The US administration has appointed Pakistani-American doctor Asif Mahmood to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). He is appointed USCIRF Commissioner.
Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Leader of the US House of Representatives, appoints him to the key position. Mahmood, a longtime Democrat, is the second Pakistani-American to play such a key role in any U.S. administration.
Previously, Khizr Khan, a Gold Star parent, had served on the Commission from August 2021 to May 2022.
According to a press release issued by the USCIRF, Asif Mahmood is a practicing physician, human rights activist, interracial and interfaith community organizer, and philanthropist. He led the promotion of many human rights campaigns focused on South Asia. Mahmood was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from 2008 to 2016 and served in many roles on presidential campaigns. He is also currently president of the Organization for Social Media Safety (OFSSMS) and a board member of Hope the Mission, one of the largest homeless shelters in California.
The US commission is an independent, bipartisan government agency that not only issues policy guidelines but also acts as a watchdog.
According to its website, “USCIRF monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad; makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress; and tracks the implementation of these recommendations.”
Around the world, the commission is best known for its critical annual report or other publications highlighting violations of religious freedom. Their reports therefore alarm countries about what policy changes to expect in the event of a serious transgression.
Currently, the commission is headed by Abraham Cooper, while Frederick A. Davie is the vice-chairman. Other members include David Curry, Mohamed Magid (native of Sudan), Stephen Schneck, Nury Turkel, Eric Ueland and Frank Wolf.
Who is Dr. Asif Mahmood?
Born in a lower middle class family, Mahmood is a true example of a self-made person. He was born in a remote village of Kharian in the province of Punjab. To study medicine, he moved to Karachi and graduated from Sindh Medical College (SMC).
Since 1999, Mahmood has lived in Pasadena, a city in the US state of California. Professionally, he is a leading pulmonologist and doctor of internal medicine. During Covid-19, he played a crucial role in designing a strategy to fight the pandemic.
He also serves on the largest medical board in the United States of America. Across the state, Dr. Asif is also respected for not demanding payments from those without health insurance. He believes that getting health services is everyone's birthright.
Dr. Asif has also served the philanthropic efforts of UNICEF and many other NGOs.
Political career
In the last 10 years, Dr Asif has also tried his luck in politics. He was the first Pakistani-American to run for Congress in the last midterm elections. He lost to incumbent Young Kim in California's 40th District, but rubs shoulders with top Democratic leaders and key officials.
It became more evident when Vice President Kamal Harris endorsed and advocated for his campaign. In fact, it was revenge, since during the presidential election primaries, Mahmood had preferred to support Harris rather than Joe Biden.
Other admirers include former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who honored Mahmood by hosting his political event. It was another one-of-a-kind campaign event for any Pakistani American politician.
Others who endorsed him included state Governor Gavin Newsom, US Senator Cory Booker, Alex Padilla, Tim Kaine, Bob Menendez and Adam Schiff. Several representatives of the United States House of Representatives, including Greg Meeks, Karen Bass, Lou Correa, Pete Aguilar, Ro Khanna, Ami Bera, Jim Costa, Barbara Lee, Tony Cardenas, Jimmy Levin, Judy Chu, Sara Jacobs, Ted Lieu, Alan Lowenthal, Katie Porter, Brad Sherman, Norma Torres and Eleni Kounalakis also endorsed his candidacy.
He had previously run unsuccessfully for the position of California Insurance Commissioner. However, he won more votes than any other Muslim-American in the history of the United States of America.
Pakistan Connection
Mahmood enjoys good relations with the leaders of Pakistan's major political parties, including PTI, PPP, PML-N and PML-Q.
He is a frequent visitor to his homeland. Last year, Mahmood visited Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, where he met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Faryal Talpur and Sindh Governor Muhammad Kamran Khan Tessori.
Mahmood is also credited with pushing for the historic Congress hearing on Kashmir in 2019. The hearing was held after India took illegal and unilateral steps in occupied Jammu and Kashmir to change its status.
Mahmood was the only Pakistani-American to testify before Congress. He said, “Kashmirs are not alone and we will support them until each and every one of them gets their basic human rights guaranteed.”
This is one reason why his appointment to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom will attract attention in New Delhi.
