Women’s Global Voices Carry More Importance in Post-Covid-19 World
By Sheher Bano
Islamabad: “Women in Pakistan need to be bold and empowered. The world is uneven for women and their issues are global and universal. The women have to make a choice between victimhood or empowerment. For choosing latter, they will have to come out of their victim mentality and play their leadership role. Women make 50% of the world’s voice. Leadership role models for women and youth are as important in Pakistan as in America.” This was stated by Anila Ali, a Pakistani educator, civil rights advocate, and US Democratic Partyactivist while speaking at Global Women Insight, a digital series of interviews with women peace makers, under the aegis of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies’ Centre of Women for Peace and Leadership, Islamabad. The Centre initiated these interviews after Covid-19 to spread the message of peace and tolerance.
Granddaughter of the first Muslim Member of the Hyderabad Daccan State Assembly, Begum Khursheed Hafeez, who worked alongside Qauid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, and daughter of Pakistan movement’s stalwart Qutubuddin Aziz, leadership runs in Anila’s DNA.
While calling global women leaders to raise a unified global voice for their issues, Ali insisted that women travel and meet people who are not like them to increase their understanding with them and their cultures. This will help them to listen to dissenting opinions and debate to reach common grounds.
Ali has twice been elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention. She represented the 45th Congressional District at the 2012 and 2016 conventions. She was the first Pakistani and first Muslim to be elected from Orange County. In 2014, Ali was a candidate for District 74 of the California State Assembly and received endorsements from the National Women’s Political Caucus and the California Labor Federation.
“Though I didn’t win, but I broke stereotypes, after which many Asian women from California became delegates to Democrats and Republicans.”
For Ali, the biggest challenge for women in politics is to play her public role while balancing it with her domestic roles as a good mother, daughter, sister and wife.
To address border profiling many Muslim-Americans experienced after 9/11, Ali worked with NYU Law School to produce a documentary titled “Americans on Hold: Profiling, Prejudice, and National Security.” This documentary later became a reference for bringing a change in the policy which helped 6 million Muslims to travel freely as American citizens, while avoiding any false database matches with the terrorists.
She also co-authored a children’s book promoting tolerance (titled “Mommy, Am I…?”) that tells the story of a third-grader named Aisha who experiences derogatory comments at school.
“The book makes more sense in the current situation when the Black Lives Matter movement is gaining momentum in America for the rights of black people.
“When I shifted to the USA after 9/11, I saw there was no role model for Muslim women, especially from Pakistan, so their opinion didn’t carry any value. This paved way to found the American Muslim Multi-faith Empowerment Council (AMWEC), comprising a core leadership team of successful South Asian women, who had encountered post 9/11 discrimination and felt under-represented by the existing male-dominated Muslim civic groups. Many women from this platform made their mark and have revived their businesses through websites etc.”
After the recent pandemic of Covid-19, Ali along with her Amwec team, is active in philanthropy towards the marginalized communities.
“Even after the appearance of first Covid 19 case on Jan 16, 2020, in the USA, we didn’t realize the devastating effect of the disease, till it started wreaking havoc around the world. Realizing the fact that Covid doesn’t discriminate among people, I contacted faith leaders of various communities including Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, Christians, etc. and asked them to connect with each other as a human irrespective of their religious or ethnic identity and make their bond stronger with their Creator, who treats everyone equally.”
Amwec after Covid19 has partnered with “ACE National,” which has been mandated by the US government to reach out to the minority business women and give them the strength to be back on their feet. “Easy loans were given to businesswomen within three days to support their businesses during Covid-19,” she added.
In Pakistan, Ali co-founded CalPak to provide quality education to disadvantaged children in remote areas of Pakistan’s Sindh Province. “In my schools I promote tolerance, acceptance, women, minorities, and respect for diversified views. I think we need to promote this point of view in our educational syllabus as well,” she opined.
Ali says in order to leave a legacy behind for children and youth of tomorrow in case she falls victim to Covid-19, she wrote “Healing of Hearts,”- the Sufi musings during Covid19 - a return to God, which was released in June 2020.
Ali has received President Voluntary Service Award from White House, congressional award and other awards for her voluntary services as well as her work towards motivating the Muslim community.
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