Pakistanis in America!
Abida Rahmani
Pakistanis in America
By-Abida Rahmani
According to a rough estimate, approximately 650,000 people of Pakistani origin are living in the USA. They are from all over the Pakistan. Most of the Pakistani origin immigrants are settled in big, populous cities, like New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Washington DC. How ever they are scattered through all the USA. Even quite a few people of Pakistani origin could be found in small towns, they are dispersed all across the United States. Pakistanis in America are generally educated and affluent. So the average Pakistani in America is likely to be more affluent than the average American in America. Part of the reason for that is the way Pakistanis came to the U.S. is for education. There are highly skilled and highly qualified and then there are so many blue collar workers, cab drivers, truck drivers, waiters and technicians. Some of them work even in Casinos and nightclubs however all of them belong to educated class.
The statistics show that Immigrants from the areas that are now part of Pakistan have been migrating to America and first entered the United States as early as the eighteenth century, working in agriculture, logging, and mining in the western states of California, Oregon, and Washington. We know that a lot many of Afghans or Pathans and Sikhs were brought to work on the highways and subways. The passage of the Luce-Celler Act of 1946 allowed these immigrants to acquire US citizenship through naturalization. Between 1947 and 1965, only 2,500 Pakistani immigrants entered the United States; most of them were students who chose to settle in the United States after graduating from American universities, according to reports from the Immigration and Naturalization Service. This marked the beginning of a distinct 'Pakistani' community in America. However after President Lyndon Johnson signed the INS Act of 1965 into law, eliminating per-country immigration quotas and introducing immigration on the basis of professional experience and education, the number of Pakistanis immigrating to USA increased dramatically. Since then, many Pakistani foreign born have entered the United States via family-reunification provisions, diversifying the socioeconomic and educational profile of the Pakistani immigrant population. By 1990, the U.S. Census bureau indicated that there were about 100,000 Pakistani Americans in the United States and by 2005 their population had grown to 210,000. Between 1997 and 2006, 137,963 Pakistani-born immigrants obtained permanent residence in the United States. The Pakistani-born accounted for 1.4 percent (or 17,418) of the total 1.27 million immigrants who received lawful permanent residence in 2006
The Pakistani American community is a more recent community. They came usually individually or as families, not as communities. In Europe, on the other hand, they came at an earlier stage. Many of them came as refugees, which mean that entire communities were moved, and when communities move they go and set up other communities. Part of the difference there is that you find concentrations of Pakistanis in Europe and particularly in the U.K., whereas you do not in the United States.
The U.S. has a much longer and deeper history of immigration and assimilation because it is a country of immigrants. USA is generally called a melting pot where the European immigrants got assimilated because most of their ethics, culture and values were same. Then blacks and Latinos came. Even these races have a diversity of their own cultures, language, accent and dialects but in general they assimilated in the American culture and society.
If we look at Pakistani Americans, in jobs, in education and in workplace they are not behind any community. They are quite hard working, dutiful, peaceful and mind their own businesses. there may be a 10% who got assimilated in the local culture but those are unacceptable for Pakistanis living even in the US. Pakistanis in general are divided between Pakistan and USA. Because of their culture, roots, values, traditions and families back home. Pakistanis with them have brought their own culture, religion, traditions, dresses, food and life style.
90% of Pakistanis are Muslims and they are interconnected to other Muslims of the world living in US through Mosques and Islamic forums. Therefore they are part of a big Muslim community. Almost 50% of them are practicing Muslims, fulfilling the obligatory worships; avoid drinking alcohol and other sinful acts. Most of them are devoted families taking care of their kids’ bright future and education. Generally the Pakistanis are law abiding citizens not involved in crimes and other illegal activities. One can barely find a Pakistani name involved in these activities. After the incidence of 9/11 the world had turned upside down for Muslims. Hence some Pakistani names popped up as terrorists targeting American and other civilians.
Generally Pakistani Americans are skillful,educated, qualified, hard working, law abiding citizens and immigrants, contributing a potential share to the US economy and society as a whole.
Abida Rahmani
References: facts and figures from Wikipedia