Houstonian Corner (V10-I47)

Sheriff-Elect Garcia Visited the Islamic Society of Greater Houston

One of the first communities to visit after becoming the first Hispanic Sheriff of Harris County Texas, Adrian Garcia came to meet with the Community Leadership at the Main Center of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH). “I learnt the significance of diversity from my father and will need all the assistance from the Islamic Society and its members to identify capable people in all fields, who could help me change the face of Harris County Sheriff Department with qualified people,” Adrian Garcia said.

Present at this ISGH Main Center meeting were: City Councilman M. J. Khan; Acting President of ISGH Hashim Badat; General Secretary ISGH Aftab Silat; Treasurer Fayez Ghwari; Directors’ and Associate Directors of ISGH Ibrahim Badat Mohammad Sulaiman; A. J. Durrani and Fuad Cochinwala; Office Secretary of ISGH Hamayun Mahmood; Former President of ISGH Dr. Aziz Siddiqui; Media Volunteer of ISGH ILyas Hasan Choudry; Houston Police Department Officer Muzaffar Siddiqui; Member of Sport Board of Harris County and City of Houston CPA Haroon Shaikh; Community Organizers Zaf Tahir; Farrukh Shamasi; President of the Pakistani-American Association of Greater Houston (PAGH) Ghulam Bombaywala; Vice-President of PAGH Iqbal Badat; Attorney Noami Hussein; Attorney Ali Zakaria; Entrepreneur Shaukat Zakaria and Realtor Ismaeel Patel.

The president of the Society Hashim Badat informed about the uniqueness of ISGH, as being umbrella organization of such a large region and this model is not found elsewhere within the Muslim Communities in USA.

“Racially motivated offensive jokes; as were tolerated earlier; will have no place in the office of Sheriff Department under me. I do believe in sensitivity training, but what I really want to implement is that cadets who are aspiring to wear the badge of the sheriff’s department, they will be required as part of their training to spend weeks inside various communities including the Muslims, to cultivate long term relationships and understanding,” added Adrian Garcia.

The meeting ended with the President of ISGH, Hashim Badat, reiterating to Mr. Garcia that the Muslim Community will support him fully in all the good things he intends to do and thanked him for choosing to appoint an Advisory Group of the Sheriff Department, which will have diversified representation. It was further decided to have Quarterly Meetings with Sheriff  Garcia, and to institutionalize sensitivity training and a community understanding curriculum into the sheriff’s department cadet training programs.

Community Celebrated the Changing Face of Harris County with Community Organizers Lutfi Hassan & Attorney Noami Hussein

As the recent Elections 2008 brought change at the national level, the third largest County of USA, i.e. Harris, in the Greater Houston region of Texas, saw similar changes, with the election of the first Hispanic Sheriff, Garcia (D) [presently City Councilman and formerly Houston Police Department Officer]. Mr. Garcia has the distinction of getting the highest number of votes ever for an elected official in Harris County Texas (636,211 votes to 494,381).

Other statistics of these Harris County elections were: more than 20,000 new voters registered – 62% voted during the twelve days early voting time – First time more votes were recorded before Election Day – Year 1994 saw Republicans swept through the local courthouses with 19 judges and only one Democratic judge; this Year 2008, saw Democrats resurging where 22 out of 26 Republican judicial incumbents lost.

In order to celebrate these and other achievements, long-time Democratic Party Activists (who just that day returned from Chicago after attending Obama’s victory celebrations), Lutfi Hassan and Attorney Noami Hussein, with the help of their friends, organized an evening with the newly elected officials. Congressional Members Al Green, Sheila Jackson Lee and City Councilman M. J. Khan were present. Among the newly elected officials, Adrian Garcia, Judge Mike Engelhart, Judge Jim Sharp, Judge Larry Weiman and others were present.

Please Attend Program on “Empowerment of Women through Honey Bee Farming” in Pakistan

“We urge you to visit our website http://www.hashoofoundation.org/ which will direct you to BBC World and Newsweek World Challenge 2008 Voting – We want to urge you all to vote for Hashoo Foundation,” this was said by Ms. Merchant, as she introduced the project in Pakistan of Hashoo Foundation called “The Women Empowerment through Honey Bee Farming Commitment”. A documentary presentation on this program is happening at McMurtrey Auditorium in Duncan Hall of Rice University Houston on Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 between 6pm.-8pm.

The Women Empowerment through Honey Bee Farming Commitment is designed to economically empower women through technical training, enabling them to generate a stable source of income and contribute to their family’s well being. It has been chosen by BBC World and Newsweek as one of the top twelve humanitarian and economic development projects in the whole world. Voted to Number One Position by people for this excellent program will enhance its stature and resources. For more information, visit http://www.hashoofoundation.org/

The commitment of this project will address the employment discrepancy between male and female beekeepers in the Northern Areas of Pakistan (NAP) & Chitral and promote equal opportunity. The project’s impact will improve women’s status in their communities, as they become more integrated in the decision-making process within male-dominated societies.   

By the end of Year 2009; 125 Women will be trained; 215 Households will be supported; 215 Women will be producing honey; and 215 Women producers will be linked with the market.

The Hashoo Foundation Women Empowerment through Honey Bee Farming Commitment to Action will mobilize women from the ‘apron to the apiary’ and into an environment for commerce, bringing about a tremendous social change in the Pakistani region, where women are confined to private spaces. HF commits to train 125 new women beekeepers in the Northern Areas of Pakistan (NAP), helping them generate income in a sustainable and dignified way, enabling them to provide for their families’ health care, children’s education, as well as improving their nutrition and overall well-being.  HF and its partners will develop honey production, extending sales and marketing of the honey and its by-products; as well, they will better utilize trained women beekeepers in promoting this enterprise for poverty alleviation.

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