize
Shirin Ebadi
Iranian human rights lawyer won the Nobel Peace Prize for defending democracy and the rights of women and children.
First Muslim Elected to U.S. Congress
Keith Ellison
Won Minnesota's 5th District, took his ceremonial oath on Thomas Jefferson's Quran.
First Muslim Woman in Space
Anousheh Ansari
Iranian-American entrepreneur flew to the ISS as a private space tourist aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
Islamic Guidelines for Space Prayer Developed
Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor
Malaysia's National Fatwa Council issued guidelines for praying in orbit for the Malaysian astronaut's ISS mission.
First Muslim Mayor of a Major European City
Ahmed Aboutaleb
Became Mayor of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, a position he has held for over 15 years.
Youngest-Ever Nobel Laureate
Malala Yousafzai
Pakistani education activist won the Nobel Peace Prize at age 17, the youngest laureate in Nobel history.
First Muslim Mayor of London
Sadiq Khan
Elected with 56.8% of the vote, becoming the mayor of one of the world's largest and most influential cities.
First Muslim Women Elected to U.S. Congress
Ilhan Omar & Rashida Tlaib
Omar (Minnesota) and Tlaib (Michigan) elected simultaneously, breaking gender and religious barriers.
First Muslim Article III Federal Judge in the U.S.
Zahid Quraishi
Army veteran and federal prosecutor confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
First Muslim Woman Article III Federal Judge
Nusrat Jahan Choudhury
Confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, former ACLU legal director.
First Muslim First Minister of Scotland
Humza Yousaf
Elected SNP leader and became First Minister, the highest executive office held by a Muslim in a Western nation. Resigned in April 2024.
First Muslim General Officer in U.S. Military
Cindy Saladin-Muhammad
Reached the rank of brigadier general, the highest rank achieved by a Muslim in the U.S. armed forces.
First Muslim Mayor of New York City
Zohran Mamdani
Elected mayor of America's largest city, governing a population larger than most countries.