Sacramento to Raise Funds
for Mukhtar Mai’s School
By Ras H. Siddiqui
Jack
Morris meets Mukhtar Mai in Pakistan
|
The California Credit Union
League (Serving Credit Unions in California and Nevada) and
a group of dedicated local citizens in the greater Sacramento,
California area led by Loomis Lions Club’s Jack Morris,
have invited Mukhtar Mai (also known as Mukhtaran Bibi) from
Pakistan to attend a fundraiser and other programs next month,
to be held between December 8 and 11.
The main event is to be held at the local Arden Hilton on
December 11, 2007 in Sacramento which will focus on raising
funds for a girls High School in Mukhtar’s town of Meerwala
in the Seraiki-speaking belt of Southern Punjab in Pakistan.
Cover
of Mukhtar Mai’s book
|
Mukhtar Mai is currently looking
to expand her vision of educating young girls in her village
and for providing shelter for abused women in Meerwala. Herself
a victim of abuse, she has turned her tragic circumstances
into a worthy cause that many Americans and Pakistanis share.
For those who are not familiar with the Mukhtar Mai story,
she became an “Honor victim” via a rape in the
year 2002 carried out by a group ironically to preserve the
honor of their tribe which had taken umbrage and “felt”
violated by Mukhtar’s brother Shakoor’s alleged
relationship with a woman from amongst them. They sought revenge
which locals perceived as justice, and in the process, Mukhtar
was violated by a number of people. In other words, to preserve
their “honor” she was dishonored. The village
cleric Imam Abdul Razzaq, condemned the rape during his Friday
sermon at the local Muslim Mosque after it took place. He
also brought in a journalist, Mureed Abbas, to meet Mukhtaran's
father, and they persuaded the family to file formal charges
against the rapists, a very bold move under the circumstances.
This reporter is both ashamed and embarrassed while writing
the words above as an American of Pakistani origin. But an
afternoon meeting with Jack Morris at his Loomis home certainly
convinced me of the need to help this brave woman. Jack is
a retired California Government employee who, along with his
wife Freda, devotes time to local Lions Club activities and
helps others in need. Understanding my point of view, that
I did not wish to aid in the airing of the negatives present
in Pakistan (to make the country and our community here look
bad), my initial reluctance was overcome by Jack’s commitment
to help. “It’s about the future Ras,” said
Jack. He stressed that this effort was not about dwelling
on what had already happened but what was possible; to change
the future of some girls and women in Southern Punjab.
Jack Morris, who initially embarked on a quest to help Mother
Teresa in Calcutta just prior to her death, ended up hearing
about and helping Mukhtar Mai in Meerwala instead. He compares
her to Rosa Parks, the beginning of a one-person crusade for
equality and justice. And like a true adventurer, he actually
went to Meerwala to meet the “Lady Mukhtar” a
couple of years ago. “To meet one of the great heroes
of human kind and to witness for myself what she was experiencing
with the people in her own village and the difficulties she
was having. I wanted to see how she was actually using her
donations before I committed to devoting my time and energy,”
said Mr. Morris.
 |
Freda
and Jack Morris |
Girl
students in Meerwala, Pakistan |
During his trip to Pakistan
, he was helped by Lions Club members there who enabled him
to go to remote areas in the country. Since that trip Jack
and Freda have hosted a Pakistani (a Lion) and his wife at
their residence here in Loomis. He shared his impressions
of Pakistanis with me and he had quite a few positive things
to say. “They hosted me for ten days in Karachi and
Multan and I was not allowed to lift a finger or spend one
dollar all the time in the country,” he said. “I
found them to be moderate, helpful, affectionate, considerate,
and with other solid qualities,” he added. “Quite
easily, I can be talked into returning one day.”
On arranging Mukhtar’s visit and planning the December
11 event, Jack addressed an assembled Credit Union group last
year and by mutual agreement the extension of Mukhtar’s
already scheduled visit to Arizona (to add Sacramento) came
about.
“We simply tied the two dates into one visit for her,”
he said. On his expectations from the fundraiser he added,
“I hope that we are able to contribute to the building
of Mukhtar’s high school and to have some scholarships
to help pay for some students as they move up through the
school years in preparation for college. I pray that the long
range benefits will be in preparing the women of Punjab to
be leaders in the future of Pakistan .”
This writer is happy to add that the Pakistani-American Association
of Greater Sacramento is also a sponsor of this event and
is now assisting the California Credit Union League in its
efforts. Tickets for the event can be purchased from the following
website: http://www.sacvalleychapter.org/ after filling out
the necessary details and mailing in a check. Tickets which
include a pre-dinner reception and dinner are $100, while
for the dinner banquet alone with Mukhtar Mai they are $50.
Pakistani-Americans are encouraged to attend this event in
large numbers and purchase their tickets early. They should
contact their local Pakistani-American associations or this
writer for details. Arrangements have been made for serving
a halal chicken chargha “Lahori” as one of the
menu choices during the evening fundraising banquet.
In conclusion, Mukhtar Mai will be starting her visit to Sacramento
on Saturday, December 8. She may be present at a fundraiser
in the Bay area sometime during the weekend (not yet final).
She also has a book signing engagement at a local Borders
Bookstore (Fair Oaks Blvd. , near Mehran Restaurant (hint))
on Monday December 10 in the evening. She is also scheduled
to visit a local high school earlier that day. All we need
now is to make her visit a memorable one and raise some money
for the disadvantaged kids in a remote area of Pakistan .
And let us remember that an investment into the betterment
of the lives of poor Pakistanis now is an investment into
a bright future for American-Pakistani friendship.
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