Pakistani-American Doctor Asif Mahmood, running for lieutenant governor of California, has pledged better education and healthcare for all Californians.
The Los Angeles-based doctor also vowed to defend rights of immigrants as he spoke at a fund raiser hosted by renowned cardiologist Dr. Tariq Shahab in Virginia.
“I support free community college for all in California, and I am for medicare for all, preserve the Affordable Care Act since we all need a healthy society, and fight hate as I stand for building bridges, not walls,” he said, listing out his top priorities for California.
Welcoming Mahmood, Dr Shahab and Ambassador Islam Siddiqui, a prominent American Muslim, who served in the Clinton Administration, expressed their support for the candidate for Lieutenant Governor of California, saying he is doing exactly what American Muslims should do – to run for public offices to serve Americans and in the process highlight the contributions of American Muslims.
Dr. Asif Mahmood flanked by Dr. Tariq Shahab on the left and Ambassador Islam Siddiqui on the right
Photo: Views and News
Dr. Shahab told the gathering about his long association with Asif Mahmood, and remarked that he found him a committed and honest person. Shahab urged all Pakistani-Americans to wholeheartedly support the candidate so that he is able to serve all Americans, and bring laurels for the community.
Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Siddiqui underscored the urgency for American Muslims and all immigrants to rise to the occasion and contribute meaningfully to securing a better future for the new generation. He said more and more American Muslims should reach out to mainstream America in order to foster a better understanding of Muslims and Islam in the United States.
Dr. Shahab and his spouse Reema Khan, a famous actress, arranged the event at a short notice of few days, gathering prominent medical experts, opinion makers, and community leaders on Mother’s Day. Reema also cut a cake to mark Mother’s Day and paid tribute to the efforts the Pakistani-American women and their friends in diverse communities are making toward supporting the community.
The event offered Dr. Asif Mahmmood an opportunity to take his message to political activists and community leaders actively engaged in the Washington metro area.
Sharing his own personal and professional success, Mahmood said America is a land of accepting and loving people and it has been apparent in the wake of recent bouts of xenophobic statements by a few politicians, who have targeted immigrant communities including American Muslims with a hateful rhetoric.
Reema cutting a cake to celebrate Mother’s Day
“When we went to the airport to aid visitors after the ban on travelers from majority Muslim countries, we prayed their and everyone irrespective of their color or background joined us in saying prayers – not that they were converting to Islam but they were expressing their unity with Muslims,” Mahmood said.
Dr Mahmood said he wants his children and children of all immigrants to live as Americans in the United States in an environment that discriminates against nobody and tolerates and celebrates diversity.
The Democrat criticized some Republican politician’s rhetoric and the then candidate Donald Trump’s views about immigrants on the 2016 election campaign trail and vowed to stand up for their rights as a Muslim immigrant from the blue state of California.
Mahmood has recently boosted his campaign in the run up to the November 2018 election with raising finances, with the event at Dr. Shahab’s residence adding another $ 35,000 to his campaign. Mahmood will be up against Democrat contender for next year’s election – West Covina, state senator Ed Hernandez, who, according to the Los Angeles Times, has already secured several endorsements from prominent California Democrats.
But Mahmood, who grew up in a small rural village in Pakistan, said he has all the credentials with a long engagement in welfare, health and medical projects, emphasizing that he had done more than many others holding public offices. He says he has seen first hand the struggles and travails of the average and less-privileged families and can feel for them intimately.
Dr. Mahmood is attending a series of fund raising events, being hosted by Pakistani-American associations and doctors, to bolster his financial standing vis-a-vis other Democratic hopefuls in the primary race. He has raised more money than his party rivals in recent months, something that analysts say might help him make up for his relatively shorter exposure to politics.
