Pakistani-American NYPD cop to be guest at Obama's State of the Union address

US Congresswoman says Lieutenant Adeel Rana's presence will help combat the rising anti-Muslim sentiment in the US


APP January 12, 2016
PHOTO: INP

NEW YORK: A New York Police Department (NYPD) officer of Pakistani origin will be among the guests as President Barack Obama delivers his final State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday.

US Congresswoman Grace Meng, a Democrat from New York, said in a statement Monday that Lieutenant Adeel Rana will be her guest at the historic event "in an effort to combat the rising anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States."

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Rana, a naturalised American citizen, immigrated to the US from Pakistan in the 1980s. He is a US Army veteran and served at Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks as a member of the New York Army National Guard.

He is presently the commanding officer of NYPD's Community Affairs Immigrant Outreach Unit.

"It will be an honour to have Lt Rana at State of the Union and I look forward to welcoming him to the president's address to Congress," Meng said.

"His attendance will be a tremendous show of solidarity against the increased Islamophobia that has disgracefully spread across our country, and hopefully his presence can help combat it. I thank him for accepting my invitation, and for his commitment to standing against hate and fear. I will make sure the White House and Congressional leadership are aware of his attendance," she added.

"I am greatly honoured to be invited to President Obama's State of the Union Address as a guest of Representative Meng," Lt Rana said.

"I feel extremely proud for having received this invitation. As an American Muslim who has always been dedicated to serving my country and my fellow Americans, I see this as a wonderful opportunity to represent all great Muslim Americans."

"There are many patriotic Muslim Americans from all walks of life who love and serve the United States of America, including nurses and doctors who save lives of Americans, teachers who educate America's next generation and last but not least, the men and women of our armed forces and law enforcement who protect this great country. God Bless America!" he added.

Congresswoman Meng said the one extra ticket she was given would allow Lt Rana to sit in the House of Representatives gallery for the president's speech, which will be televised live. "The event will also be historic since it will be President Obama's last State of the Union address before he leaves office," she said.

There are about 800 Muslim uniformed police officers out of about 35,000, according to the NYPD Muslim Officers Society. Of those, about 20 are higher ranked officials.

COMMENTS (4)

M N Humayun Sheikh | 8 years ago | Reply U.S.A., and CANADA, both good neighbours are also Lands of Immigrants: whether white, brown, black, yellow etc. etc., and are living the same way as people in other countries. Here in U.S.A. there are few Racists who because of Their Own Ignorance/Bigotry are creating Trouble for Their or Few's Evil Agenda: Hopefully American People will fail them.
A | 8 years ago | Reply Proud moment for him and his community but he's not the only Pakistani-American invited: Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) announced today that Mr. Adnan Khan will be her guest at the 2016 State of the Union. Adnan Khan is the past president of the Council of Pakistan American Affairs (COPAA) and is a business leader in the San Gabriel Valley, owning several small businesses. Rep. Chu released the following statement: “I am honored to be joined by Mr. Adnan Khan, a proud Muslim American and an outstanding leader in Southern California. The State of the Union is an opportunity to showcase what is best about the country and lay out what must be improved. To me, one of the most obvious answers to both is our treatment of immigrants and minorities. “The diversity of our nation drives our economy and forms stronger, more dynamic communities. That is why I have been so deeply troubled by the increased amount of xenophobia and anti-Muslim rhetoric we have been hearing. The fear mongering against Muslims in particular is dangerous and un-American. Thanks to the hate speech being espoused in even our national political conversations, hate crimes against Muslims are on the rise. And there are even proposals to codify prejudice into ill-conceived laws targeting Muslim immigrants and others. “As former head of the Council of Pakistan American Affairs, Mr. Khan has played a leading role in bridging the gap between our different communities. That spirit of strengthening communities by embracing diversity is exactly what we need to keep the state of our union strong and growing stronger. My invitation to Mr. Khan is in recognition not only of that experience in building community relations, but also that xenophobia and racism have no place in our country.”
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