A Muslim politician little-known even within her own party has surprisingly made her way into the Swedish parliament owing to a clever campaign reaching out to fellow Somalis in their native language.
Leila Ali Elmi, a former Somali refugee, has made history by becoming the first Somali Swedish Muslim woman to become a lawmaker in the Scandinavian country. In achieving this feat with a personal election campaign directed at fellow Somalis, she sparked controversy, triggering a debate about tribalism and "ethnic voting."