Please help us to share and distribute this announcement about our upcoming Workshop. It’s only with your “Likes” and “Shares” we can spread these good causes further and take the message to those who are in need of such help. Please don’t remain indifferent, stay involved. Thank you.
Would you like to learn about affordable college? Would you like to realize your dream of college for yourself or your children? How about crushing the burden of student loan which sometimes puts generations of family into debt?
American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee (APPAC) – Educational Empowerment Program is announcing Informational Workshop on:
“Tuition-Free Degree Program: The Excelsior Scholarship Informational Workshop” at our Belmont office, Brooklyn New York on July 14th, 2017.
Leading the way in affordable education, New York State is now home to the nation’s first accessible college program – The Excelsior Scholarship.
Education is one of the most important parts of the APPAC’s work. Simply put, we believe that education is the key to lifting families out of poverty and empower them increasing their opportunities for success in life.
The new Tuition-Free Program begins in Fall 2017. Enhanced Tuition Awards will be phased in over three years, beginning for New Yorkers making up to $100,000 annually in the fall of 2017, increasing to $110,000 in 2018, and reaching $125,000 in 2019.
New York State is planning that under this groundbreaking program, more than 940,000 middle-class families and individuals making up to $125,000 per year will qualify to attend college tuition-free at all CUNY and SUNY two- and four-year colleges in New York State. The new program begins in the fall of 2017 and will be phased in over three years.
Applications now being accepted through July 21st 2017
During our workshop we will inform you of everything you need to know about New York’s tuition-free program, including eligibility requirements, how the program is implemented, and other frequently asked questions.
Attending our workshop, you will also learn how you or your child can be eligible for Enhanced Tuition Awards too. We will tell you about Enhanced Tuition Award Program of New York and provide necessary information to sign up for this program.
APPAC will also inform you about its new initiative of Free SAT Preparation Program under its Educational Empowerment Program.
The workshop is open to all interested persons, in particular parents and their pre-college age children. If you would like to attend, please RSVP by reaching out to our email – info@appac.co or call us at 1-877-62 APPAC or 718-2079550. Please RSVP by July 12th 2017.
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!
APAC has been recently featured in an article by Obaid Abrar Khan in The International News, a Pakistan based newspaper.
American-Pakistani Public Affairs Committee (APPAC) has formally been launched to dispel certain miss-perceptions about Pakistan, particularly its role against terrorism and extremism. It will work to elevate the status of the Pakistanis in USA, and to bring them into mainstream of politics, this was announced on Monday by APPAC’s chairman Dr. Ijaz Ahmad. He told the reporters that they have started a dialogue process to highlight Pakistan’s peaceful role in the comity of nations.
They will also work on people-to-people level to bridge the gap of mistrust and misunderstanding in the relations of the two countries. They were approaching democrats and republicans in USA to convince them on their point of view that Pakistan being the worst victim of terrorism could never be the part of any move that harms peace and tranquility in any manner whatsoever.
Dr. Ijaz Ahmad who has been doing his private practice in New York as a senior cardiologist for the last ten years further said APPAC’s envisions and endeavors are to develop America in which all citizens are treated equally, regardless of their race, religious creed, or country of origin, in accordance with American values. Their mission is to elevate the status of Pakistani-Americans and promote better relations between the US and Pakistan by encouraging the full political participation of Pakistani-Americans, working for interfaith harmony, and supporting candidates who vigorously oppose religious discrimination.
The main objective of the APPAC is to support political candidates who are clear in their commitment to full civic and human rights for all, and who stand against bigotry, prejudice, and hate. And at the same time encouraging Pakistani-Americans to participate fully in the political process, and create opportunities for involvement. Dr. Ijaz vowed that they will try to engage the Pakistani community and make them a force in the socio-political systems to work for better relations between Pakistan and USA.
Retrieved from The International News, April 18th, 2017 https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/199211-APPAC-launched-to-dispel-misperceptions-about-Pakistan-in-USA
On Saturday, August 12th, 2017, white nationalists gathered for a “Unite the Right” march in Charlottesville. During the march, a car plowed into a group of counter protesters, killing Heather D. Heyer, a 32 year-old paralegal from Charlottesville. Heyer was known to be “a passionate advocate for the disenfranchised and was often moved to tears by the world’s injustices.”
In total, at least 34 people were wounded from this violent attack led by James Alex Fields Jr. Fields is a 20 year-old man of Maumee, Ohio who is now facing a number of charges which includes a count of second-degree murder.
The rally on Saturday was originally organized to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee, the Confederacy’s top general, from Emancipation Park in Charlottesville. The forces behind the rally ran much deeper than the removal of a statue, however. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, an American nonprofit legal advocacy organization, right-wing extremism (including white nationalism and white supremacy) is on the rise.
President Donald Trump responded to the violent acts. “Racism is evil, and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything that we hold dear as Americans,” the president said. “To anyone who acted criminally in this weekend’s racist violence, you will be held fully accountable.”
The American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee condemns all forms of violence, hate crimes and bias attacks regardless of the religion, ethnic origin, language and place of residence of the perpetrators .Racism, intolerance and violence are always wrong. It is our role to bring people together, not tear them apart. Here at APPAC, we strive to bring people of different ethnic backgrounds together. We call on all members of our constituent communities to take note of, document and report to us such instances of hate crimes, bias attacks and individual cases of discrimination. History proves that the easiest position to take in such instances – staying indifferent and uninvolved is often the worst course of action or inaction we can take as a humanity.
Today, New York City was attacked by a lone wolf driver who killed eight innocent people on a Manhattan bike path, injuring at least a dozen more.
This shameful and barbaric act does not represent our religion, Islam, and the American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee condemns it in the strongest possible terms. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased, and with all who are struggling to recover.
New Yorkers of all backgrounds are mourning today, and we pray that the actions of one deeply troubled man will not be used to divide our city’s communities. As Muslim- and Pakistani-Americans, we standard with all our neighbors against violence, terrorism, and hate.
May God protect and keep us all.
American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee is proudly launching its “Free Legal Aid & Counsel Program for Victims of Bias, Hate Crimes and Discrimination Program”.
Number of bias, hate and discrimination cases is on the rise not only in the U.S. but whole world. APPAC believes victims of each alleged bias, hate and discrimination case are entitled to legal aid and counsel and independent investigation. With that goal in mind, APPAC is launching Free Legal Aid & Counsel Program to: – Help each victim of alleged bias, hate and discrimination case to receive free legal aid & counsel; – Assist with independent investigation of each case; – Bring alleged perpetrators to justice; – Improve existing policies and practices.
If you are aware of individual/s or groups who might be in need of free legal aid & counsel, please do not hesitate to reach out to us using this Facebook Messenger, email – info@appac.co or call 1-877-62 APPAC.
In providing free legal aid & counsel APPAC is joining forces and partnering with existing similar programs in the country and we will make sure you will receive a quality and timely advice and assistance. In its earlier events in June and online posts APPAC also announced about launching of our another new Program “Educational Empowerment and Free SAT Preparation”. If you missed that announcement please take a look at our earlier posts here on this Facebook page. Please help us to share and distribute this announcement about our new Program further. It’s only with your “Likes” and “Shares” we can spread these good causes further and take the message to those who are in need of such help. Please don’t remain indifferent, stay involved. We are looking for volunteers to assist us with program tasks. If you are interested, please contact us. Thank you.
The persecution of minority Muslims is on the rise across Burma, where recent violence has caused nearly 90,000 Muslim Rohingya fleeing in just a week following a clampdown on militants. This persecution has been backed by the government, elements among the country’s Buddhist monks, and ultra-nationalist civilian groups, says the independent Burma Human Rights Network.
Rohingya children have been beheaded and civilians burned alive as Burma’s military and paramilitary forces are committing genocide against the Muslim minority in the country’s western Rakhine state. There are around a million Muslim Rohingya people in Burma, all who have faced years of mistreatment at the hands of the government.
“The transition to democracy has allowed popular prejudices to influence how the new government rules, and has amplified a dangerous narrative that casts Muslims as an alien presence in Buddhist-majority Burma,” the group said in a report.
Burma’s government made no immediate response to the report. Authorities deny discrimination and say security forces in Rakhine are fighting a legitimate campaign against terrorists. Muslims have been refused national identification cards, while access to Islamic places of worship has been blocked in some places.
At least 21 villages around Burma have declared themselves “no-go zones” for Muslims, backed by the authorities, it said. Tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled into neighboring Bangladesh since 25 August, when Rohingya insurgents attacked dozens of police posts and an army base. At least 400 people have been killed by these acts of violence.
The American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee condemns all forms of violence, hate crimes and bias attacks regardless of the religion, ethnic origin, language and place of residence of the perpetrators. Racism, intolerance and violence are always wrong. It is our role to bring people together, not tear them apart. Here at APPAC, we strive to bring people of different ethnic backgrounds together. We call on all members of our constituent communities to take note of, document and report to us such instances of hate crimes, bias attacks and individual cases of discrimination. History proves that the easiest position to take in such instances – staying indifferent and uninvolved is often the worst course of action or inaction we can take as a humanity.
