QUESTION 04 What are the social issues and causes that you are passionate about and why? My biggest passion is women’s issues. I have been silenced or marginalized by many Muslim majority organizations that practice patriarchy and misogyny and I have had to fight them alone. The notion that only an Arab women knows Islam, or only a Hijabi women is Muslim are the harmful stereotypes that I have to fight. They hurt our women. Right now, the largest Muslim group is South Asian and the most number of Muslim immigrants coming into the US are Pakistanis so we must promote our culture and unite so we are not sidelined. I do not see us represented in the media. Whenever media needs a spokesperson, they turn to males, usually Arabs from Syria or Palestine who do not represent the thriving and vibrant Muslims of South Asia. That has to change. That is why I started AMWEC, because I didn’t feel represented. QUESTION 05 You are the President and CEO of AMWEC. What aspired you to form this organization? (see answer above ) QUESTION 06 In addition to AMWEC, you are also the founder of CalPak- what’s the mission and vision of the organization? Calpak is a labor of love. I was born in Karachi. I was asked by USAID to go to Pakistan and advise the US government on education and programs that were running. So I went to Karachi, sadly, for my father’s funeral. I felt I was losing my heritage, my roots, and so I went to see one of the Sindh’s government schools. That was it. A little girl, who was about 7, grabbed my arm, in a empty school, empty classroom, dilapidated building and begged me to teach her. I saw myself in that girl. Had it not been for the education I got from the Catholics Schools in Pakistan, St.Joseph’s, I would not be here. So I decided to get my friends’ & family to help and educate girls. I hope to run in 2020 but I am still working it out. I love the schools projects and that will not stop. I love the people of Tharparkar and keep going back to them to try to do more to help them. QUESTION 07 What are your future political and/or philanthropic projects?
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