Reference to the 1996 articled: What Can I Do?

 

My article

"What Can I Do?"

Published in Pakistan Link. November 22. 1996. p. 5.

had this quote cited in the following research paper:

The trend toward medicine is so pronounced that an activist, who advises his fellow Muslims what they should do in America, tells them: "Teach the children to be leaders in government, media and community. Don't only become rich doctors." 

refernce # 55

on page 13 of the following article:

Demographic Characteristics of the American Muslim Community

by Khalid Duran

https://archive.org/details/demographic-characteristics-of-the-american-muslim-community

Thank you South Asian Network

 

(34) Thank You SAN

12-19-96 by Fazeel Chauhan

To Mr. Hamid Khan, South Asian Network

I would like to thank you for all the help you've provided me through SAN over the past four years. For me, South Asian Network has been a place where I can come to and get the precious feeling of belongingness. There are many South Asian people, specially the youth, who are in the same predicament as me. You have been educating and teaching them about Career Development, English, Yoga, Laws, Health issues and Immigration. The greatest benefit I personally gain is through the group discussions on Immigration and Family issues.

South Asians are an extremely new group of people to immigrate to America. Here, we lack the roots or background of a historical presence. Since our numbers are very small and we arrived here very recently, we don't have proper political representation. There is also a lot of misinformation about our people in the media. Those of us who are Muslims are falsely and frequently misrepresented as terrorists who are violent and oppressive toward women. These major issues, combined with the stress of adjusting to the new country and culture can really isolate a person. The fast paced and unfriendly culture of Los Angeles also adds to the difficulties that our people encounter. Often we feel misunderstood, isolated, out of place and longing for a feeling of home.

Really, the only option available to us when we want to be with our community is through religious affiliation. I can go to the Mosque and pray with other Muslims. But there aren't any social activities that take place there. For example, no classes about American culture, English or Career Development are offered. There also aren't any programs like mentoring, personal counseling or group discussions. South Asian Network fills the void for these needs. Most people in our community have not heard of the important services that SAN is providing. It is a fairly new organization, but its vision is very critical for the progress of our community. As more people find out about what SAN is offering, the available funds will increase and so will the services to the community.

Many people like me also lack a family because we immigrated here alone. The sincere people at SAN have given me tremendous support. You have provided me with a lot of understanding through personal attention because of which I don't feel so lost and alone anymore. The volunteers at SAN, like you, give me the greatest respect as a human being. And this makes me feel like I have some worth and that I have something of value to give back to my community. In southern California, it is nearly impossible to find people who genuinely care about other human beings. Everyone is just too busy. But SAN has a different vision, and you embrace me for who I am, rather than judging me. This makes me feel like I belong here. Otherwise, I frequently feel like I am slipping through the cracks of society.

I commend you for having the courage and for taking the time to help our community. I also thank you for teaching me, for educating me and for genuinely caring about me. I am always grateful to you. You can call me to help you with any volunteer work for SAN.

Ali Haider Show

by Fazeel Chauhan

(Published in Pakistan Link  ~  7-31-95)

Ali Haider, Bushra Ansari, Bunny and Milestones have been touring together for the last six weeks. Los Angeles was the last leg of this tour. Unfortunately, for the artists, the end of this tour was marked by an unpleasant experience. The problem had to do with the financial contracts. This was one reason why it took so long for the performance to begin. Originally, the show was to start at 7:30. Then, in last week's Pakistan Link, the new show time was changed to 8:30pm. But it was 10pm when the curtains finally opened and Bushra Ansari took the stage with Allah-Ditta band.
I think you'll agree that it's about time that we as a community start being on time. As artists and promoters, we need to begin the shows exactly at the announced time. This is the promise that you've made. On the other side, the audience needs to be in their seats at the scheduled time. Another factor which caused the delay of this show was that many people did not arrive at 8:30. In general the attendance was low and I suppose the organizers were waiting for more people to arrive before they started the show. If the artist, promoter or audience is late to a gathering, nobody wins. We all lose. And what we lose is our most valuable asset which is time. It's about time that we discard the idea of "Pakistan Standard Time."
Bushra Ansari sang beautifully. Her voice is very melodic and her personality is very confident. When some men were making too much noise, she told them directly that it's better if they let her talk. I like seeing that positive power in women. Due to the low attendance, $10 tickets were not sold. Only $15 and above were available and this made some people angry. To ease the tension, Bushra told a good joke about miser husbands. I guess us men don't spend enough money on the women and we're miserly with our compliments too. I wish someone had taught me how to compliment a woman. So I have a request to the elder males in our community. Could you teach us younger guys what you've learned in life so that we don't make the same mistakes again? Teach us the practical stuff, not the theoretical.
Bushra introduced the stage band. The Allah-Ditta band had a bass player, guitarist, drummer and a keyboardist. They were good musicians but lacked energy. Some day, I'd like to see the Desi versions of "Flea" and Pete Townsend, jumping all over the stage. These musicians exemplify the celebration of life through their energy.
The next band to take the stage was Milestones. Unfortunately, the band's name was incorrectly pronounced and advertised several times as Mile Stone. Sounds like a rock that's a mile long. The audience didn't seem very familiar with this band. For me, It was awesome to finally see them perform and to hear "Candy's" voice leading this band. Wow. Things really have changed. A Desi woman was wearing pants and singing "Blue Suede Shoes." Her voice was very impressive and well-trained. She's the Desi "Sade." I'll bet that Sade was a great influence on her hypnotic and smoothly flowing voice. Even her hairstyle was like Sade. The best moment for Milestones was when the bassist was singing a rap song and Candy was weaving a web of harmonies over it. From the first time I heard her, I said that this woman is very talented and she will go very far.
Bunny took the stage and raised the energy in the hall with a few upbeat dance tunes. I think the bad dudes sitting in the back harassed him too much. I felt bad for the guy. An artist cannot give you his best if he's under stress from the organizers or from a ruthless audience. Us artists are usually the sensitive type. And I could see that something was bothering Bunny. Maybe he didn't feel enough cohesion with the Allah-Ditta band. They probably performed together rarely because Bunny has his own band. Bunny's performance was very good. Especially when he grabbed a guitar and played along as he sang. Bunny is a talented musician with a voice that has strength and depth. I talked to him backstage. He came across as a very friendly, humble and caring man.
Ali Haider performed about ten songs. Out of all the musicians, he had the greatest energy. He danced around on stage and got the audience to sing along with him on a few songs. Then he came off stage in the middle of a song. I thought he was going to say a few words to the rowdy guys in the back. But he went and sang to a few women instead. The audience really loved it that he came down and mingled with the crowd. Ali seems to be getting increasingly popular. He's also trying to break into the Indian market. Unlike many other pop bands, I didn't notice any stolen riffs in his music. What we need is originality and not copies of western songs. And Ali Haider definitely is original and very creative.
The show ended at 1am. The sound quality was sloppy. This was not the musicians' fault but had to do with the proper blending of all the instruments. I discovered that the musicians did not have a chance to check their instruments beforehand. And this is why the sound was not mixed properly. All these musicians were very talented. It is unfortunate that their sound quality lacked perfection and that they did not have enough time to show us more of their musical abilities.
When I protested the Gulf war, very few people showed up at the demonstrations. But a Raiders football game or a Guns 'n' Roses concert can attract 80,000 people at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Is there more peace in the world after either event? How can we gather people together and empower them to make the world a better place? How about taking 1% of the time at our functions to address the real issues of Muslims? Maybe a five minute speech on Bosnia and a donation box would've made a difference at this concert. What do you feel?

Community and Belongingness

Community and Belongingness

by Fazeel Aziz Chauhan

(Published in Pakistan Link ~  3-15-95)

We come to the United States in search of something better. In the process, we may gain a lot, but we are also uprooted. We lose many precious things, including our loved ones and our home. To combat the hardships of this new land, we need the support of our fellow Pakistanis. A strong community can provide us with the feeling of belongingness and make us feel like home.
The famous psychologist Abraham Maslow identified a human being's five most important needs as:
1) Physical
2) Safety
3) Love and Belongingness
4) Self-Esteem
5) Self-Actualization
To fulfill the love and belongingness need, we must have the support of our community. In our house, our family provides us with this warm and comforting feeling. This is how we define a place as "home". At home we feel like we really belong there. It's a place where we are loved, accepted, sheltered and nurtured. We have left our homeland - Pakistan, and have now moved into our new house - the United States. In this new house, our community can serve as our extended family to turn it into our home.
Personally, I've tried to blend into the American lifestyle, but often I am treated like an outsider. We may not be considered as equals, based on our differences in culture, language, religion and color. These are the harsh realities of life in the United States. Discrimination is psychological genocide. Such obstacles seem overwhelming if we attempt to combat them all alone. But we can face them better if we know that we have the support of a strong community behind us. This "community" is not a vague and abstract entity some where out there. We have to think of it simply as you, and me.
These comments are not intended to create reverse discrimination. What I am suggesting is that our Pakistani community can serve as our home base, offering us stability. We should be able to feel confident that we can always return to this safe haven. As individuals, we have to implant our roots deep into our community. From there, we can go out to succeed in the rest of the world. Otherwise, we are liable to drift away like a ship without an anchor. We have to start with ourselves.
There is an emphasis on individuality here, but there is also a lot of isolation. As lone individuals, we run the risk of losing our identity. We can become discouraged enough to lose our hopes and dreams. It can turn into a terrible situation, making our life here very difficult.
Under these circumstances, the support of our fellow Pakistanis becomes extremely important for our survival and well being. We need role models and friends. We should be able to interact intimately and bond with each other. Together we can form this united community.

Instead of pointing out each others' human weaknesses, we should focus on the other's positive qualities. We should embrace the common threads that unite us. We can overcome fearing each other and stop allowing our differences to create distances between us. It will be very helpful if we have an objective attitude and are more tolerant of other people. Our culture teaches us to be sensitive and caring. I appeal to you to use these abilities to get close to, and empathize with each other.
Life in the U.S. can become very challenging indeed. Therefore, the circle of a tight-knit community can serve as an essential refuge, where we can frequently come and feel at home. If each one of us does our part in helping one another, we can make this place our home away from home. A strong community can be a homeland and like a mother, comfort us in her loving arms. She can give us the feelings of belongingness and acceptance, and help erase our feelings of homelessness. Isolation makes us feel weak and rejected. Belongingness charges our batteries and makes us feel strong and empowered.
Let's have community gatherings more often, to preserve our roots and identity, as well as our sanity. More importantly, let's focus on the individual level. If each one of us offers their support to all the people they come in contact with on a daily basis, we can develop this powerful community. Let's offer our trust and friendship to each other. We can share a few laughs to ease each other's sorrows. Some times all we need is a few words of kindness. Let's embrace each other and unite in a strong circle of our community, where we can help and love one another, through the limited time we have left here together.

Police, Gangs and Crime in Delhi

Police, Gangs and Crime in Delhi
(A Neighborhood of Santa Ana, California)
Report by Fazeel Azeez Chauhan

A) Delhi, a Marginalized and Oppressed Community:

Delhi is a lower-socio-economic neighborhood which has a bad reputation of being unsafe. This area of Santa Ana, has an extremely high murder rate, and likely is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the country. The residents are afraid of gangs as well as of police, being oppressed by both. The community is angry at the police, and the list of grievances is very long. The quality of life is greatly lacking because of the prevalence of crime, police stalking, being unable to move freely, and gang rivalries. Opportunities of recreation are curtailed because of police surveillance in parks and even at funerals.

The discussion by the focus group indicates that safety and health are major concerns, including the common risk of getting shot or murdered. One of the respondents who is a college student, reported getting shot. A number of respondents personally know someone who got murdered within blocks of their homes. Some of the precautions taken by people in the community are to carry a gun, avoid going outside at night, not going out alone, and staying in the backyard, instead of being in the front yard.

Most or all of the people in the Delhi focus group seem to be of Latinx background. Four out of the twelve respondents didn’t say anything noteworthy about police, gangs or crime.  Seven respondents mentioned 90 crimes in addition to 49 references to gangs, totaling 139 references, which indicate a lack of safety and security. Thus there is a lot of fear in the community, which is exacerbated by police brutality.

B) Police (Brutality, Harassment and Discrimination):

Though the respondents mention police and cops 56 times, yet in 90% of those references, law enforcement is viewed as oppressive. Police are reported to be stalking, surveilling and harassing the community, even at funerals. Collective punishment is doled out, as the whole neighborhood is treated like suspects, as if all of them are criminals or gang members. People are searched and questioned on the streets, in the parks and inside their homes. Police can stop anyone, walking or driving anywhere, often without reason. When a police officer beats a person, he threatens to arrest witnesses if they get involved.  Police bullies, provokes, aggravates and escalates a situation. It seems like there is no safe place to escape the oppression of police. A person can get arrested for being in their own front yard, for going to the store or just for playing in the park.

Police assume anyone with jeans and a shaved head is a gang member. D-M1 who is a college student said, “I left this guy’s house, they [police] pulled me over, pulled me on the street, I mean for what? Just because I have a shaved head? You can’t just judge a book by it’s cover you know. Would they be doing this stuff in other communities, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa? I doubt it. You know, it’s just if you’re Latino, you fit the description, ‘Boom, let’s pull you over’”.  D-M1 also said about police, “There’s maybe one or two cops that are cool.  For the majority, the gang unit, forget it, man.  Those guys are evil.  Satan. They’ll just like, they’ll try to find anything on you, they’ll invent things, they say you look like some guy [known criminal]”.

In addition to being afraid of gangs, DW3 stated, “the police because like I said, they come into your home, or they stalk you, and take off theire guns in front of the babies you know.  They make you drag your babies out of bed.  They’ve done that.  They’ve harassed my dad you know.  They come for one thing, fine, even though they know that guy’s in prison or whatever.  Fine, they want to make-believe they’re doing their little job but then they harass your parents, you know, or something. They’ve done that you know in my case, you know.  My dad has gotten harassed, you know, and they don’t, then we try to tell ‘em are you here you know, for this, you know and that’s when they shut you up or you know tell you, we’ll take you to jail right now”.
            Police cause fear plus anger, as their presence means they will harass the community. D-M3 agreed that police harass young as well as old people, “They actually don’t care”, he said. D-M1 added, “I’ve seen them harass old people too.  You know.  It just doesn’t really matter”. Residents don’t have the freedom to have a party at their home, as the police require a permit for it.

            D-M2 stated, “There’s too much discrimination right here with the cops.  Cause like, you get fined if you’re playing, right there and, a handball game or something, and finally one of them passes by, they turn on his lights, go on his bike, and just everybody right there, and if there’s an open container everybody has to leave the park.  Everybody, it don’t matter, even if you’re playing, you have to leave the park. Yeah, and like they start taking someone in.  Couple, they start making everyone leave the park or they’ll get arrested. Too much discrimation in here”.

            About getting pulled over by police, D-W6 said, “It does happen a lot. It happens. Several times”. Getting stopped is prevalent, as D-W2 stated about the police, “a lot of time they don’t stop you, a lot of times they’ll take you in still, and you know, for no reason”. D-M1 added, “Plus they release you in another neighborhood.  You know, and if you don’t got a car you don’t got a ride home. You’re going to walk from Civic Center, you’re walking through F-Troop [rival gang], you're walking through Alley Boys [rival gang territory], you’re walking through all the streets that they want to kill us.  It’s natural that they’ll [police] do that.  They’ll [police] even tell you to your face, ‘hey you know all this information I took down about you?  I go to all the other neighborhoods [rival gangs] and give it to them.’  I had a cop actually tell me that. He goes yeah, ‘We take this to the other neighborhoods [rival gangs] so they know who you are, so they can smoke you.  Makes our jobs easier’”.

C) Crime:

Seven respondents mentioned 90 crimes in addition to 49 references to gangs, totaling 139 references. Their stories indicate this is a dangerous and unsafe area, where even the lives of children are at risk. Residents are afraid of rampant crime. For example, D-M4 said, “like burglary, robbery, homicide”. D-W3 stated, “I’m worried about the fact that they come drive-by [shootings]...Yes, I mean, they don’t care who’s out there you know, now even the babies are getting killed inside the house”.  D-W2 stated, “According to what I read in the paper everyday, even if you say you don’t belong to anything [gang] they still shoot you. So, [I’m] very concerned about my grandson”.

DM1 said, “People cannot be held hostage in your own home.  You should be free to be able to leave whenever we want without always having to worry that someone is going to break into your house.  So, that’s what I find, as far as crime, child molesters, [and] you got these junkies who are just breaking into houses and just stealing everything, you know, robbing, especially the elderly people”.  D-M3 adds, “The molesters, too, going around. We’ve been having a lot of that lately”. D-M1 said he saw a child molester near a school, “Right here, there’s a man on Goat Street.  They passed out a flyer [about him]. I just didn’t see it until our last neighborhood association meeting.  This guy has 288 convictions against children and he lives right here on Goat Street”.

For Delhi residents, it’s not safe to go out at night. They avoid going out alone, and go to the backyard instead of the front yard. Respondents have personally been the victim of a crime, or know someone close who has, including getting shot and robbed.

D)  Gangs:

Seven respondents mentioned gangs 49 times, plus 90 references to crime. Gang violence is prevalent in Delhi and the surrounding neighborhoods of Santa Ana. There are drive-by shootings where even children get shot. D-M1 said, “It just got really, really bad. People, I mean, well shoot, just maybe three years ago in the 90’s, awe man there were, like what, 182 killings [in Santa Ana]. I mean here, in just this varrio alone, man, in a matter of six months there were five people murdered, there was (name), (name), there was (name), what’s his name, (name)...We’re talking 6-7 murders in a 4 or 5 block area, you know. And talking about 3 months.  Plus, there was um, who got shot?  I got shot, ---- got shot, ---- (name) shot there.  I mean there was about 9 people who were shot”.  DM1 later stated “Now [in] the city of Santa Ana, you got, oooo, shoot, maybe 95 gangs”.

 D-W2 recalls how her grandson got jumped by three guys in a truck. They stole his gold necklace, and he got so scared that he stopped going to school. She stated, “I have a 15 year old and I’m also worried about him. When he goes any place. He hardly walks, the only place he walks is over here to the store. From there to the store, maybe to the little park.  But, even being at the park, I still worry. So I’m always calling my daughter, you know, where’s (name)?  You know, and she said well, he went to the park and he’ll be back in a couple of hours.  I’ll call back and see if Freddie’s home. You know I do worry.  But he doesn’t belong to a gang or nothing.  We don’t let him go out late”.

In rivalries, gangs mark their territory with graffiti and tagging, which can get a person killed. Responders reported that they don’t go to other neighborhoods which could be territory of other gangs.  People know many gangs by name, indicating their widespread presence, including Lopers, Delhi, Alley Boys, F-Troop, Dog Town, OBC, Varrio Orange, Small Town, Skin Heads, Arian, Asian Boys. There are also “Party Crews”, which are essentially larger gangs, like TFK, OTH and, RSP. The “gang unit”, of the police is seen as another gang.

E) Us versus Them:

The community seems to be under pressure from many sides. The point of view of Delhi  respondents can be classified into two basic world views. It’s a debate of “us versus them”.
  - Who is us?                                     versus                                     Who is them?
            - Elder folks                                                                - Younger people

- People who have lived here for many years             - New residents moving in
            - Home owners                                                            - Renters

- Gang in Delhi know us, we know them                   - Other gangs are the enemy
            - People living in the Delhi Neighborhood                 - Police

- Citizens / Born in the U.S.                                        - Immigrants

- Culture of American born Latinx                             - Culture of Latinx of other countries

F) Demographics of Delhi:

Females in group = 8
            Males in group     = 4
            Total                     = 12

G) Tables for Delhi:

                                    Table (i)

Themes	Total in document	Total from respondents
Gangs / Party Crews	73	49
Police / Cop / Patrol	68	56
Crime Total    (Types of Crime are in table below)	102	90

                                                            Table (ii)

Type of Crime	Total in document	Total from respondents
Murder / Kill / Homicide	34	33
Shooting	34	32
Robbery / Burglary	13	13
Assault / Beating	7	5
General Crime	10	3
Graffiti	4	4
Total Crime	102	90

                                                Table (iii)

Respondent	Police/Patrol	Crime	Gangs
D-W1
D-W2	13	4	4
D-W3	3	2	1
D-W4
D-W5
D-W6	1		1
D-W7
D-W8	6	1
D-M1	30	80	41
D-M2	1
D-M3	2		2
D-M4		3
Total	56	90	49

H) Recommendations and Improvements:

            To improve conditions, the respondents suggested job training, GED preparation and classes for teen mothers. The residents are looking forward to a community center which is expected to become a hub of resources, meetings, activities, and a place for people to work out their problems together. Activism of residents, is being encouraged by an organization called Community Leaders in Collaboration.  They are addressing community concerns and want the police to get to know them and be respectful. D-M1 said, “Until we become familiar with one another we’ll just walk by people like if we’re ghosts, you know, we didn’t see them”.
            To make improvements,  D-W2 said, “Well, we’re trying to get it together working on that for the community... All these meetings that we’re having lately.  We’re trying to get involved and get more people involved into the community. If we had more jobs for kids, they wouldn’t be on the streets. Because [when] they go and try to get a job, they don’t want them.  They say you no good, you don’t have any experience, nothing”. D-M4 added, “They’d be busy working and getting money and they wouldn’t be stealing”. Thus suggesting that more jobs can reduce crimes.

Some Backward Bored of Dictators (directors) of Religious Organizations

To:  TheLeaders @ Muslim Organizations

(The kind who don't represent me)

Dear bored of dictators,

Who give awards to people

"On behalf of the Muslim community"

Where the only representatives

Present at your dinner ceremonies

Are doctors rubbing suits with millionaires

I must have missed the Islamic teaching

Which says I should spend $100 for a meal

My money will make you guys rich

While in your own backyard and parking lot

There are plenty of homeless and hungry

With $100 I could feed at least

A hundred people on skid row

Soup or peanut butter sandwiches

You don't answer my letters

I don't exist for you unless you want my money

In the name of religion, are you pimping me?

If you are a beacon of spirituality

Forget about me, question is:

What would Mohammed do?

by Fazeel Azeez Chauhan

5-3-05