QUESTION 01 Tell us a little bit about your political journey in USA. You ran for the office - how was that experience? Amazing- no regrets. I paved the way for all Muslim Pakistanis to follow their heart. I felt deeply appreciated when the Lawrence de Graff Center for Oral and Public History recognized me as the first ever Democrat Muslim Pakistani to run office in California. I made many and friends and of course, may enemies as is true politics but I came out stronger than I was – more confident to lead women in the path less traveled- politics and public service. QUESTION 02 Why Pakistani American women are not seen that much running for the office in USA , what are the key factors and how do you think we can achieve that statistic of fair representation? We are not encouraged. We are told that our first duty is to our husbands. It took me many years to gather the courage to make decisions for myself. We are not seen as individuals and we are always told to follow the patriarchy which is not at all the right way for Muslim women. Muslim women as seen by the example of our beloved Prophet’s peace be upon him wife, can be CEO’s and hire and fire men. They don’t have to be blindly obedient to them. The more women role models we create, the more our women will find it easier to run for office. That’s what my organization does- empowers responsible Pakistani and Muslim women to become leaders. QUESTION 03 You have been a Democratic representative for years- how do you see VP Kamala Harris as the first female VP of USA. What kind of changes you are seeing in her reign? It was one of the proudest moments of my life to see a South Asian woman break the glass ceiling. I was a Hillary delegate and cried after she lost. So this was a redeeming event. President Biden is a great leader; he wants her to be out there with him for Americans and indeed, the world to see that the values women and so does America. That is a message that I hope men in our community will be inspired by. Women can lead. I think it’s a bit early to tell but VP Harris has already achieved greatness by being the first woman SA VP. I hope that she will bring South Asian communities together in America and help us celebrate the diversity that we cherish. There are many issues in immigrant South Asian communities that she can help with such as domestic violence and the taboos, senior abuse, and lack of cohesion in the South Asian communities. I hope she bring us together under a new coalition to unite us. We have so much in common that we should not let politics blur our vision and our commonalities.
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