How are Pakistanis creating a sense of community? Attend Sunday' conference in Albertson and find out

Arsal Ijaz says he enjoys helping people. That’s why he serves as the junior wing president of the American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee, and why he helped organize this Sunday’s youth conference.

The conference will host three forums, a networking session and a scholarship award ceremony. Getting young people involved in politics is its mission, according to the public affairs committee. The conference is free to the public.

“This would be the perfect opportunity to get the kids together, so we can all socialize and learn from the speakers who will be talking at the conference,” Ijaz said.

The three forums at the conference will be on Islamophobia, overcoming obstacles and the importance of voting.

The theme of the conference is youth empowerment and creating a bridge between Pakistani-Muslim American youth and the government. Panelists will include Assemblywoman Gina Stilleti, U.S. Federal Judge Zahid Quraishi, New York state’s chief diversity officer, Dr. Hirah Mir, and Connecticut State Sen. Saud Anwar, among others.

One of the panelists is Shey Ali, an Elmont native who is running for county legislator in District 3 this year. He will be speaking about the importance of voting, how to register, getting the vote out and the impact voters can have.

Ali said he has been well aware of the public affairs committee for some time and supported the organization, but he became closer to the group when he announced his candidacy. It has endorsed him, and plans to help spread the word about his campaign.

“If I do win this county legislator seat, I will be the first Pakistani legislator in Nassau County,” Ali said.
Ali grew up in Elmont and graduated from Sewanhaka High School.

He’s well known in his community for his Toys for Eid and Baby Formula drives. Toys for Eid celebrates the Muslim holiday of Eid, and last year it distributed 10,000 toys at Eisenhower Park, the county park in East Meadow. He was inspired to do these things by his own children — two boys, who are 3 and 1.

Ali reminisces about what Elmont was like when he was growing up. He wants to restore the sense of community he feels Elmont has lost in recent years..

“Every summer there were block parties going on,” Ali said. “Everyone knew who their neighbor was. It was a very close, tight-knit community, and I believe a lot of it has to do with Covid . . . But at the same time, it’s not just Covid — we’re missing this energy in our community, we’re missing this leadership in our community.”

This is Ali’s first time speaking at an APPAC conference.

“It’s a great networking opportunity for our community,” Ali said. “It’s a great way for the youth to see individuals who look like them, whose names are like them, to be in such successful positions. If these individuals can do it, they can do it as well.”

The American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee hosted two youth conferences in 2019 and 2020 at Queens College.

This will be the third year of the conference since the organization missed two years during the pandemic. Last time, roughly 500 people attended. This year, the room can hold 300 people, which the group expects will be filled.

The conference and the organization’s mission is about, “getting more involved when it comes to having a voice in politics,” said Abdul Rahman, the president of the professional wing of the organization.

Ijaz said he is hoping the American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee will only get bigger, attract more young people and be able to educate the entire country.

The organization currently has 5,000 members in its chapters in New York, District of Columbia, Texas and California. Of those members, 2,000 are in New York.

“My favorite thing is when the youth all come together, and we can all try to present ideas to the board about how we can do things,” Ijaz said. “To have the opportunity to get more youth involved has been amazing.”

The conference is on Sunday at 155 Searington Road, Albertson from 1:30 to 7 p.m. To register, go to Appacusa.org/Youth-Conference-2023.

The complete story did not run in the July 27 edition due to a production error.