If she can do it, why can’t we?

Nimrata was born to Sikh parents, first generation Indian immigrants from Amritsar, in a small town of Bamber, South Carolina, U.S.A, in 1972.  She was nicknamed Nikki, which in Punjabi means “little one,” a common nickname both in Indian and Pakistani Punjab, used for a younger female sibling in the family. By the time Nikki enrolled in school, she became Nimrata Nikki Randhawa. Her father was a biology professor at a nearby college; her mother started a gift shop. Bamber had never seen an Indian before, let alone a turbaned Sikh.

After finishing school, Nikki went to college where she met her future husband. Along with her studies, she also helped her mother in keeping the books. Their business grew and Nikki, after graduating with an accounting degree, joined the family business as chief financial officer and, over a period of time, helped it grow into a multimillion-dollar business. She is now Nikki Randhawa Haley, 38, an attractive young woman, married, and a mother of two school going children.

So far, the story of Nikki Haley may not sound very different from that of many Pakistani and Indian immigrants who came to the US in the 1960s and 70s, worked hard, sent their children to school and college and ended up doing very well for themselves in business or professions. But, where the story begins to differ, and becomes more exciting, is that Nikki is now seeking Republican Party’s nomination for governor of South Carolina. And, indications are she will not only win the party’s nomination, but will also win the election in November 2010. If so, she will be the second governor of Indian heritage in the United States, the first being Piyush (Bobby) Jindal of Louisiana who won that position in 2008.

Indian-Americans already have a presence in American legislature, with a sitting senator from Minnesota, Satveer Chaudhry, and one or two congressmen in the House of Representatives. In the current primaries, other than Nikki Haley, there are at least six candidates of Indian heritage who are seeking nomination for the House of Representatives from their respective parties in different states.

I have not heard or read of any Pakistani-American who is running in the primaries. For that matter, one hasn’t heard of any Muslim immigrant running in the primaries, barring perhaps an odd local council seat here or there. One cannot help but wonder why Pakistani-Americans are seemingly reluctant to enter the politics of their chosen country.

There are plenty of bright and educated Pakistanis in America. Many of them have done very well in their chosen occupations and are prosperous.  A lot of them, when you meet them in a gathering, would passionately discuss politics — mostly Pakistani politics back home. Their interest in American politics is usually confined to American policies vis-a-vis Pakistan or the Muslim world.  Like the Pakistanis back home, many of them would often complain about the "strong Indian lobby" that works against Pakistan’s interests. But they don’t seem to realise that the best way to influence policies of government is by getting involved in the policy making process itself, not by remaining a spectator all the time.

Those Pakistani-Americans who aspire either for themselves or for their children to enter politics, Nikki Haley has a good tip. She said in an interview: "I grew up knowing that we were different, but it's also the reason why I think that I focused so much on trying to find the similarities with people as opposed to the differences. I think there was a little bit of a survival mode there."

An additional tip: I would keep teenage children away from ‘aalims,’ both the online and offline variety. Last time I heard an ‘aalim’ exhorting that we cannot be friends with people of other faiths, I blocked all the adult channels on my TV.