History of the Pakistani Americans in Houston

In 2007 the Pakistani-American Association of Greater Houston (PAGH) stated that about 60,000 people of Pakistani origin lived in Greater Houston and that many of them lived in Southwest Houston.[1] As of 2000, over 70% of the Muslims in Houston are Pakistani.[2] More recent estimates show the number of the Pakistani community in Houston exceeding 100,000.[3]

History

In 2001 a woman being questioned by an off-duty sheriff's deputy about a theft at a grocery store in northwest Houston fell ill and died. Afterwards, the Pakistan Association of Greater Houston, the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH), and the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) were scheduled to form a committee about the incident.[4]

On May 23, 2004 Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was scheduled to begin flights to Karachi from Houston on a twice weekly basis. The passengers stayed on the aircraft while it took refueling stops in Manchester, England.[5] In April 2005 a Houston attorney named Syed Izfar accused officers of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at George Bush Intercontinental Airport of profiling customers of the PIA flight. PIA regional manager Munsif Ansari argued that CBP officers "are pretty reasonable. In fact, the feedback I've heard from people is that they were being treated very well."[6] In July of that year, Ghulam Bombaywala, the head of the Pakistan Association of Greater Houston, stated that the security presence for the Pakistan flights at Houston was too intimidating and that the security officials at Bush Intercontinental should make it less intimidating.[7]

In the mid-2000s Bombaywala had a conflict with Houston City Council member M.J. Khan. After the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, the two men organized separate relief efforts instead of doing a joint effort.[8] The PAGH, under Bombaywala, collected over $8,000 ($9660.25 according to inflation) by October 10 of that year.[9] In December 2005 Bombaywala stated that the Pakistani community had 60,000 people and that the community donated over $1 million ($1207531.1 according to inflation) to the earthquake relief efforts.[10]

In 2006 Bombaywala filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and Edward Hegstrom of the Houston Chronicle stated that this increased the discord in the Houston Pakistani community.[8]

When Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan, established martial law there in 2007, Houstonians of Pakistani origins protested.[11] That year, the Pakistani community expressed sadness after Benazir Bhutto was assassinated.[12] After Musharraf resigned in 2008, Jemimah Noonoo of the Houston Chronicle stated that the reaction from the Pakistani community in Houston "was mixed".[13]

The Pakistani community is described as fairly prosperous, with many doctors, engineers and businesspeople. A large number of gas stations in Houston are owned by Pakistanis.[3]

Institutions

Pakistani American Community Center

The Pakistani American Community Center is in Alief, near Bissonnet and Dairy Ashford.[1] The center includes seven retail spaces, a small library, a 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m2) banquet hall, a clinic for low-income individuals, and prayer halls. The center offers after-school activities. As of January 2007, six of the retail spaces were rented out for an average rent of $1 ($1.14 according to inflation) per month.[1]

In August 2005 the PAGH purchased a former H-E-B for $1.3 million.[14] The PAGH had originally purchased land in Southwest Houston for the purpose of building a center, but after Ghulam Bombaywala became the president, he had the land sold and purchased the H-E-B, using the funds from the land sale. Some Pakistanis disagreed with the idea of using the community center for business purposes and taking out a loan to have the H-E-B revamped.[1] On June 23, 2007, the Pakistani American Community Center opened. Members of the association and invited guests attended the ceremony.[14] The guests included Consul-General of Pakistan in Houston Ghulam Rasul Baluch; Sheila Jackson-Lee; Ronald Green, a Houston City Council member; Nick Lampson; Al Green; and John F. Healey Jr., the Fort Bend County District Attorney. A Congressional Certificate of Recognition stating that the building was "the first Pakistani community center in the nation" was presented by Al Green.[15]

Consulate-General of Pakistan

Consulate-General of Pakistan in Houston

The Consulate-General of Pakistan is located in the 11850 Jones Road property in unincorporated Harris County,[16] northwest of Downtown Houston.[11] The consulate serves residents of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Colorado, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Oklahoma.[17] The 11850 Jones Road property, near the intersection of Jones Road and Greencreek Drive, is managed by the real estate company Transwestern. The 20,534.00-square-foot (1,907.671 m2), $1,125,500 United States dollar building was built in 1984. The property includes 20,534 square feet (1,907.7 m2) of land and 7,232 square feet (671.9 m2) of office space with twelve private offices, two conference rooms with fireplaces, and a private bath on the third floor. The building received upgrades in 2001.[18] The consulate opened in June 2004.[17] After the Assassination of Benazir Bhutto in 2007 the consulate provided a book for recording condolences for Benazir Bhutto.[19] In 2008 Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau issued a reference against an employee of the consulate, accusing him of issuing forged passports.[20]

Media

There is an Urdu-language newspaper called the Pakistan Times USA, published by Sheikh Najam Ali. As of 2008 its circulation was 15,000.[21] On Thursday May 22, 2008,[22] Ali ran an advertisement that stated that the Ahmadiyya were Muslim and that announced an Ahmadiyya celebration. Because of the advertisement, several distribution sites removed his newspapers, several anonymous callers gave him death threats, and several advertisers cancelled their services.[21] In regards to the death threats, Jill Carroll of the Houston Chronicle wrote "Can we just resolve that we will resist death threats to people we don’t like, or to people of whom we don’t approve, especially in religious matters? Can we just say “no” to death threats or calls for people’s death?"[23]

Other publications include the Pakistan Chronicle and the Urdu Times.[24]

Notable residents

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Patel, Purva. "Pakistani center touts retail concept as a novel idea." ("Pakistani center pays its way Retail space included as old H-E-B remodeled") Houston Chronicle. January 16, 2007. Retrieved on May 2, 2014.
  2. ↑ Badr, p. 193.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "How an ex-Karachi cop turned a down-and-out Houston community into his beat after 9/11". Express Tribune. 11 August 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  4. ↑ Ruiz, Rosanna. "Woman's death at store called 'human rights issue'." Houston Chronicle. August 27, 2001. Retrieved on May 25, 2014.
  5. ↑ Hegstrom, Edward. "The World in Houston: Quarantine facility considered." Houston Chronicle. May 10, 2004. Retrieved on May 12, 2014.
  6. ↑ Crowe, Robert. "Perceived religious profiling an issue at IAH." Houston Chronicle. April 7, 2005. Retrieved on May 12, 2014.
  7. ↑ Hegstrom, Edward. "The World in Houston: Pakistani visitors receive stern welcome at airport." Houston Chronicle. July 4, 2004. Retrieved on May 12, 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Hegstrom, Edward. "Restaurateur's money woes spark more discord." Houston Chronicle. January 9, 2006. Retrieved on May 2, 2014.
  9. ↑ Hopper, Leigh. "Pakistani association helps quake victims." Houston Chronicle. October 10, 2005. Retrieved on May 25, 2014.
  10. ↑ Karkabi, Barbara. "Muslims rally forces, finances for quake victims." Houston Chronicle. December 17, 2005. Retrieved on May 26, 2014.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Carroll, Susan. "Houstonians call for end to Pakistan martial law." Houston Chronicle. November 8, 2007. Retrieved on May 25, 2014. "Pirzada, a gas station owner, took the afternoon off to join about two dozen protesters outside the Pakistani Consulate in northwest Houston."
  12. ↑ Lezon, Dale. "Bhutto slaying shocks Houston-area Pakistanis." Houston Chronicle. December 27, 2007. Retrieved on May 25, 2014.
  13. ↑ Noonoo, Jemimah. "Pakistanis in Houston worry over homeland's future." Houston Chronicle. August 19, 2008. Retrieved on May 2, 2014.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "SOUTHWEST HOUSTON - Pakistani-American group opens center." Houston Chronicle. Thursday July 12, 2007. ThisWeek p. 1. Available at NewsBank, Record Number 4381403. Available online from the Houston Public Library with a library card. "The Pakistani American Community Center, 12638 Bissonnet,[...]"
  15. ↑ Kumar, Seshadri. "Pakistani center opening attracts a crowd." Houston Chronicle. July 2, 2007. Retrieved on May 25, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Contact Us" (Archive). Consulate-General of Pakistan, Houston. Retrieved on May 25, 2014.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "A Message from Consul General" (Archive). Consulate-General of Pakistan in Houston. Retrieved on January 12, 2009.
  18. ↑ "Sales Listings" (Archive). Transwestern Houston. Retrieved on January 12, 2009.
  19. ↑ Scarborough, Elizabeth. "Bhutto Remembered In Houston." KPRC-TV. Friday December 28, 2007. Retrieved on January 12, 2009.
  20. ↑ "NAB approves reference against employee of Pakistan’s Houston Consulate." The News. Friday August 1, 2008. Retrieved on December 16, 2009.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Patel, Purva. "Coverage of sect by Urdu weekly offends some Muslims." Houston Chronicle. June 21, 2008. Retrieved on May 25, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Houston papers disappear, editor threatened" (Archive). Committee to Protect Journalists. June 18, 2008. Retrieved on May 25, 2014.
  23. ↑ Carroll, Jill. "Just Say No to Death Threats." Houston Chronicle. June 25, 2008. Retrieved on May 25, 2014.
  24. ↑ Patel, Purva. "Asian-American newspapers reach a flourishing market." Houston Chronicle. September 30, 2007. Retrieved on May 25, 2014.

Further reading

External links

Template:Pakistani Americans by location