Abdelnasser Rashid is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 21st district.
[1] Rashid is the first Palestinian-American to serve in the Illinois General Assembly and is its first Muslim member, along with Nabeela Syed.
[3] He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University and a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Economics from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
He also served as deputy chief of staff to Cook County Clerk David Orr, for two years.
[3] Rashid had been advised to change his name to "Nas" and downplay his background in order to appeal to voters with prejudices against Arabs or perceived foreigners.