Program Overview

• Original Airdate: Oct 2008

While in Washington and New York, Hina taped several special programs for future broadcast on Geo TV.  Below are the program descriptions, each show will be featured here at AAM once it has broadcast on Geo.

US-Pakistan relations

On this program, Hina meets with several leading scholars for a discussion on the future of the US-Pakistan relationship.  Guests include:

• Lisa Curtis, Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, focusing on analyzing America’s economic, security and political relationships with South Asia.

• Marvin Weinbaum, Scholar-in-residence at Middle East Institute;  Fmr. Afghanistan /Pakistan Analyst at Bureau of Intelligence (US State Dept);  Prof Emeritus at University of Illinois.


• Dr. Touqir Hussain, Fmr. Ambassador; Adjunct Prof. Georgetown University and University of Virgina and Research fellow at George Washington University.

Bapsi Sidhwa  - Pakistani-American novelist

On this program, Hina meets with the internationally celebrated author of four novels, Ms. Bapsi Sidwa.  Ms Sidwa is the recipient of Sitar-e-Imtiaz (1991); National Award for Literature; Patras Bokhari Award for Literature; LiBerature Prize (Germany); Lila Wallace – Reader’s Digest Award (1994); On Advisory Committee for Women’s Development (PM Benazir Bhutto) Bunting Fellow at Radcliff/Harvard; and a former visiting scholar at Rockefeller Foundation study center Italy.  Ms. Sidwa has taught at many Universities - Columbia, South Hampton, Rice, Brandies, Houston, and Mount Holyoke College.  Ms. Sidwa's most-celebrated novel, Cracking India (also known as Ice Candy Man) was adapted into a critically acclaimed film by Deepa Mehta, "Earth."

Marital problems/Domestic Abuse

On this program, Hina speaks with leading figures in the fight against domestic violence in Muslim communities.  The program aims to provide information and resources to those who may feel trapped without recourse.  Guests included:

• Mazna Hussain, New Voices Fellow & Staff Attorney at Tahirih Justice Center, focus on fighting gender-based violence in the US Muslim community; interned at WEAVE (Women Empowered vs. Violence) clerked at USAID; article in Harvard Journal of Law & Gender “Take My Riches & Give Me Justice” on honour killings


• Ambreen Ahmed, Dir. Safe & Peaceful families at FAITH (Foundation for Appropriate & Immediate Temporary Help); fundraiser & teacher at ADAMS (All Dulles Area Muslim Society); initiated guidebook “What Islam says about Domestic Violence”; degree in Psychology


• Shaikh Abdur Raafa, Deputy Imam of the ADAMS Center, Director of Al-Fateh Academy.

Pakistani-American views on the US Presidential Elections

Guests included:

• Irfan Malik (Democrat), Entrepreneur; President Howard County Muslim Council; Ex.Dir. National Association of Pakistani Americans; recipient of community service awards


• Zeeshan Shah (Republican), Customer Response Coordinator “Financial Industry Regulatory Authority”;  experience with Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (2001) in research and cross-referencing donor contributions


• Shaukat Malik (Independent), CPA & entrepreneur; social/political activist writing on Pakistan affairs

Muslim life at NYU

This program focuses on religious life on an American campus, particularly the Muslim student community during Ramadan, and also taking a look at the role of the diverse interfaith community in a college environment.  Guests included:

• Haseeb Chaudhry and Kinza Hassan, Pakistani-American students at NYU (President of the NYU chapter of the MSA and President of the NYU Pakistani Student Association)


• Imam Khalid Latif, first Muslim Chaplain at NYU and Princeton; youngest chaplain in history of NYPD; leading Islamic Center at NYU;  well respected speaker representing the Muslim community at UN, Carnegie Hall & many prestigious Universities.

The show also included a discussion with the Interfaith Chaplain’s Circle, featuring:

• Imam Khalid Latif


• Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, Rabbi at the NYU Center for Jewish Life.


• Rev. Susan Field, Protestant Chaplain for NYU and Baptist Chaplain for Columbia University.

And an Iftar and prayer at the NYU Islamic Center, led by Imam Khalif.

Man Push Cart

On this program, Hina interviews Actor Ahmad Razvi, the Pakistani-American whose first film was an independent film directed by Ramin Bahrani, “Man Push Cart.”  This film won awards at the Seattle Film Festival, London Film Festival, and was an official selection in the Sundance Film Festival in 2007.  Razvi was also nominated for the Independent Sprit Awards. The film is the story of a former rock star in Pakistan who moves to New York and is struggling to survive as a push cart vendor.  

This show includes a brief interview with the push cart vendor who Razvi studied from in preparing for the film, and an interview with Ahmad Razvi and his father at CoPo, The Council of People’s Organization in the “Little Pakistan” neighborhood of Brooklyn.  Razvi’s father, Mohammad Razvi, founded the non-profit in 2002 in the after-math of 9/11 to bring together the diverse communities of his Brooklyn neighborhood through various interfaith and multi-cultural programs, and to provide services to assist low income South Asian families.