NEW JERSEY – A Muslim woman has made history in New Jersey, becoming the first Muslim woman to join the city’s police force.

“Growing up as a Muslim female, I didn’t think becoming a police officer was an option,” Heba Alateek told NJ.com on Tuesday, March 7.

“But then my brother and husband got on the force and it was an eye-opener.”

The 30-year-old mother of two young girls, who lived all her life in New Jersey, is the first Muslim woman to join the Jersey City Police Department.

“This is what I want to do,” she said.

Alateek was sworn in during a graduation ceremony at City Hall on Tuesday morning.

The class, which includes six women, brings the department up to 922 members.

Mayor Steve Fulop touted his administration’s efforts to diversify the police force after a 2013 report referred to the Jersey City Police Department as one of the most underrepresented in the country.

“I think we are certainly moving in the right direction,” Fulop said to the roughly 100 people gathered in Council Chambers.