Dr. Abdul Algazali

HAMTRAMCK — Former Hamtramck councilman and mayoral candidate Dr. Abdul Algazali died on Friday, at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. He was suffering from cancer.

Algazali was a chiropractor and a businessman, who owned commercial properties. He was a prominent leader in the Yemeni American community and founded a mosque in Hamtramck.

He was an activist before he became the first Arab American ever to be elected to the city government of Hamtramck in 2005 after winning a seat on the city council.

Hamtramck, which is almost completely bordered by Detroit, is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse cities in the country. According to the 2010 Census, 41 percent of the city’s 22,000 residents are foreign-born. Thousands of the city’s residents are of Polish descent, and it is also home to large African-American, Yemeni and Bangladeshi communities.

The Yemeni American activist challenged Mayor Karen Majewski twice. In 2013, she defeated him by 98 votes after he had come in first place in the primaries. 

“I liked him a lot,” Bill Meyer, the founder of OneHamtramck, said of Algazali. “He was a community leader, not a politician.”

Meyer, who supported the late doctor’s bid for mayor, added that Algazali despised political games and did not like to spend money on his election campaigns.

“Dr. Algazali was principled and honest,” Meyer said. “He was a kind person, always friendly and nice.”

Ali Baleed Almaklani, the executive director of the Yemen American Benevolent Association (YABA), said Algazali dedicated his life to the service of others.

“It is a huge loss to the Yemeni, Arab, Muslim and Hamtramck communities,” Almaklani said. “Our condolences to his friends and family.”