London is poised to welcome its first-ever Muslim mayor to office Friday. While the votes are still being counted from England's "Super Thursday" races, Labour Party candidate Sadiq Khan is currently projected to win the contest. Khan, the son of a Pakistani bus driver and seamstress, has 44 percent of the vote, while the Conservative Party's Zac Goldsmith has 35 percent.
Khan's win would offer a powerful voice to Britain's Pakistani community, as well as a larger challenge to the increasingly prevalent anti-Muslim rhetoric in the West. Final results are expected to be announced later Friday.
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