While growing up in West Punjab, in India, I cannot recall meeting any Muslim other than the art teacher in the boarding school I attended for five years.
What I knew then about Muslims or Islam was based only on TV, movies, and the printed word-almost nothing.
I could say the same for Pakistan, too, even though my mother was born in Karachi.
While I was doing my undergrad in computer engineering in Maharashtra and Master of Business Administration in vilayat later, I met, or rather came across, many Muslims. Nevertheless, these interactions didn’t change anything much for me. I still had not formed an experienced, a deep opinion about the community.
Until recently, I could never think of visiting Pakistan believing that its leaders and people are far from good and that a non-Muslim is hated and is not safe in the country or among them. A good part of my present 20 years in America only strengthened this belief.
Then, I don’t know why or how, things started to change my perspective and understanding about Muslims and more recently, about Pakistan. I wonder, maybe, if it was celebrating my first Eid in 2013 (the great food should also be given due credit!).
I am an interfaith activist here in the state of Delaware where I live and run the software business I started 20 years ago. From my interactions with local Muslims in interfaith meetings, I started to visit the mosques in the area on invitation during Ramadan or for interfaith meetings called in the wake of attacks against Muslims or any other faith community-locally or abroad. The horrific tragedies of New Zealand and Pittsburgh are two examples.
We in the Sikh community partnered with Vaqar Sharief, his wife, Uzma Vaqar, and other Muslims in 2013 to serve hot meals to the homeless and food-insecure residents of Wilmington, Delaware every fourth Saturday of the month, a tradition of service that continues today.
Over time, the relationship with the local Muslim community blossomed. For the last three years I have hosted an iftar for Delaware Muslims during Ramadan. This year I also participated in four others-three by local mosques and one by the New Castle County leadership.
During Ramadan this year, I shared my experiences with the local Muslim community in an op-ed piece in our local newspaper. I explained why Muslims need to be embraced and not feared or hated. They, I wrote, live, love, work, earn, enjoy and have families just like you and me.
My daughter started college last year in Pennsylvania. Her best friends there are all international students from Pakistan. During the spring break, we loved the experience of hosting one of them whose mother back home is a doctor and her father is in the army.
Unlike many South-Asian peers, I am not a cricket nut. In my school and college days I was a swimmer and hockey player. Nevertheless, as a result of my initiatives more than 13 years ago, Delaware today has two T20 tennis ball cricket leagues. In the season that just ended in September after starting in April, 33 teams competed for the two trophies.
My heart fills with joy and my soul with peace to see men of different professions and backgrounds, with roots in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, playing together on the same team regardless of international politics.
Guru Nanak, no less, inspired the evolution of my views about Pakistan. My wife and I wanted to visit Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib this year to participate in Guru Sahib’s 550th birth anniversary celebrations.
When the word about our deeply cherished desire spread, everyone around us with a connection to Pakistan came forward offering to take care of all of our arrangements from airport pickup to hosting to serving as tour guides.
Delaware resident Shafqat Bhatti’s nephew in Lahore went even a step further when he said, “We too are Sardars.”
“How is that?” I asked.
“I am Sardar Wasim Ilyas,” with the pride of a lion in his voice.
I look forward to visiting Pakistan, and I know we will experience the same love and warmth we have found here in America.
Insha Allah, I promise to share that with you after the conclusion of my visit.
The writer is an entrepreneur, columnist, activist and a cultural events organiser. He can be reached at [email protected]