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Americas

U.S. senators want to declare Pakistan a ‘country of particular concern’

In a statement, six U.S. Senators including former Presidential candidate Marco Rubio (R-FL) have urged the State Department to declare Pakistan a country of particular concern (CPC). CPC is a designation given to countries for severe violations of religious freedom. If the Secretary of State designates a country as CPC, the U.S. Congress is notified, which can then use both non-economic policy options or economic sanctions to bring about stop severe religious freedom violations. In a letter dated October 27, …

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom condemns death sentence for Ahmadis

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has condemned a Pakistani court’s decision to award the death penalty to three Ahmadis accused of blasphemy. The Ahmadis who were arrested in 2014 after they were accused of committing blasphemy by tearing down posters against them. Daniel Mark, Chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) stated that: “Pakistan must repeal its blasphemy laws and immediately release all those imprisoned under those provisions. Blasphemy laws and the horrific acts …

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson criticizes Pakistan over lack of religious freedom

U.S. Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson has criticized Pakistan for its lack of religious freedom. Tillerson made the comments while speaking at the release of 2016 International Religious Freedom Report. Speaking on August 15th, Tillerson said: As the 2016 report indicates, many governments around the world use discriminatory laws to deny their citizens freedom of religion or belief. Religious freedom is under attack in Pakistan, where more than two dozen are on death row or serving a life imprisonment for blasphemy. …

Pakistani Truck art is coming to Washington

Truck art which is a common sight in Pakistan and South Asia, where buses and trucks are decorated with elaborate floral patterns and calligraphy. Now a Pakistani advocacy group is planning to bring the art form to the influential audience of the Washington area. AdvoPak plans to host a live painting event at Dupont Circle this coming Sunday, the event will feature prominent truck artist, Haider Ali. His work has previously been displayed at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington. Ali …

U.S. Mission to UN condemns Algeria’s treatment of Ahmadis

At the 27th session of the United Nation’s Universal Periodic Review held in Geneva, Switzerland, the United States mission to Geneva expressed its concerns over the arrest of minority Ahmadiyya Muslims in Algeria. The U.S. representative at the session, Sheila Leonard said: We are concerned by recent arrests of Ahmadi [AH-ma-dee] Muslims, which call into question Algeria’s respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. We recommend that Algeria: 1. Amend the Law on Associations to remove undue restrictions on civil society organizations. 2. …

Review: Islam, Race, and Pluralism in the Pakistani Diaspora

In his book, Islam, Race, and Pluralism in the Pakistani Diaspora, Dr. Craig Considine explores the experiences of several Pakistani American and Pakistani Irish men. He expertly unpacks these experiences while also being extra diligent in avoiding the notion of a singular diasporic identity and maintaining and furthering the heterogeneity present within the community. Further, these experiences are brilliantly contextualized through the compendious exploration of histories of Boston and Ireland, the settings of his research. Ultimately, the book puts an …

America: Journalist told to stop filming in Mosque as it’s ‘Sinful’

U.S. Mosque-goers tried to forcibly stop a journalist from filming inside a Mosque after claiming it was sinful. Journalist Aziz Ahmed was at the Darul Huda Mosque in Springfield, Virginia to cover the beginning of Ramadhan when he was forcefully stopped by Mosque-goers from filming within the Mosque. Ahmed posted the video of the confrontation on his Facebook in which Mosque members can be seen telling Ahmed to stop filming. The video you made of people praying, you should delete …

U.S. to deport Pakistani Imam for Immigration Fraud

A Pakistan-origin imam detained by U.S. immigration agents faces deportation to Pakistan for abusing religious workers’ visa. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Hafiz Abdul Hannan, the leader of the Masjid Al-Islam mosque in New Haven since 2013, was taken into custody at his home on Friday. He was previously convicted of committing fraud in immigration documents and will remain in custody pending his removal from the United States, said Shawn Neudauer, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman. According …

Pirate Kites take over Washington skies

Indian and Pakistani families came together on Sunday to celebrate the South Asian kite festival of Basant. Traditionally celebrated in Spring, the families have been coming together at Gunpowder Falls Park in Maryland for the past 7 years to celebrate the historic festival. The event which lasted from 12 pm till 5 pm was hosted by ‘Patang Pirates’, a group of avid kite flyers from India & Pakistan. The group was founded by friends Shukoor Ahmed, Nasir Jamil and Mazhar …

The Pakistani-American Woman Taking Down Terrorists in Court

A Pakistani-American lawyer has made a name for herself by taking down international terrorists in Court. Since 2009, 37-year-old Zainab Ahmad has worked as an Assistant United States Attorney in New York, and so far she has prosecuted 13 people for terrorism, without losing a single case. Zainab who grew up in suburban Long Island, New York says she had planned to be a hospital administrator, but things went sideways after the September 11th attacks, and she ended up at Columbia …

Protests await Pakistani leaders in Washington

Pakistani-Americans are planning to hold a protest in Washington on Thursday to protest what they call a “systemic crackdown on freedom of expression in Pakistan”. The demonstration is being held outside The Foreign Policy Institute as Pakistan’s political elite gather for an event to discuss Pakistan-US relations. The protest comes as Pakistan intensifies crackdown on bloggers and activists. Several bloggers and activists went missing from various Pakistani cities between January 4 and 7, sparking nationwide protests. Earlier this month, activist and academic …

Pakistan-born Ahmadi to run for lieutenant governor of California

A Pakistani-born doctor announced Wednesday that he is joining the 2018 race for lieutenant governor on a platform of saving the Affordable Care Act, providing free community college education and fighting what he termed “Donald Trump’s hate.” “I am a proud Muslim and I love America,” Dr. Asif Mahmood said at a news conference in front of the downtown federal building that houses a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office. “President Trump continues to attack people like me: immigrants, …