News

White House Youth Program

White House is hosting several groups of students from the Association of Big Ten Schools, who organized roundtables. Additional White House roundtables were held in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Arizona, Idaho, Ohio, California, Missouri, Florida, and Minnesota. If you want to get in on this – make sure you click on this link and Host a Roundtable! – host a roundtable in your community in a few simple clicks.

In addition to ongoing conversations with young people about jobs, the economy, and the cost of education, our recent White House conversations and meetings have been with stakeholders at organizations including (but not limited to) Youth Build USA, Energy Action Coalition, chapters of College Democrats, chapters of College Republicans, and the Forum for Youth Investment.

Vice President Biden Announces New Administration Effort to Help Nation’s Schools Address Sexual Violence

Vice President Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan introduced comprehensive guidance to help schools, colleges and universities better understand their obligations under federal civil rights laws to prevent and respond to the problem of campus sexual assault.

• See HERE for the full text of the guidance, as well as HERE for a fact sheet.

• See HERE for a fact sheet on Title IX and sexual violence.

• For more information about the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the anti-discrimination statutes that it enforces, please visit their website.

Ending Sexual Violence: One Student on One Campus at a Time Check out this blog entry, posted by Sara Jane Bibeau. Sara Jane Bibeau is a senior at the University of New Hampshire and a volunteer advocate with their Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention Program

Empowering Youth To Be Agents of Change Blog post by Ronan Farrow, who is Special Advisor for Humanitarian and NGO Issues for Afghanistan and Pakistan. As Special Advisor, he oversees U.S. relations with non-governmental and civil society groups in the region, including youth groups. He is currently leading the Policy Framework working group of the State Department Youth Policy Taskforce.

US changing Race and Ethnic population report

US Department of Commerce issued a report that looks at our nation’s changing racial and ethnic diversity. It is part of a series that analyzes population and housing data collected from the 2010 Census, and it provides a snapshot of race and Hispanic origin in the United States. Racial and ethnic population group distributions and growth at the national level and at lower levels of geography are presented.

The examination of racial and ethnic group distributions nationally shows that while the non-Hispanic White alone population is still numerically and proportionally the largest major race and ethnic group in the United States, it is also growing at the slowest rate. During the past 10 years, it has been the Hispanic population and the Asian population that have grown considerably, in part due to relatively higher levels of immigration.

Additional notable trends were presented in this report. The Black population, the second-largest major race group, did experience growth over the decade; however, it grew at a slower rate than all other major race groups except for White. Geographically, there are a number of areas, particularly in the South and West, that have large proportions minority, which also grew considerably between 2000 and 2010. Overall, the U.S. population has become more racially and ethnically diverse over time. Some other features of the report are:

• More than half of the growth in the total population of the United States between 2000 and 2010 was due to the increase in the Hispanic population.

• The overwhelming majority of the total population of the United States reported only one race in 2010.

• The Asian population grew faster than any other major race group between 2000 and 2010.

• Among people who identified as Asian, 15 percent reported more than one race.

• Among people who identified as Asian, 15 percent reported more than one race.

• California led the nation with the largest minority population (22.3 million). Texas (13.7 million), New York (8.1 million), Florida (7.9 million), and Illinois (4.7 million) round out the top five states with the largest minority populations.

• Texas, California, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, and New Mexico have a “majority-minority”

Read Complete Report

U.S. Helps Pakistan Rural Communities Increase Incomes and Jobs

The U.S. Government has boosted the incomes of more than 9,000 households in the border districts of Baluchistan by 20-50 percent.  This is another example of how America improves the lives of Pakistani farmers.

This $16 million project launched in 2006 is funded by the American people through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and delivered by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Baluchistan Government. When it ends this summer, the project will either directly or indirectly benefit more than 240,000 individuals in five border districts of Baluchistan.

The project is helping communities improve their production of apples, grapes, onions and other crops as well as livestock such as sheep and cattle.  With USAID funding, FAO teaches villagers how to sort their products by quality and assists farmers in finding more profitable markets.  The project also helps villagers form community organizations to share their skills and increase their bargaining power.

U.S. Support ‘Essential and Critical’ to Pakistani Wheat Farmers

The timely U.S. contribution of $62 million – more than two thirds of the $92 million available, allowed the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to distribute wheat seeds to flood stricken areas of Pakistan.  The result will be a viable Rabi (winter) wheat harvest for 2011.

Thanks to this effort, FAO expects that Pakistan will enjoy a good wheat harvest this year, estimating it will produce $190 million of wheat flour.

“U.S. assistance to these projects was not just helpful, it was essential and critical to our ability to act quickly enough with seed distribution to ensure a viable harvest,” FAO representative for Pakistan Kevin Gallagher said.  “It would have been very difficult to mobilize the surge of staff necessary to distribute the seed in time without the American support.”

Viewpoint

Academe's Obligation to Counter Anti-Muslim Sentiment - Akbar Ahmed and Lawrence Rosen

With the dramatic opening last month of the U.S. House of Representatives' Homeland Security Committee hearing on "the extent of radicalization in the American Muslim community," the country was once again confronted with anti-Muslim sentiment based on fear. The recent dispute over the building of an Islamic community center near Ground Zero, legislative proposals in 15 states to bar consideration of Islamic law in American courts, and the founder of Tea Party Nation calling for a Muslim-free Congress are a few examples of why the United States must carefully examine its relationship with the approximately seven million Muslims who live here, and the nearly one out of four individuals on the planet who subscribe to Islam.

College and university campuses are not immune to the wave of Islamophobia. Consider Geert Wilders's 2009 speech at Columbia University in which he stated that "the Koran is an evil book, full of violence, murder, terrorism, war," and that "Muhammad was not a perfect man—he was a mass murderer and a pedophile," or the public outcry and polarizing lectures last fall when Brooklyn College assigned Moustafa Bayoumi's book How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? Being Young and Arab in America to entering students as part of its Common Reader program. Read More

Muslims in the West can show the way by Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu

The revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt provide examples of largely peaceful transitions of power after decades of unflinching authoritarian rule. Yet change in these and other Arab countries caught the world by surprise. Talk of an "Arab Spring" has dominated Western media and political debate for months now. Many Muslims living in the West are also watching events in the region closely, hoping that their co-religionists will soon enjoy greater rights, freedoms and protections under the rule of law, much as they have done for many decades.

But there is no guarantee that such transitions will have peaceful outcomes. Indeed, the current situation in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen is extremely worrying, and finding workable political solutions in these countries will challenge not only the Muslim world, but also the West and the entire international community.  It would also be wrong, however, to define the relationship between the Islamic world and the West solely in light of today's Arab mass movements. There is another aspect to the relationship: Islam in the West - that is, issues concerning Muslims living within Western societies, particularly Europe. Read More

Immigration

USCIS starts accepting application for H1B Visa

USCIS starts accepting H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2012 cap on April 1, 2011. Cases will be considered accepted on the date USCIS receives a properly filed petition for which the correct fee has been submitted; not the date that the petition is postmarked. Read More

FY 2012 H-1B Cap Count

USCIS written testimony on H1 B visa program in US House Sub Committee on Immigration

Religious Freedom

Senator Cardin speaks about freedom of religion

In a prepared statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) defended the protection given by American Constitution of freedom of religion. Sen Cardin stated: “Let us hold dear the protections in our Constitution that safeguard the individual’s right to freely practice their religion.  Our country’s strength lies in its diversity and our ability to have strongly held beliefs and differences of opinion, while being able to speak freely and not fear reprisals for holding a religious belief that is not shared by the majority of Americans. We need to stand up against intolerance and injustice. Let us come together as a nation and move forward in a more constructive and hopeful manner”. Read More

Civil Liberties

Jewish and Christian Organizations support protecting rights of American Muslims

A number of Jewish and Christian organizations have come out in open support of American Muslims Rights while protecting freedom of religion as provided by American Constitution. A number of such organizations have made oral and written testimonies at recent US Senate hearings on this subject. Below  are submissions of ADL and AJC. 

AJC Testimony at Senator Durbin Hearings

ADL Testimony at  Senator Durbin Hearings

Anti-Muslim Discrimination and Bigotry in the United States (Reprint from Anti-Defamation League)

A significant level of anti-Muslim bigotry has surfaced in a variety of public forums over the past year. While some of the anti-Muslim sentiment has fed on growing community concerns about Islamic extremism, much of it has focused on various plans to relocate or expand mosques around the country. Many of those debates have been characterized by unfair stereotyping and prejudice that have singled out the Muslim American community for special scrutiny and suspicion.

Several groups with extreme anti-Muslim agendas have launched public campaigns that have both sheltered and fueled this bigotry. Some of the more troubling public campaigns have been initiated by Stop Islamization of America (SIOA), Act for America! (ACT), the Dove World Outreach Center, and Operation Save America (OSA).

SIOA, which organized inflammatory demonstrations against the proposed Park 51 Islamic Center in New York City seeks to rouse public fears by consistently vilifying the Islamic faith and asserting the existence of an Islamic conspiracy to destroy “American” values. ACT has promoted calls for an end to “Muslim immigration,” the Dove World Outreach Center called for an “International Burn a Koran Day” on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, and OSA has demonstrated in front of mosques and issued flyers that read: "”Islam is another murderous cover-up for the devil.”

Inflammatory and Inciting Rhetoric

The intolerance advocated by a number of individuals and groups has been exacerbated by occasional calls for violence. In May 2010, for example, Michael Berry, a Houston talk show host, said “I hope the mosque [near Ground Zero] isn’t built, and if it is, I hope it’s blown up, and I mean that.”

During a protest outside a Muslim community event in Yorba Linda, California, demonstrators yelled offensive insults at individuals and families as they entered the event, including “Mohammad was a child molester! Mohammad was a pervert!” and “We don’t want you here…You are terrorists! Go home! Go home! Go home! No Shari’a. You beat up your wife too? Are you a molester?” At least three elected officials attended and spoke at the protest, including Villa Park Councilwoman Deborah Pauly, who said: “Let me tell you what’s going on over there right now, make no bones about it that is pure unadulterated evil. I don’t even care if you think I’m crazy anymore…I know quite a few marines who will happy to help these terrorists to an early meeting in paradise.”

Not surprisingly, numerous online forums have featured anti-Muslim bigotry as well. For example, an online post against “Muslim Family Day” at Six Flags in September read: “STOP THE MUSLIM DAY - THEY ARE NOT AMERICANS. THEY DO NOT ABIDE BY OUR CONSTITUTION - THEY ARE NOT ONE OF US.”

Hostility Towards Muslims Legally Building or Expanding Houses of Worship or Mosques

In recent months, we have witnessed a disturbing rise in hostility against Muslims trying to legally build or expand their houses of worship, or mosques, across the United States. From Florida to California, ugly rhetoric has replaced civil dialogue at local government planning meetings and community debates over proposals by Muslims citizens to exercise rights guaranteed to everyone in America.

                        In Tennessee, plans for three new Islamic centers provoked hateful reactions from opponents, including vandalism against a mosque with the spray-painted message, "Muslims go home."

                        In Sheboygan, Wisconsin, some Christian ministers loudly opposed a Muslim group seeking local government approvals to open a mosque in a former health food store owned by a Muslim doctor.

                        In California, members of a local Tea Party group took dogs and picket signs to Friday prayers at a mosque in Temecula looking to build a new worship center at a nearby vacant lot.

Too frequently, mosque opponents have misrepresented the Koran, taking passages out of context and have sought to use the statements of a few extremists to claim that all American Muslims secretly want to impose Islamic Shariah law in the United States.

To address this issue, the Anti-Defamation League created the Interfaith Coalition on Mosques (ICOM), designed to assist Muslim communities who are inappropriately being denied permission to build or expand mosques in their neighborhoods. The members of ICOM recognize that local governments can have legitimate concerns about zoning and other planning issues within the framework of current federal, state and local laws. But when prejudice, unfounded fears, and hostility block Muslim communities from exercising the worship and religious observance freedoms all Americans should enjoy, ICOM will consider legal action to vindicate these rights.

To date, ICOM has become involved in three such efforts:

                        A.G.A. Islamic Organization, Inc. v. City of Lilburn, Georgia

The Dar-e-Abbas congregation sued the City of Lilburn, Georgia in federal court alleging that the City prevented the congregation from building a new house of worship by unlawfully denying applications for rezoning or spending use permits. ICOM filed an amicus brief in support of the congregation. The brief relied upon the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) which safeguards the religious freedom of religious institutions in the land-use context by requiring courts to apply a strict standard for reviewing laws that substantially burden religious exercise.

Estes v. Rutherford County Regional Planning Commission

Opponents of a new mosque in Tennessee asked a judge to block the project arguing that in approving the mosque, county officials violated Tennessee's Sunshine Laws by failing to give proper public notice of a meeting discussing the project and placed county citizens at risk. ICOM filed an amicus brief in the Chancery Court for Rutherford County arguing that a reversal in the previous land use determination permitting the mosque would substantially burden its exercise of religion and would therefore be a violation of the RLUIPA.

Interfaith Coalition Urges Temecula, CA City Council to Reject Bigotry, Approve Mosque

ICOM wrote a letter to the mayor of Temecula County, California and members of the Temecula city council, in support of an application for a Conditional Use Permit to build a mosque.

Misguided Anti-Shari’a Legislation

Numerous state legislatures are considering bills that seek to protect America’s judicial system from the “infiltration” of Shari’a (Islamic) law by barring courts, administrative agencies, or arbitrators from applying, considering, or enforcing Shari’a or other religious law.

Whether targeting Shari’a law directly or disguised as general legislation protecting against the “application of foreign law,” these offensive and completely unwarranted measures target a phantom threat. These bills are not merely an attack on Islam – they are an assault on all persons of faith because they detrimentally impact the free exercise rights of all Americans.

Anti-Shari’a bills have already passed in Louisiana and Tennessee – and residents of Oklahoma overwhelmingly approved a similar ballot resolution in November, 2010. Now legislators from at least eleven other states, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming are considering such legislation. And campaigns by anti-Muslim groups to promote such legislation are under way in several other states. Many of these bills are based on model legislation issued by an organization called the American Public Policy Alliance (APPA).

David Yerushalmi, an attorney who is involved with several anti-Muslim campaigns and groups, drafted the model legislation for APPA entitled, “American Laws for American Courts.” Yerushalmi has not only actively crusaded against his conspiratorial vision of Shari’a law, but has also sought to portray all Muslims as a threat. In one article, for example, Yerushalmi even went so far as to claim that “Muslim civilization is at war with Judeo-Christian civilization…The Muslim peoples, those committed to Islam as we know it today, are our enemies.”

Mr. Yerushalmi is the founder and president of the Society of Americans for National Existence (SANE), a “think tank” that has published anti-Muslim, anti-immigration, and anti-black materials, as well as New World

Order-style conspiracy theories. Part of SANE’s immigration proposal demonizes Shari’a as a set of rules dedicated to the overthrow of the United States of America and states that furthering or supporting adherence to Shari’a “shall be a felony punishable by 20 years in prison.” It also calls on Congress to declare war on the “Muslim nation,” which it defines as “Shari’a-adherent Muslims” and further asks Congress to define Muslim illegal immigrants as alien enemies “subject to immediate deportation.”

To combat this alleged threat, Mr. Yerushalmi has vigorously opposed all perceived “inroads” of Sharia law in the United States, even entirely innocuous measures such as American financial institutions creating financing packages designed to be compatible with Islamic restrictions against loaning money at interest.

Hate Crimes Reported to the FBI

Enacted in 1990, the Hate Crime Statistics Act (HCSA) requires the Justice Department to acquire data on crimes which “manifest prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity” from law enforcement agencies across the country and to publish an annual summary of the findings. The annual HCSA report, though clearly incomplete, is an essential starting point.   Read More

Events & Activities

PAKPAC thanks Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez for supporting American Muslim Civil Rights

The Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee (PAKPAC) would like to formally thank you for your testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights on March 29, 2011.  The Civil Rights Division has continually fought for the civil rights of all groups and has been specifically proactive in addressing the concerns of the Pakistani Muslim community.

Your testimony highlighted the challenges facing the Pakistani Muslim community.  The post 9/11 backlash, the vandalism of mosques, the bullying of Muslim children in schools, and discrimination in the workplace are all issue that the Pakistani American community is facing.  In addition, we applaud the recent prosecution of a school district in Illinois which refused to allow a Muslim teacher to go on unpaid leave for the Haj. Freedom of religion is a one of the fundamental principles upon which this country was founded.    Your testimony rang true when you stated, “No person should have to choose between their faith and their work, and Republican and Democratic administrations alike have fought consistently to vindicate this principle.”

Again, we thank you for your leadership on these important issues.  PAKPAC looks forward to working with both yourself and the Civil Rights Division.

Facebook Town Hall With President Obama

On April 20th, President Obama heads to California to hold a very special facebook town hall about the economy.  The event will be live streamed and questions will be taken over the web, so anyone can join. Facebook will be selecting questions to ask during the event and you can submit questions now by posting them on the facebook event's wall. Get started at the White House's facebook page.

Here are the details:

o                                            RSVP at Facebook.com/WhiteHouse

o                                            When: April 20th @ 4:45 EDT

o                                            Where: Facebook HQ in Palo Alto

The event will be live streamed at both WhiteHouse.gov/live and facebook.com/WhiteHouse To submit a question without a facebook account, uses this form.  PAKPAC encourages its youth members to participate in this town hall meeting.

PAKPAC President Elect  meets Congressman Keith Ellison

On March 27, 2011, a private fundraiser was held to re-elect Congressman Keith Ellison in Milton, Massachusetts.  Congressman Ellison is the first Muslim-American to hold a Congressional seat.  "Everybody Counts, Everybody Matters" was the theme of his message to those who attended the event.  President-Elect Salman Malik and his wife, Romana, represented PAKPAC and showed their support for his re-election.  Most of the discussion was about the recent King Hearings and the Islamophobic trend in the United States.  Congressman Ellison also talked about his involvement in civil rights, as well as the Health Care Reform Act.  

An event such as this reiterates the importance of why it is vital for our community to get involved in civic affairs.  PAKPAC encourages every Pakistani-American to become educated and become informed.  We need your input to determine what issues matter the most.  Only together can we grow and flourish in this great land. 

NY State Senate convened a hearing to assess potential of a terrorist attack

Gregory Ball (R-Putnam County) the chairman of the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs, the state Senate Homeland Security Committee heard from the Port Authority police union, which said the Port Authority is overlooking four major vulnerabilities. Union officials said the threats were so sensitive that they would only name one trouble spot at the hearing -- the Airtrain at John F. Kennedy International Airport, which has a fully automated system. It has no train operator, no passenger screening and an almost non-existent police presence

Senator Ball invited Nonie Darwish an American citizen who was born and educated in Egypt to share her unique insights with the lawmakers.  Ms. Darwish who serves as the director of Former Muslims United told the hearing that “The education of Arab children is to make killing of certain groups of people not only good, it’s holy.”

U.S. Congressman Peter King addressed the hearing by reiterating his belief that “99 percent” of America’s Muslim community are law-biding citizens, “But the fact is:  The enemy or those being recruited by Al Qaeda, live within the Muslim community, and that’s the reality we have to face.”  Taking care not to condemn the entire Muslim community for the actions of a tiny faction, Mr. King expressed the need to logically face the reality of the situation and prepare accordingly.

NY Senators Protest on Homeland Security Hearings

Community Alert

PAKPAC Welcomes Hearings on American Muslims

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) chaired the first-ever Congressional hearing on “Protecting the Civil Rights of American Muslims” in the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, where he highlighted the "First Freedom" - the freedom of religion - and the rights the Constitution affords all Americans.

PAKPAC thanks Senator Durbin(D-IL) for scheduling today’s hearing. We also thank Ranking Member Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and other members of the committee who participated in the hearings in a bi-partisan spirit to protect basic principles of American Constitution and American Values.

Senator Durbin(D-IL) recounted a number of cases of harsh language directed against Muslims including a leading member of Congress who bluntly said "There are too many mosques in this country;" a former House Speaker falsely claimed, "America is experiencing an Islamist cultural-political offensive designed to undermine and destroy our civilization;" a prominent religious leader said Islam is, "wicked" and "evil;" and the publisher of a prominent magazine who said, "Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims." Senator Durbin reiterated “It is our government's responsibility to prevent and prosecute these kinds of discrimination...and make it clear that defending the civil rights of our Muslim neighbors is as important as [defending the rights of] our Christian, Jewish, and non religious neighbors.  Those of us in public life have a responsibility to choose our words carefully; we must condemn anti-Muslim bigotry."

Senator Lindsay Graham(R-SC) on speaking of respect for one another stated "What does it mean to practice religion in America? It means I have to stand up for your right to practice your religion and you will stand up for mine.  It is ok to argue, but there are lines you cannot cross." Sen. Graham emphasized the need of protecting the civil rights of Muslim Americans and uniting with them, rather than marginalizing them, in the struggle against radical extremism. "There are some real issues to be dealt with [today].  Can we stand up for the rights of Muslim Americans?  Yes, we must; if any one group suffers, we all suffer.  The biggest victim of radical Islam is fellow Muslims; we are all in this together.  Muslims who are trying to separate themselves from radical Islam need our help."

In his opening remarks Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) remarked "If you protect diversity, you protect democracy. We must never forget this [history of religious persecution and violence of all religions] when we consider religious freedom in America; ALL Americans deserve religious freedoms provided in the constitution.  This freedom extends beyond the first amendment; it continues on to ensure due process and protections.  American Muslims must be protected like all Americans."

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), meanwhile, said that he was “a bit perplexed by the focus of today’s hearing.” “If we’re concerned about the most egregious hate crimes,” he said, crimes against Jews and Christians far outnumber those against American Muslims.” Political correctness cannot stand in the way of stopping those who would do us harm,” he added.

Support PAKPAC and other American Muslim organizations as we thank Leaders and Members of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights for their true moral leadership and ability to cooperate across the party line to unite our country towards a better future.

Please use the following links to send an email of thanks to Committee members

Dick Durbin, Illinois (Chairman)

Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont

Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island

Al Franken, Minnesota

Christopher A. Coons, Delaware

Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut

Lindsey Graham, S.C. (Ranking Member)

Jon Kyl, Arizona

John Cornyn, Texas

Michael S. Lee, Utah

Tom Coburn, Oklahoma

Web archive of hearings

Opening Statement of Senator Dick Durbin (Download PDF)

Statement of Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez (Download PDF)

Statement of the Honorable R. Alexander Acosta (Download PDF)

Statement of Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick (Download PDF)

Statement of Muslim Advocates President Farhana Khera (Download PDF)

Written testimony submitted by ISNA

Announcement

Mentorship Program Advances Women’s Entrepreneurship in Pakistan

Given the challenges confronting women's small and medium-sized business owners, State Department announced a partnership with Goldman Sachs to expand its 10,000 Women Initiative into Pakistan. Along with Goldman Sachs, State Department will collaborate with the Organization for Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America (OPEN) and the Thunderbird School of Global Management to promote women's entrepreneurship. This program has identified ten potential women entrepreneurs from different areas of Pakistan and will provide comprehensive support and tailored training at the Thunderbird School of Business Management in mid-May. Training will cover topics including leadership, financial management, and strategic planning and operations in order to give these important businesswomen the support they need to grow their businesses, create more jobs, and invest in their communities. While in Washington, DC from May 16-19, these women will take part in a two-day mentorship program. During this time, they will be paired with dynamic successful professionals who can mentor them through some of their most difficult challenges.

If you are interested in serving as a mentor to help assist these women with the growth or expansion of their businesses or to be a source of advice for addressing challenges they are confronted with every day, click here for more information and feel free to sign up here by April 13, 2011. Read More

Financial Grants

BJA FY 11 Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking

Eligibility: Applicants are limited to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and nonprofit victim service organizations with a demonstrated established relationship and capacity to successfully partner among themselves and key stakeholders to support an enhanced approach to identifying, rescuing, and assisting victims of all forms of human trafficking.

Funding:  Maximum requested federal funding amount for each application may not exceed $500,000 for a 2-year (24-month) project period. The project start date should be on or after October 1, 2011. Applications are due by May 12, 2011. Full Announcement (pdf)

OJJDP FY 2011 Community-Based Violence Prevention Demonstration Program

Eligibility:  This funding opportunity is only open to states but nonprofits and faith-based organizations can make sure their state officials know about this grant opportunity to address violence in their State.

Funding:  OJJDP will make multiple awards for as much as $2.2 million each for a 3-year award period. Applications are due by May 23, 2011    Full Announcement (pdf)

2011 Healthy Communities Grant Program

Eligibility:  Non-profit organizations (e.g. grassroots and/or community-based organizations) are eligible applicants

Funding:  Program anticipates awarding approximately 10-20 cooperative agreements in 2011. Applications are due by May 02, 2011 Full Announcement (pdf)

Summer Internship at Embassy of Pakistan

The Embassy of Pakistan, Washington DC, is accepting applications for Summer Internship Program 2011 through April 30, 2011. For further details please visit the Internship page at http://embassyofpakistanusa.org/internship-new.php

State Department Job Openings

Budget Analyst GS-0560-07  For the full text of this vacancy, please visit the following link:  Budget Analyst

Open:-04/04/2011

Close:-04/15/2011

Title of Position:-Budget Analyst

Job #:-GS-0560-07

Announcement #:-DOS458167-CSJ

Location of Position:-RM/FM SA-6 Arlington, VA

Grade:-GS-07

Promotion Potential:-GS-13

Vacancies:-3

Salary Range:-$42209 - $54875 USD per year

Who May Be Considered:-All U.S. Citizens

Security Specialist PSC (GS) 0080-13  For the full text of this vacancy, please visit the following link:  Security Specialist

Open:-03/25/2011

Close:-04/14/2011

Title of Position:-Security Specialist

Job #:-PSC (GS) 0080-13

Announcement #:-OBO-2011-023M

Location of Position:-PDCS/SPC SA-6 Arlington, VA

Grade:-PSC (GS) 0080-13

Promotion Potential:-13

Vacancies:-1

Salary Range:-$89033 - $115742 USD per year

Who May Be Considered:-All U.S. Citizens

Future Activities

U.S.-Islamic World Forum at Brookings Institution, Washington DC

The eighth annual U.S.-Islamic World Forum will open in Washington, DC, on April 12. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will deliver opening remarks. The annual Forum is a platform for senior public officials, business and civil society leaders, and scholars from the United States and global Muslim communities to engage in thoughtful dialogue, develop positive partnerships, and address timely and critical issues. The Forum features plenary sessions, small roundtable discussions, and working groups, which bring together practitioners from similar fields to identify concrete actions they might jointly undertake. This is an invitation-only event. Read More .

A Common Word: Responding to the Challenges of Religious Pluralism & Conflict Resolution'

April 12th, 2011 9-11 AM | Georgetown University Hotel & Conference Center, Washington DC

Panel 1: Madrassa Curriculum Reforms in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Roles of Christian and Muslim NGOs

Chair: Don Wagner, Bridges of Faith

Panelists: Qamar-ul Huda, United States Institute of Peace Bob Roberts, Northwood Church Alp Aslandogan, Institute of Interfaith Dialog Read More

How Pakistan Negotiates with the United States

April 12, 2011 - 9:30am - 11:30am United States Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room B241 Washington, DC 20037. Read More

Speakers:

Ambassador Howard B. Schaffer Professor, Georgetown University

Ambassador Teresita Schaffer Former Director, South Asia Program Center for Strategic and International Studies

Stephen Cohen Senior Fellow Foreign Policy, 21st Century Defense Initiative The Brookings Institution

Ambassador Akbar Ahmed Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies American University

Pakistan: A Hard Country

Book presentation by Anatol Lieven; Apr 13^th 6:30 PM, World Affairs Council of Washington, DC 1200 18th Street, NW Suite 902 Washington, D.C. 20036 Read More

Turmoil in Baluchistan

April 15, 2011 – 11:00am - 12:30am United States Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room B241 Washington, DC 20037. Read More

Speakers

Barrister Shazadi Beg Department of Justice United Kingdom

Ejaz Haider Journalist Defense Analyst

Selig Harrison Director, Asia Program Center for International Policy

Marvin Weinbaum Scholar in Residence Middle East Institute

Upcoming Seminars at Think Tanks

To get information about future seminars and events relating to US-Pakistan relations, please visit the following websites

Atlantic Council

Brookings Institution

Council on Foreign Relations

Heritage Foundation

Middle East Institute

SAIS

Woodrow Wilson Center