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A large group of Asian-American community leaders and Illinois state representatives and other elected officials as well as candidates running for local office came under one roof Oct. 21 to understand each other’s perspectives and to find ways and means to ensure that democratic institutions in the U.S. are led by the silent majority.
The meeting billed as “Dialogue for Democracy” was addressed, among others, by Moon Khan, candidate for DuPage County Recorder, Shoaib Khadri and Imtiaz Rehman, local community leaders, and Representative ‘Lou’ Lang, who has been representing the 16th District of Illinois since 1987 and currently serves as House deputy majority leader.
“We are working on civil rights, hate crime legislation, better education, and keeping our community safe,” Lang said. He emphasized that this was “an important election for all of us, and Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is on the same page” in terms of addressing the needs of the people.
“We should have candidates who can make us proud and someone who cares about the issues that face our community, whether it is Black, White, Muslim, Hindu, Asian, Jews, or Arab,” he said. Lang said while he was concerned about the broader welfare of people, irrespective of their religion, race, color or social background, he was keenly interested in knowing the unique aspirations of each and every community, including those of the Asian-Americans.
The meeting was hosted by Moin Haque, a businessman from Naperville.
Lang called upon different minority communities to voice their concerns about hate crimes, not only to their community leaders but also to elected officials, in order to strengthen the government in putting an end to hate crimes. He urged leaders of all communities to create wider awareness about the importance of enriching democratic institutions.
Stephanie A. Kifowit, who represents the 84th District of Illinois, said that a small number of people, who represent a tiny minority, are creating divisiveness in the society thereby eroding the freedom of religion, freedom to associate, and freedom to enjoy life – all attributes which make the U.S. a great Nation.
Shoaib Khadri, a local community leader and president of the Islamic Center of Naperville, highlighted some main issues faced by the community, expressing a major concern about the recent division along racial and religious lines. He urged all elected officials to involve the youth in the political process and requested them to support diversity in business.
The post Naperville Asian-American Community Hosts ‘Dialogue For Democracy’ appeared first on News India Times.
