Pakistani Americans – emphasis on American
Posted by Ethan Casey on November 12, 2009 · 3 Comments
Kamala Harris and Dr. Asif Mahmood, Whittier, California, November 7, 2009. Photo by Dr. Salman Naqvi.
I’d like to offer a sketch of the several interesting and encouraging Pakistani-American events I attended last weekend in Southern California, rather than wait until I have time (that I might not actually have any time soon) to gather quotes and write the fuller, newspaper column-type blog entry that the old-school newsman in me thinks I really should write. I’ll be at Texas Christian University all next week – will post about that too, inshallah – so I’d better post about California now.
I flew down from Seattle on Friday and took part in these events:
- a fashion show featuring the work of leading Pakistani designer Amir Adnan, put on by the Irvine Pakistani Parents Association to benefit the Irvine Public Schools Foundation. In her remarks from the stage, my friend Anila Ali said that she was inspired to found the IPPA by the example of the well-established Irvine Korean Parents Association. Anila believes it’s important “to get Pakistani parents mobilized and engaged in their child’s education so that they can give back to the community they live in.”
- a fundraiser in a private home in Whittier for San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, who is running in next spring’s Democratic primary for Attorney General of California. Among the friends I wasn’t surprised to run into was Dr. Asif Mahmood, who believes strongly in political involvement as a way of enhancing the Pakistani community’s presence and standing in US society.
- a fundraiser in San Diego for the Zindagi Trust, a very admirable education initiative in Pakistan founded by musical star Shehzad Roy. Shehzad and his wife Salma were in San Diego, as were my Chicago-based friends Sadia and Tauheed Ashraf, who are very actively promoting Zindagi Trust around the US these days.
Keep on truckin' near Islamabad, available as a fridge magnet. Photo by Pete Sabo.
The common thread in all three events is Pakistani Americans, who are as American as they are Pakistani, putting themselves on the line and addressing concerns we all share, from public schools to state politics to improving education (and thereby combatting extremism) in Pakistan.
P.S. I’ve printed another Pakistan fridge magnet (see photo at right). I sold a few of each magnet in San Diego and will be taking them to Texas, Oregon and Minnesota later this month. Am hoping soon to be offering them online, along with both of my books and a few other fun things.
Hi Ethan!
It was great to meet you at the Zindagi Trust fundraiser in San Diego.
Just got my teeth into “Alive and Well”… enjoying your following in the footsteps of V.S. Naipaul.
btw what did you think of “Among the Believers”?
An incisive travelogue, but I remember coming away with the distinct feeling that there is no love lost between Mr. Naipaul and Muslims… curious to hear your thoughts?
Also, what did you think of Seymour Hersh’s latest New Yorker story about “Defending the Nuclear Arsenal in an Unstable Pakistan”?
Really great information thanks for share this information.
In this information lot of information about relationship about Pakistan and America.
It was a pleasure reading this! I wanted to ask that when are you coming to Minnesota and in which city will you come? Also, from where can I get the fridge magnets featuring truck art of Pakistan?