Page 19 - Pakistan Link - January 29, 2020

COMMUNITY JANUARY 29, 2021 – PAKISTAN LINK – P19

n a first, Pakistani born Saima leave the US Attorney’s Office for
Mohsin will become the first Pakistan-American Saima Mohsin Set to Become Eastern District of Michigan in Moh-
IMuslim woman federal pros- sin’s hands who he called “one of the
ecutor after she was named as the First US Federal Muslim Woman Attorney finest federal prosecutors” he’s ever
acting US attorney for Michigan’s known.
Eastern District. “Saima is a dynamic trial law-
Last week, the Joe Biden ad- “Saima is a dynamic trial yer and a talented manager. And, as
ministration appointed Mohsin as lawyer and a talented the first woman, immigrant, Muslim
the acting US attorney for Michi- United States Attorney in American
gan’s Eastern District. manager. And, as the history, her service is truly historic,”
Mohsin will be taking charge first woman, immigrant, said Schneider. He is confident that
of the post in an acting capacity fol- the lawyer will be an “outstanding
lowing the resignation of incumbent Muslim United States representative and defender” of the
Matthew Schneider. The prosecutor Attorney in American community.
had resigned shortly after President Meanwhile, the two leaders
Biden took over the presidency. history, her service is with Muslim advocacy Council on
The US Justice Department said truly historic,” said American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
that Schneider’s last day as the Unit- told the Detroit Free Press that they
ed States Attorney will be February 1. the incument Matthew were not aware of any US attorney
The US Justice Department said Schneider. He is or acting US attorney who has been
that Mohsin will “immediately as- Muslim.
sume office as Acting United States confident that the lawyer “I do not believe that there has
Attorney” under the Vacancies Re- will be an “outstanding ever been a Muslim US Attorney,”
form Act. Gaider Abbas told the Detroit Free
Earlier, Mohsin was serving as representative and Press.
the First Assistant United States At- defender” of the The position of acting US at-
torney since March 2018. community torney for which Mohsin has been
“She is a career prosecutor, hav- named is not a permanent one and
ing served in the US Attorney’s Of- US laws allow judges to select an in-
fice since 2002, and prior to that as a a “great honor”. ‘One of the finest federal pros- Mohsin is a graduate of the Rutgers terim US Attorney.
Deputy New Jersey Attorney General “I am deeply committed to ful- ecutors’: According to the Detroit University in New Jersey where she Not only this, President Joe
and an Assistant District Attorney in filling our core mission to faithfully Free Press, the Pakistan-born lawyer earned a bachelor’s degree and a law Biden could nominate someone to
Manhattan,” said the Justice Depart- enforce the law and seek justice for will bring diversity to an important degree. fill the position, which would have
ment. all,” Mohsin was quoted in the press position. While outgoing attorney to be confirmed by the US Senate.
Mohsin called the appointment release. The publication reported that Schneider said he was “pleased” to – The News
n By Stuti Mishra Pakistan Film Tipped for Oscars 2021 like Hamsafar, revealed on Twitter
that soon after the trailer was re-
film that set off a storm of leased, he started receiving “dozens
controversy in Pakistan of threatening phone calls and mes-
A has been made the coun- sages”.
try’s official entry to the Oscars Mr Khoosat told The Guard-
this year, despite objections from ian his “phone number was leaked
religious and political groups that and he was sent endless photos of
led to boycott calls and death decapitated heads.”
threats for its producer. “I put my 18 years of experience
The drama entitled Zindagi into it,” Mr Khoosat, who funded
Tamasha (Circus of Life), which the film himself, said. “I didn’t want
premiered at the Busan Interna- to do anything sensational – all the
tional Film Festival last year, was dramatics were kept at bay.”
termed blasphemous in the country The creators have also ex-
by fundamentalist groups, includ- pressed disappointment at the fact
ing Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan that the film is still not available to
(TLP), a far-right political party the local audience in Pakistan, for
which said the film “might lead whom it was made.
[people] to deviate from Islam and “All the heartache that Zindagi
the prophet.” Tamasha gave me has somehow re-
Set to release last year in Janu- stored my faith in the power of art
ary, the film’s trailer triggered the too: the sheer, almost physical pow-
reaction from fundamentalists even er of art to make life imitate it. This
before the movie itself could hit announcement, for me, is a very
cinemas, and the release date kept bright light shining at the end of
getting pushed further back amid a ficial synopsis, is set in Lahore and him dancing to a popular song be- film, told Variety. this dark tunnel of a year,” Kanwal
series of protests, open letters, and “is an intimate portrait of a family comes viral. The topic of blasphemy is a Khoosat, co-producer of the film,
multiple reviews by the government as well as a scorching political com- The creators of the film based highly sensitive issue in Pakistan was quoted as saying by the Dawn
censors. mentary on little gods on this earth it on a real-life YouTube video. “The which often sees the accused getting newspaper.
In July 2020, Pakistan’s Senate who police our private passions”. basic inspiration for the film did targeted by hardline groups. A po- “I made this film in Pakistan
Committee for Human Rights ap- The trailer shows an elderly come from just real content that is tential insult to Islam can be booked and foremost, for Pakistan, for my
proved the release of the film, al- Muslim man, who writes hymns online and I felt so bad on behalf of under blasphemy laws which carry people and the misfortune that my
though this decision again got em- praising the prophet, being ostra- that poor guy – he just danced, he’s a maximum sentence of death. people have remained deprived of
broiled in a legal battle. cized from society and facing hu- not doing anything,” Sarmad Khoo- Mr Khoosat, well-known for it weighs quite heavy on my artistic
The film, according to the of- miliation after a video featuring sat, one of the two producers of the creating hugely popular TV shows conscience.” - Independent
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