Month: May 2019

Press release by APPAC American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee (APPAC) Supports Heroes of Portland, Shares Information on How Bystanders Can Safely Intervene Last Friday, as the world now knows, three heroes stepped up to stop the racist and anti-Muslim harassment of two young women on a light rail train in Portland, Oregon. Two of these Good Samaritans — Ricky John Best and Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche — lost their lives when the perpetrator viciously turned on them; the third, Micah David-Cole Fletcher, was seriously injured and hospitalized. Pakistani Americans and Our Allies Respond To honor the Heroes of Portland and raise money for their families, the American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee (APPAC) has created a Go Fund Me site, https://www.gofundme.com/appacforbravetrio, where donations are welcome from all. Learn the Steps to Safely Stop Harassment APPAC is also sharing information about ways that bystanders and Good Samaritans can safely intervene to stop any harassment they may witness. Two organizations, Hollaback and Green Dot, have created a plan for safe intervention that includes five options for action (“the 5 D’s”): Direct, Distract, Delegate, Delay, and Document. Learn more about these proven options for staying safe while interrupting harassment at https://www.ihollaback.org/resources/bystander-resources/ Honor the Heroes of Portland by Fighting Hate Just days before Memorial Day — when America honors the brave military men and women who fight and die to keep this country free— three brave men put their lives on the line to defend the humanity of strangers. Their courage and the price that they paid, remind us that the struggle for freedom does not just occur in military combat. Freedom must always be guarded here at home, and we honor Heroes of Portland by working to combat a climate of increasing hatred, bigotry, and violence.

American-Pakistani Public Affairs Committee (APPAC) has declared its all-out support for the renowned Pakistani Physician Dr. Asif Mahmood who has joined the race for Lt. Governor of California, says a message received here on Thursday. The APPAC’s Chairman Dr. Ijaz Ahmad said that the Pakistani community will fully stand by him in the election’s campaign. He was addressing a large gathering of Pakistani community held at his residence in Long Island, New York during the visit of Dr. Asif Mahmood. It was part of the fund-raising campaign for the election’s campaign. Those who addressed the event included Dr. Aslam Baig, Engr. Noor Muhammad and Community leader Ajmal Chaudhry. Dr. Ijaz Ahmad assured that they will motivate the Pakistani community from New York to California in support of Dr. Asif Mahmood. If Dr. Mahmood is elected it would be a game changer for the political climate in the United States, he added. He urged all communities to work hard in order to get Dr. Mahmood elected. He believes this will empower and inspire immigrant communities throughout the United States. Dr. Asif Mahmood said he was joining the 2018 race on a platform of saving the Affordable Care Act, providing free community college education and fighting what he termed “Donald Trump’s hate.” President Trump continues to attack people like me: immigrants, people of color and Muslims, Dr Asif Mahmood said he had told President Trump that it’s all wrong. It’s time to get tough on hate. California must be the leader of the Trump resistance, and he will fight him every step of the way, he added. Dr. Mahmood said he came to the USA because he wanted his family to live in a place that celebrates diversity and tolerance. He said he believes that his experience running a medical practice and helping the poor has given him the credentials he needs to run for Lt. Governor of California. He said he understands how important healthcare and education are as he grew up in a small poverty stricken village in Pakistan where he attended a school with no walls or ceilings. Retrieved from Independent News Pakistan, May 11th, 2017 http://www.inp.net.pk/detailNews.aspx?NewsID=35512#

Social and Political Activism is the ultimate score of all academic and ideological progressions. APPAC has introduced the idea of mobilization and communication among the politically and socially marginalized Pakistani community in order to make them conscious of their presence. This organization has taken diverse initiatives to enhance and dignify the recognition of Pakistani Identity in the midst of American Political Scenario. APPAC is all set to approach the Political Center with an audible voice and leave an impression on the behalf of Pakistani Presence via political forums. We, as a nation, have inherited the hierarchy of silence from all our cultural and colonial contexts which is embedded deeply into our collective consciousness. It impedes every chance of raising voice against or to the center. Reaching out to the ones in Power will not be difficult if this voice first reaches out to the community’s consciousness.

APPAC’s endeavor to take marginalized Muslim and Pakistani voice to the political forefronts is a surprise to everyone out there; because it is not easy to believe that we deserve better and impressionable representation.

APPAC tends to assemble the multicultural, egalitarian and ideological diversity under the banner of its uniform approach towards more informed representation of all forums. It has initiated the social media mobility to reach out to the maximum indigenous communities which are trying to progress staying on the social and political margins.

In the Spirit of Pluralism: APPAC Stands for Unity of The Pakistani Diaspora In 1774 a Yong political thinker made a statement on what it entails to be a “newly arrived American.” The young scholar explained “Our ancestors possessed a right, which nature has given to all men, of departing from the country in which chance, not choice, has placed them.” The young scholar who spoke these words is none other American founding father Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson believed that all human beings had a right to no longer be subjugated to “arbitrary” rules, like those imposed on the citizens of England at the time. Jefferson believed that every human being deserved to be treated fairly, justly, and equally before the law, state, and government. In essence, he argued that everyone has the right to be “free from chance.”

The chance Jefferson is talking about here is a lot like what people would describe as “arbitrary power.” For Jefferson chance appears when a person has to pay a police office, government official, or local representative money to get anything accomplished. Chance is the spirit alive in countries where the law says one thing on Monday but can change completely on Tuesday. This chance is why many of our friends in the Pakistani-American community decided to come to America. We were sick of taking chances on rules that failed to uphold justice. We came to America to take a chance on real genuine opportunity.

It is with this same spirit in mind that APPAC is working to create greater opportunities for civic and political engagement among the Pakistani-American community. We are tired of taking chances that don’t offer any real solution to the problems that are facing our community. No longer can we sit by and allow a small group to decide the image, structure, and future of the Pakistani community in this country. APPAC has embraced whole-heartedly the thinking of America’s top philosopher Thomas Jefferson. President Jefferson believed that in a democracy you have to allow all voices to speak, even those from individuals and groups you find off-putting, rude, or in poor taste. Jefferson never suggested that you must agree with these individuals and their positions, only that you allow them to speak and work alongside them to achieve common goals that result in the greater good of society. The name of this idea is called “pluralism.” Pluralism is a belief in the power to come together for a common goal while respecting each other’s differences of opinion, belief, and spiritual reality. APPAC embraces pluralism and understands that Jefferson is right when he says we can no longer rely on mere “chance.” APPAC believes in working with all the elements of our community so that we can take the lessons of Thomas Jefferson and put them in to practice. We seek to embrace pluralism and unite the community with one voice. We hope to add your voice to our harmony!