Shaping policy, inspiring change
Dedicated to public service with a focus on mobilising diverse stakeholders to address the needs of women, minorities, and economically under-resourced communities, Dr Sadaf Jaffer is a transformative leader with 20 years of public engagement, higher education and government expertise.
As an assemblywoman representing New Jersey's (NJ) 16th Legislative District, Jaffer advocates for the best interests of NJ's 9.2 million residents with special attention to her district’s 230,000 constituents. She has championed increased funding for 9-1-1 call centres, teen suicide prevention, public health infrastructure, and translation services.
While her legislative accomplishments include the College Mental Health Services Act, New Jersey Child Tax Credit, laws on election integrity, transportation, reproductive healthcare, and gun safety, she bolstered representation for women and minorities in politics as the first Asian-American woman and the first Muslim American to serve in the New Jersey Legislature.
Prior to joining the legislature, Jaffer served two terms as mayor of Montgomery Township, NJ. She got her start in politics when she ran for local office in 2017 and won, becoming the first and only Democrat on the local government in Montgomery. In January 2019, she became the first South Asian-American woman to serve as mayor in NJ and the first Muslim woman mayor of a municipality in the US. And if that’s not enough on her plate, Jaffer is also a researcher and lecturer at Princeton University, where she teaches courses on South Asian, Islamic, and Asian-American Studies.
MY: Please introduce yourself and your family.
SJ: I was born in Chicago. My mother is from Karachi, and I belong to a Khoja family from Kachchh, India. I often visited my grandparents in Karachi.
MY: Tell us about your PhD?
SJ: I did my bachelors in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and my PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilisations from Harvard University with a secondary field in Studies of Women, Gender and Sexuality.
MY: When and how did you motivate yourself for being the first South Asian-American to serve as mayor in NJ and the first Muslim woman mayor of a municipality in the US?
SJ: I was not happy with the officials and politicians because they were not doing the right stuff, nor with the small representation of women in the US politics. In 2019, US ranked 75th out of 193 countries, according to data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union. I decided that if I wanted to see women run government offices, why not start at home? I thought should begin with myself. I never thought that I could be the first South Asian woman in the US and the first woman in NJ to br a part of legislature, politics and governance.
MY: What are you doing to make the Pakistani community safe from gun violence?
SJ: Unfortunately, this is a big issue but laws differ between states. NJ has some of the strongest gun safety laws in the country. I continue to work on legislation for gun safety, permits and licensing for gun ownership and to make sure that any gun brought from another state to NJ is registered here. We don’t want to allow people with a history of violence or harassment to have access to guns. We are working on potentially raising the age of purchasing guns from 18 years of age to 21 years, because research shows that a lot of the violence is acutely conducted by young men between 18 and 21.
MY: How do you see Islamophobia in the US and what are you doing for exemplary relations between the Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities?
SJ: Unfortunately, Islamophobia does exist in the US. I am working at community level to address all forms of hate. When there is an incident in my town, I host a meeting to express sadness and share the pain because that’s the only way to move forward. An attack on any community is strongly condemned.
MY: How do you serve the needs of Muslims and Pakistanis as communities in the US?
SJ: I know that the biggest concerns of these communities are health, education and quality governance so I focus on these issues.
MY:Tell us about your work on mental health services?
SJ: I think it is important to have mental health training and awareness for young people, especially in regard to suicide prevention. I am also working on getting a special budget allotment for NJ for this specific purpose.
MY: You served two terms as mayor of Montgomery Township, and NJ. How was the life of the Muslim community before you became the mayor?
SJ: When I became the Mayor of Montgomery Township which has 12,000 Muslims, about 1.2 percent of the county's total population, we introduced some new ideas. An iftar was arranged for them in Montgomery in 2019 which proved to be a great opportunity for people to meet each other. Prior to that, they kept a low-profile and were not involved in government and politics.
MY: How do you motivate South Asian-American Muslim women to get involved in government and politics and work for the general public, the Muslim community and other minorities?
SJ: The best way to get involved in politics is to start working on campaigns and volunteer for people who are running for the government, because in this way you can get an awareness of what issues need to be tackled. The purpose of my voice is to connect people to work for other people and connect them with local political parties.
MY: How do you see the political relations between the US and Pakistan? Is there common ground or a common goal?
SJ: I certainly believe that cooperation is a better way to move forward instead ofconflict. Look at the example of European Union (EU) and European countries that had so much conflict and war previously, but they have been able to work together and their relations are lot better now. They have realised that by forming the EU and working together, there are so many economic benefits. It gives me a lot of hope that working together in partnerships can lead to betterment and resolve a lot of issues.
MY: How can gender imbalance be managed in Pakistan or in South-Asian countries?
SJ: I support all perspectives of the Aurat March movement. I think the first step is to invest in girls’ education followed by providing work place opportunities and addressing work place harassment. This work should be done parallel and not in a sequence. Violence against women is a big challenge in South Asia and the state must safeguard women’s rights.
MY: How can India and Pakistan improve their relations and solve core issues for the betterment of both nations?
SJ: It is a dream that India and Pakistan work together, following the pattern of EU. It is the most logical and sensible thing to do for economic benefit.
MY: Who is/are your favourite Muslim or non-Muslim women in history?
SJ: We should try and reclaim our past glory but the best way is to move forward for which everyone must respect each other because that is what human rights is all about. We must ensure that our society is based on equality.
MY: Which book are you working on nowadays?
SJ: I am working on a book by Ismat Chughtai. I find her very inspiring as she has addressed social challenges of her times that are still relevant today especially in South-Asian society.
MY: What kind of books do you read?
SJ: I enjoy reading novels and a variety of books. I enjoyed Kaghzi Hai Pairahan by Ismat Chughtai and a powerful book called Shadow lines by Amitav Ghosh. In my leisure time I watch movies, spend time with friends, get coffee and go to book stores.
MY: Your work is high pressure, high stress and hectic, so how do you deal with anxiety and stress?
SJ: I don’t think that I have a very good balance actually and there is stress and anxiety. Also, I get obsessive about trying to do all my work until it is out of the way. But I understand we must take care of ourselves so I try and spend time with my daughter and husband, my parents and my brothers. I do try to find time for a walk or exercise. On Mondays and Thursdays, I work for the government, Wednesdays and Fridays I teach, and Tuesday is for research. If you are in politics, you have to be at a lot of events in the evenings and on the weekends. So, like everyone else in the modern world, I’m juggling.
Murad Yusufzai is a freelance contributor
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