US Census: Pakistani-Americans Are Young, Well-educated and Prosperous

[Riaz Haq]

Over half a million Pakistani-Americans constitute the 7th largest Asian ethnic group in the United States. Pakistani-Americans are young, well-educated and prosperous. Median age for Pakistani-Americans is 31.7 years. 60% have at least a bachelor's degree. Their median household income is $87,510 a year.  The graph below shows that immigration into the United States significantly slowed down in Trump years.  Still, the remittances from Pakistani-Americans have jumped 58% to $2.75 billion in the current fiscal year.  

Pakistani-American Population Growth. Source: Pew Research

About 36% are US-born while the rest are foreign-born. Just under 80% are US citizens, both native and naturalized. Here are the key takeaways from US Census data recently published by USA Facts:

1. Median age of Pakistani-Americans is 31.7 years, below the 37.9 years for Asian-Americans and 38.5 for overall population. Median age is 34.8 for Indian-Americans and 32.7 for Bangladeshi-Americans. 

Median Age of Asian-Americans. Source: USA Facts

2. Median income of Pakistani-American households is $87.51K, below $97.3K for Asian-Americans but significantly higher than $65.71K for overall population. Median income for Indian-American households $126.7K, the highest in the nation. 

Median Income of Asian-Americans. Source: USA Facts

3. Sixty percent of Pakistani-Americans have at least a bachelor's degree, the second highest percentage among Asian ethnic groups. Indians are the best educated group with 76% having at least a bachelor's degree. The average for Asian-Americans with at least a bachelor's degree is 56%. 

Education Level of Asian-Americans. Source: USA Facts

4. About 36% of Pakistani-Americans are US-born while the rest are foreign-born. By comparison, 29.1% of Indian-Americans and 34.3% of Asian-Americans are native-born and the rest foreign-born. 

Citizenship Status of Asian-Americans. Source: USA Facts

There are 18.6 million Asian Americans living in the US, making up 6% of the US population, according to the latest available census data. The data shows that, on average, Asian Americans are younger, more likely to be born abroad, and live in households with higher income than the average American.

Here's a video clip of CNN analyst Van Jones talking about Pakistani-Americans:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr5cLv8Dj2I

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[Riaz Haq]

Jewish outreach to the Indian diaspora in the United States | The Jewish People Policy Institute

http://jppi.org.il/en/article/india/toc/chapters/triangle/english-j...

The formation of strong political ties between the Jewish and Indian leaderships and communities in the United States
In the last two decades, American Jewish groups have been very active in cultivating strong political links between the Jewish and Indian leaderships in the U.S., and between the Indian, American, and Israeli leaderships. Senior representatives of AIPAC and of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), among others, visit New Delhi on a regular basis and bring frequent delegations of Indian policy makers, think tank members, and journalists to the United States and Israel to discuss issues of common concern. In addition, the AJC has been at the forefront of endeavors to build bridges between Indian Americans and Jewish Americans. It has carried out a series of initiatives on the national and regional levels to expand dialogue and mutual understanding with the Indian community, as it has done in the past with the Latino and African American communities. It has also endeavored to forge business links between Indian Americans and Jews. In addition, AJC sponsored and participated in the interfaith dialogue of Jewish and Hindu leaders, and it coordinated several delegations of Indian Muslim leaders to Israel (more about this later).

American Jewish lobbies as models and partners of Indian lobbies in the United States
As Indian Americans recognized the success of American Jewish organizations in the political and other arenas, they began to look to these organizations as models and partners, and Jewish organizations were happy to respond. American Jewish lobbies have actively supported and contributed to the formation and success of Indian lobbies and have often served as organizational and developmental models. The Congressional India Caucus, now the largest caucus in Congress, the U.S. India Political Action Committee (USINPAC), the first and leading Indian lobbying group in the United States, and the Hindu American Foundation were all founded with the close support and encouragement of AJC and/or AIPAC. USINPAC continues to rely on many of the same methods and tactics used by AIPAC when lobbying Congress – including, for instance, letter writing campaigns and donations to targeted Congressional candidates. The Hindu American Foundation is also looking to ADL and the Simon Wiesenthal Center for guidance in advocacy and lobbying. Emulating the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s work against anti-Semitic hate speech, the Hindu American Foundation released its own report in 2007 about online hatred and bigotry against Hindus.60 It also runs an internship program giving Hindu university students the opportunity to take their first steps as Congressional lobbyists in defense of Hinduism and global Hindu challenges. Other organizations, such as the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) have benefited from AJC and AIPAC support. In addition, the Indian community has emulated Jewish organizations at the grassroots level. India Community Centers, like Jewish Community Centers, offer a large number of educational, cultural, identity-building, and recreational programs to Indian communities.

[Riaz Haq]

Indian-American households have the single highest income level of any group in the country — more than twice as high as the general US population.


https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/articles/chazen-global-insights/singu...

Devesh Kapur discussed the numbers and reason behind the Indian-American distinctions in a 2017 guest lecture presented by the Deepak and Neera Raj Center on Indian Economic Policies at Columbia University. “How did the population of one of the world’s poorest countries become the richest group in the United States?” he asked rhetoricall

A professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania and co-author of The Other One Percent: Indians in America (Oxford University Press, 2017), Kapur said: “What we learned in researching this book is that Indians in America did not resemble any other population anywhere; not the Indian population in India, nor the native population in the United States, nor any other immigrant group from any other nation.”

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In each wave, the India-born immigrants benefited from “a triple selection” process that gave them a boost over typically poor and uneducated immigrants who come to the United States from other countries. The first two selections took place in India. As explained in the book: “The social system created a small pool of persons to receive higher education, who were urban, educated, and from high/dominant castes.” India’s examination system then selected individuals for specialized training in technical fields that also happened to be in demand in the United States. Kapur estimated that the India-American population is nine times more educated than individuals in the home country.


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Arriving with jobs and steady sources of income, Indians skipped the “ghetto stage” common to most immigrant stories, when newcomers settle in urban enclaves with other home-country refugees. Instead, the India-influx located close to their jobs, living in middle-class or pricier neighborhoods in techy communities, such as the New York-New-Jersey area, Chicago and Washington, D.C. suburbs, and the outskirts of San Francisco and Dallas. Almost without exception, they started families and primed their children to receive similar levels of educational achievement.

Selected for Success
In each wave, the India-born immigrants benefited from “a triple selection” process that gave them a boost over typically poor and uneducated immigrants who come to the United States from other countries. The first two selections took place in India. As explained in the book: “The social system created a small pool of persons to receive higher education, who were urban, educated, and from high/dominant castes.” India’s examination system then selected individuals for specialized training in technical fields that also happened to be in demand in the United States. Kapur estimated that the India-American population is nine times more educated than individuals in the home country.

[Riaz Haq]

Hindus and Muslims Well Educated in US But Least Educated Worldwide

Are immigrants in the United States or United Kingdom or any other host country truly representative samples of the populations in their places of origin? Are American Hindu or Muslim demographics comparable to those of the countries they left? A recent report done by Pew Research answers these questions with substantial amount of data on educational attainment.

Global Hindus and Muslims:

Hindus are the best educated religious group in the United States. They are followed by Jews in the second place and Muslims at number 3, according to Pew Research. However, both Hindus and Muslims are at the bottom in terms of educational attainment measured across the globe. 41% of Hindus and 36% of Muslims have had no formal schooling. Hindus have the widest gender gap in education among all religions in the world with Hindu women trailing Hindu men by 2.7 years.

US Educational Attainment By Religion:

American Hindus are the most highly educated with 96% of them having college degrees, according to Pew Research.  75% of Jews and 54% of American Muslims have college degrees versus the US national average of 39% for all Americans.  American Christians trail all other groups with just 36% of them having college degrees.  96% of Hindus and 80% of Muslims in the U.S. are either immigrants or the children of immigrants.

http://www.riazhaq.com/2016/12/hindus-and-muslims-well-educated-in-...

[Riaz Haq]

#Google Executives See Cracks in Company Success. Many are worried that #tech giant is suffering from its #Indian-#American CEO Sundar Pichai's leadership style. His slow deliberations feel like a way to play it safe and arrive at a “no.” #SiliconValley https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/technology/sundar-pichai-google....

The executives, some of whom regularly interacted with Mr. Pichai, said Google did not move quickly on key business and personnel moves because he chewed over decisions and delayed action. They said that Google continued to be rocked by workplace culture fights, and that Mr. Pichai’s attempts to lower the temperature had the opposite effect — allowing problems to fester while avoiding tough and sometimes unpopular positions.

A Google spokesman said internal surveys about Mr. Pichai’s leadership were positive. The company declined to make Mr. Pichai, 49, available for comment, but it arranged interviews with nine current and former executives to offer a different perspective on his leadership.

“Would I be happier if he made decisions faster? Yes,” said Caesar Sengupta, a former vice president who worked closely with Mr. Pichai during his 15 years at Google. He left in March. “But am I happy that he gets nearly all of his decisions right? Yes.”

Google is facing a perilous moment. It is fighting regulatory challenges at home and abroad. Politicians on the left and the right are united in their mistrust of the company, making Mr. Pichai a fixture at congressional hearings. Even his critics say he has so far managed to navigate those hearings without ruffling the feathers of lawmakers or providing more ammunition to his company’s foes.

The Google executives complaining about Mr. Pichai’s leadership acknowledge that, and say he is a thoughtful and caring leader. They say Google is more disciplined and organized these days — a bigger, more professionally run company than the one Mr. Pichai inherited six years ago.

During his time leading Google, it has doubled its work force to about 140,000 people, and Alphabet has tripled in value. It is not unusual for a company that has grown so large to appear sluggish or unwilling to risk what has made it so wealthy. Mr. Pichai has taken some steps to counter that. In 2019, for example, he reorganized Google and created new decision-making bodies so fewer decisions needed his signoff.

Yet Google, which was founded in 1998, is dogged by the perception that its best days are behind it. In Silicon Valley, where recruiting and retaining talent serve as a referendum on a company’s prospects, executives at other tech companies said it had never been easier to persuade a Google executive to forgo a stable, seven-figure salary for an opportunity elsewhere.

Mr. Pichai, a former McKinsey consultant, joined Google in 2004 and quickly demonstrated a knack for navigating a company teeming with big egos and sharp elbows.

In 2015, when Google became part of Alphabet, Mr. Pichai took over as Google’s chief executive. He was promoted again to oversee the parent company as well when Larry Page, a Google co-founder, stepped down as Alphabet’s boss four years later.

[Riaz Haq]

Amna Nawaz, Pakistani-American journalist bags big achievement in USA
As a win for the Pakistani community in America, Ms. Amna Nawaz has been named the chief correspondent for one of USA’s widely watched and respected news shows, PBS NewsHour.

https://www.globalvillagespace.com/amna-nawaz-pakistani-american-jo...


Pakistani-American journalist Amna Nawaz has been named the chief correspondent for one of USA’s widely watched and respected news shows, PBS NewsHour.

Earlier she served as the national correspondent, now in her new role she will also serve as the White House Correspondent. Amna Nawaz joined the channel as a correspondent and has since co-moderated PBS NewsHour’s Democratic Primary Debate with Politico in December 2019. She is also the first Asian American and Muslim American to moderate a presidential debate.

In addition to her new roles, Nawaz will co-anchor and anchor some prime time and other special coverage. Before joining NewsHour, Amna Nawaz had worked for ABC News, anchoring breaking news coverage and leading the network’s digital coverage of the 2016 elections.

Amna is the daughter of Shuja Nawaz, a former Pakistan Television (PTV) journalist and currently a Distinguished Fellow, South Asia Center, at Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think-tank. Before that, she served as a foreign correspondent at NBC News, reporting from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Turkey, and the broader region.

Asked about the effect of her being an Asian American woman on her career, Ms. Nawaz told Jade magazine.com, “Sure, in the parts of the world I’ve covered, there have been a lot of times when I’m the only woman at the protest, or in the briefing room, or on the military embed.”

“I’m certainly not the first woman to be in any of those places and was lucky to have the support and encouragement of female journalists before me who’d been there and done that.”

But she acknowledged, “I’ve had people make assumptions about me – because I’m a woman because I’m Asian because my family’s from Pakistan because I’m Muslim – but I can’t control what others think. All I can do is bring my whole self to this job, to report the stories as I see them, and try to treat others’ stories with the same care and respect I’d want someone to treat mine.”

Amna’s successful career
Nawaz began her career as a Nightline Fellow at ABC News. When the Sept. 11 attacks happened just weeks into her first job, Nawaz was allowed to work on one of the most important news events in recent times, which set the precedent for the rest of her career.

[Riaz Haq]

Lina Khan, the Pakistani-American who will police Amazon, Google, Apple as new US FTC chief
Lina Khan will need 5-member majority for enforcement decisions, but will have significant control over those who conduct the FTC's competition, consumer-protection investigations.
DAVID MCLAUGHLIN and JOSH WINGROVE 16 June, 2021 9:01 am IST

https://theprint.in/world/lina-khan-the-pakistani-american-who-will...

President Joe Biden named Lina Khan chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission, an unexpected move that puts one of the most prominent advocates of aggressive antitrust enforcement against U.S. technology giants in charge of the agency.

News of Khan’s appointment came hours after the Senate confirmed her for a seat on the FTC by a vote of 69-28. She will take over the agency from Acting Chairwoman Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, who has been a commissioner for three years and had been expected by some to be tapped by Biden to lead the agency permanently.

Khan’s elevation to chairwoman marks her rapid rise to the top of U.S. antitrust enforcement. Currently a professor at Columbia Law School, just a few years ago she was a law student at Yale University. Now the 32-year-old is in charge of one of two agencies responsible for policing competition in the U.S. The other is the Justice Department’s antitrust division.

“It is a tremendous honor to have been selected by President Biden to lead the Federal Trade Commission,” Khan said in a statement after she was sworn in. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to protect the public from corporate abuse.”

[Riaz Haq]

Pakistani-American to become first Muslim US federal judge

https://www.dailysabah.com/world/americas/pakistani-american-to-bec...

Zahid Quraishi, a Pakistani-American will become the first Muslim to serve on American's federal bench, one step below the Supreme Court.

Quraishi was confirmed on Thursday by the US Senate in a 81-16 vote.

Quraishi will serve on the U.S. Federal District of New Jersey, moving from his job as a magistrate judge in the state.

Although Quraishi received mostly bi-partisan support for his nomination, Democrats in particular, praised the vote.

"Judge Quraishi has devoted his career to serving our country," said New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, "and his story embodies the promise of America as a place where anything is possible."

Senator Corey Booker, also from New Jersey, recommended the 46-year-old Quraishi for the position. Booker called it "an extraordinary moment" in praising and downplaying the cultural significance of the appointment. He called Quraishi a person of conviction and patriotism, "who happens to also be Muslim."

Quraishi was born to Pakistani immigrants in New York City and grew up in neighboring New Jersey. He attended Rutgers Law School but after the Sept.11, terror attacks, he joined the Army as a military prosecutor. He was later deployed to Iraq in 2004 and 2006.

Quraishi later worked for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as an assistant U.S. attorney specializing in cases of public corruption, organized crime and financial fraud.

Quraishi's confirmation is being celebrated by Muslim advocacy groups.

Salam Al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council told New Jersey news outlet, Northjersey.com, that Quraishi should pave the way for future Muslims in the American judiciary.

"We expect at some point there to be more judges nominated by the White House and confirmed by the Senate," Al-Marayati said, "and we hope (the Senate) removes this barrier of a religious litmus test for nominees."

[Riaz Haq]

Biden Names Pakistani American Attorney Nomaan Husain to President’s Commission on White House Fellowships


https://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/biden-names-pakistani-...

President Joe Biden June 4 announced the appointment of 22 individuals, including Pakistani American Nomaan Husain, as members to the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships, the White House said in a news release.

The Commission is composed of outstanding citizens who reflect the diversity and strength of America while representing a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and professions, it said.

Commissioners are responsible for recommending a group of candidates to the president for selection as White House Fellows, a prestigious program for leadership and public service that provides young Americans experience working at the highest levels of the federal government.

Husain is the founder of Husain Law + Associates, PC, a boutique law firm based in Houston, Texas, that focuses on litigation, immigration, and aviation, according to the release. He currently serves as a commissioner on the Harris County Houston Sports Authority, is an advisor to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Ft. Bend County District Attorney, and is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee for University of Texas at Austin’s College of Liberal Arts and University of Texas School of Dentistry.

Husain has also served as the chairman of City of Houston’s Ethics Commission, chairman and president of the South Asian Chamber of Commerce, member of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee for South Asia, and as the legal counsel to the Pakistan Chamber of Commerce.

“These leaders represent the best of America – our collective character, creativity, and diversity. I am grateful these dedicated and accomplished Americans will help select and mentor the next class of White House Fellows who demonstrate exceptional leadership, unwavering passion, and a strong commitment to public service,” Biden said in a statement.

[Riaz Haq]

Pakistani doctors recognize the heroes of pandemic among them | ksdk.com

https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/health/pakistani-physicians-of-st...

T. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America recognized healthcare workers for being on the front lines during the ongoing pandemic.

"I think there's strength in numbers," said Dr. Tariq Alam, St. Louis Chapter President of APPNA. "One physician alone can't win this fight. We all have to pour in our ideas. Get the best from everyone and get the best solution for our region."


For the 250-plus members, collaborating across healthcare networks in our region was easy, Dr. Alam said. He also says it brought doctors closer to the community.

"We have many who have language barriers, or economic barriers," Dr. Alam said. "Basically being able to reach out to them, I think that is one of our highlights."

Member and St. Louis County Health Director Dr. Faisal Khan said there's not enough praise to go around.


"The only reason we aren't looking at a 3 million or 4 million death count is because of the selfless work and sacrifice of healthcare providers across the country," Dr. Khan said. "We owe them everything."

Khan said the work isn't done yet.

"I am very happy that nearly 35% in the St. Louis region is vaccinated," Dr. Khan said. "I am equally worried that 65% of us are not. We are not out of this yet."

Khan is happy that county leaders support strong health guidelines until we cross the finish line. He said it's going to take more community action before things return to normal.

"It depends entirely on how the virus behaves, on the number of people getting vaccinated and the spread of disease in smaller communities in high-risk groups," Khan said.

Until then, doctors say mask up and get the vaccine or encourage others to do so.

[Riaz Haq]

Washington: Pakistanis in the United States have stepped up efforts to maintain a close relationship between their adopted homeland and the country of their origin amid apprehensions that the US exit from Afghanistan can also jeopardize bilateral ties.

https://www.pakistanlink.org/Community/2021/July21/09/01.HTM

Recently, a Washington public relations firm Fenton/Arlook registered for a Pakistani American group under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) to “inform American and international media about the Council on Pakistan Relations’ desire for productive diplomatic and economic relations between Pakistan and the United States”.

Adnan Jalil, a former congressional liaison for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, also registered his firm Alpha Strategies as a lobbyist for the council, a Washington nonprofit group started by Michigan-based Pakistan-American healthcare entrepreneurs Mohammad Ashraf Qazi, Adil Jamal Akhtar and Iqbal Abdul Nasir.

They are lobbying for the passage of a proposed legislation for setting up export promotion zones in tribal areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Pakistan-Afghanistan Economic Development Act is a bipartisan bill from two Democrats, Senators Chris Van Hollen and Maria Cantwell, and Todd Young, a Republican. The bill calls for the establishment of Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s border regions to allow textile and apparel goods from these areas to enter the United States duty-free.

“As American troops leave Afghanistan, we have a strong interest in encouraging all parties to achieve a peaceful settlement and political reconciliation that can bring stability to this war-torn and war-weary area,” Senator Van Hollen said in a statement. As a member of the House of Representatives, Mr Van Hollen, a Karachi-born American, authored similar legislation that passed in 2009.