Masrur Javed "M.J." Khan (born May 1, 1950) is a

Pakistani American Pakistani Americans () are citizens of the United States who have full or partial ancestry from Pakistan, or more simply, Pakistanis in America. They can be from different ethnic groups in Pakistan like Punjabi or Muhajir. The term may also re ...

and former

Houston City Council The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. The Council has sixteen members: eleven from council districts and five elected at-large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, wi ...

member.Dooley, Tara. "Khan inspires Muslims with election to council." ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

''. Saturday, December 13, 2003. Religion p. 1. NewsBank Record Number: 3716921. Available from the

Houston Public Library Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States. History Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library The Houston Public Library system traces its founding to the creation of the second Houston Lyceum in ...

website with a library card.

Early life

Khan, born in Pakistan,Curiel, Jonathan. ''Islam in America''.

I.B.Tauris I.B. Tauris is an educational publishing house and imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing. It was an independent publishing house with offices in London and New York City until its purchase in May 2018 by Bloomsbury Publishing. It specialises in non- ...

, March 30, 2015. , 9781848855991. p
126
arrived in the United States in 1976 to attend the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

. From there he received a master's degree in engineering. He had lived in New York for a period and had plans to settle in New Jersey. Khan's wife, cardiologist Dr. Attiya Khan, was offered a fellowship in Houston. He arrived in Houston in 1980, and received a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

(MBA) degree from

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

. Khan became a

U.S. citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Consti ...

in 1985.

Career

Khan became an owner of gas stations and a real estate developer. He sat on the board of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) and once served as president of the Pakistan Association of Greater Houston (PAGH). In 2003 he was elected to the District F post of the Houston City Council, gaining 53.2% of the vote against Terry McConn. This made him the first Muslim on city council. The turnout was higher in this election for District F compared to previous ones. In the mid-2000s Khan had a conflict with the then-PAGH head

Ghulam Bombaywala Ghulam Mohammed "Bombay" Bombaywala is a Pakistani-American restaurateur in Houston.2005 Kashmir earthquake An earthquake occurred at on 8 October 2005 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, a territory under Pakistan. Its epicenter was 19 km northeast of the city of Muzaffarabad, and 90 km north north-east of Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, ...

, the two men organized separate relief efforts instead of doing a joint effort.Hegstrom, Edward.
Restaurateur's money woes spark more discord
" ''

''. January 9, 2006. Retrieved on May 2, 2014. In 2009 there was an election for the City Controller of Houston to succeed

Annise Parker Annise Danette Parker (born May 17, 1956) is an American politician from the state of Texas. A Democrat, Parker served as the 61st Mayor of Houston, Texas, from 2010 until 2016. She also served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council ...

. Ronald Green, who was also a member of the city council, defeated Khan in the runoff election.Snyder, Mike.
Green edges Khan in controller runoff
" ''

''. December 12, 2009. Retrieved on May 26, 2014. In December 2014, Khan was elected president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH), defeating Hashim Badat. Khan announced a campaign for Mayor of Houston in the November, 2023 election to succeed

Sylvester Turner Sylvester Turner (September 27, 1954 – March 5, 2025) was an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from January 2025 until his death in March 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democra ...

Personal life

As of 2009 M.J. Khan owns a real estate development company and Attiya works for the

Texas Heart Institute The Texas Heart Institute, founded by Denton Cooley in 1962, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the devastating toll of cardiovascular disease through innovative and progressive programs in research, education and improved patient ...

as a cardiology fellow.Kuffner, Charles.
Interview with Council Member MJ Khan
" ''

''. October 6, 2009. Retrieved on May 26, 2014. Khan stated that his official residence is a condominium in

Southwest Houston Southwest Houston is a region in Houston, Texas, Houston, Texas, United States. The area is considered to be from Texas State Highway 6, south of Westpark Tollway to north of U.S. Route 90. Many Section 8 (housing) complexes are located in South ...

, and his wife has a residence in Piney Point Village. Khan and his wife have one son.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, M. J. Living people Houston City Council members 1950 births Pakistani emigrants to the United States American politicians of Pakistani descent Grainger College of Engineering alumni Rice University alumni Place of birth missing (living people) Businesspeople from Houston Texas Republicans 20th-century American businesspeople

Early life

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links