First Pakistani professor hired by Harvard

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First Pakistani professor hired by Harvard

(14 posts)

LetsDoIt
Member

http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=209546

I wish if our Govt. could benefit from such people but they are busy in the allotment of plots and hiding sugar from the people.

Posted 2 years ago on 20 Nov 2009 13:47 #
Anonymous

It is a great honour for Pakistan that such bright stars do emerge from our beloved land.

Posted 2 years ago on 20 Nov 2009 13:56 #
Anonymous

Good news but I dont think he is the first Pakistani ever hired in Harvard. There are and have been others too.

Congratulations to Mr. Khawaja.

Posted 2 years ago on 20 Nov 2009 13:59 #
zia m
Member

I think he is first to get tenure at Harvard.
Very impressive

Profile

Asim Ijaz Khwaja is Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. His areas of interest include economic development, finance, education, political economy, institutions, and contract theory/mechanism design. His research combines extensive fieldwork, rigorous empirical analysis, and microeconomic theory to answer questions that are motivated by and engage with policy. It has been published in the leading economics journals, such as the American Economic Review, and the Quarterly Journal of Economics, and has received coverage in numerous media outlets such as the Economist, NY Times, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune,Al-Jazeera, BBC, and CNN. His recent work ranges from understanding market failures in emerging financial markets to examining the private education market in low-income countries. He was selected as a Carnegie Scholar in 2009 to pursue research on how religious institutions impact individual beliefs. Khwaja received BS degrees in economics and in mathematics with computer science from MIT and a PhD in economics from Harvard. A Pakistani & UK citizen and US permanent resident, he was born in London, U.K., lived for eight years in Kano, Nigeria, the next eight in Lahore, Pakistan, and the last eighteen years in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He continues to enjoy interacting with people around the globe.

Posted 2 years ago on 20 Nov 2009 16:37 #
Ghareeb
Old-chechen

http://tyo.ca/islambank.community/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=763

This reminds me of younger generation of Pakistani-American, Ziyad Yasin. He was born to Pakistani father and American mother and gave one of the few convocation address in its history that attarcted huge response and he got standing ovation for his speech His title was "American jihad". And he encouraged young Americans to shun lucrative jobs at wall street and instead go to third world countries to help the poor. He didhis MD but said he will go to poor villages of Pakistan to help the downtrodden. Subhan'Allah

Posted 2 years ago on 20 Nov 2009 17:37 #
Ghareeb
Old-chechen
Somehow that link is not working at pppolitics although I can read that. Here is the full text.

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTES -- Harvard University student Ziyad M. Yasin delivered a speech about personal "Jihad" at Thursday's rain-soaked Commencement ceremonies.

The controversial "American Jihad'' speech sparked no lightning yesterday during Harvard University's commencement ceremony for 6,409 graduates, held in the pouring rain.

Yasin's speech, originally entitled "American Jihad," was criticized by some students and others who deemed it offensive and insensitive. After a public outcry, including an anonymous e-mail death threat, Yasin changed his title to "Of Faith and Citizenship."

Following are excerpts from his speech:

"I am one of you. But I am also one of ‘them.’ What do I mean? When I am told that this is a world at war, a war between the great civilizations and religions of the earth, I don't know whether to laugh, or cry. ‘What about me?’ I ask. As a practicing Muslim and a registered voter in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, am I, through the combination of my faith and my citizenship, an inherent contradiction?

I think not. Both the Qur’an and the [U.S.] Constitution, teach ideals of peace, justice and compassion, ideals that command my love, and my belief. Each of these texts, one the heart of my religion, the other that of my country, demand a constant struggle to do what is right."

(On Jihad): "The word for struggle in Arabic, in the language of my faith, is “jihad.” It is a word that has been corrupted and misinterpreted, both by those who do and do not claim to be Muslims, and we saw last fall, to our great national and personal loss, the results of this corruption. “Jihad,” in its truest and purest form, the form to which all Muslims aspire, is the determination to do right, to do justice even against your own interests. It is an individual struggle for personal moral behavior.

Especially today, it is a struggle that exists on many levels: self-purification and awareness, public service and social justice. On a global scale, it is a struggle involving people of all ages, colors, and creeds, for control of the big decisions: not only who controls what piece of land, but more importantly who gets medicine, who can eat. "

"Harvard graduates have a responsibility to leave their mark on the world. “I pray...that we will be the change we seek in this world.”

"(Jihad) is a word that has been corrupted and misinterpreted, both by those who do and do not claim to be Muslims, and we saw last fall, to our great national and personal loss, the results of this corruption.''

Yasin, former head of Harvard's Muslim group, caused a whirlwind of campus and national protest with the controversial title of his speech, which last week he changed, omitting the word,
jihad.''

"Where is our struggle, our jihad?'' Yasin said.

"Whether on our way to an investment bank in New York or to Sierra Leone to work with orphans, Harvard graduates have a responsibility to leave their mark on the world.''

Yasin received a standing ovation for his speech.
Posted 2 years ago on 20 Nov 2009 17:39 #
Anonymous

Good speech. Very nice.

Posted 2 years ago on 20 Nov 2009 17:47 #
quaidkamazaar
Member

when Syed Mustafa Kamal lectured in Harvard, I heard some people say nothing but that it is a zionist University!!!

when a Pakistani professor is hired there, the tone changes. as if MK was not Pakistani in the first place, as if MK never spoke for Pakistan's cause in such institutions.

Anyways, good job Pakistani professor, im proud of you.

Posted 2 years ago on 20 Nov 2009 19:46 #
sasherwani
Members

He is NOT the first. I have two uncles who taught at Harvard. One is in KFUPM KSA now and one has his own clinic.

Posted 2 years ago on 21 Nov 2009 8:11 #
toamin
member

Sherwani,

I think you should write to The News with details so that they publish a correction.

Posted 2 years ago on 21 Nov 2009 8:17 #
Anonymous

Someone said
Hasad ki aag sabb say ziada karbnak hoti hai.

Posted 2 years ago on 21 Nov 2009 9:54 #
truepakistani
Member

i agree the view point of zyad yasin that word jehad has been misinterpreted and corrupted. hejad in the hands of criminals defacing islamic image.

People like zyad yasin & Mr. khawaj are true muslims and doing jehad in education & reasearch.

i hope, muslims will concentrate to higher education & research which is true face of islamic idealogy/message.

Posted 2 years ago on 21 Nov 2009 9:57 #
Ghareeb
Old-chechen

Ziyad Yasin edited his speech after protests by Zionists at Harvard. Later he gave several speeches and is against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and supports the Jihad in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Ziyad Yasin used the word Jihad to tell others that Harvard graduates should help the poor not rich. Unfortunately Harvard grads overwhelming go for big bucks to earn. He lambasted Harvard graduates for going to wall street rather than poor countries all over the world. Please, don't compare him to Khaja as Ziyad himself left Harvard to go to poor villages of Pakistan to do his internship. He set a unique example for others to follow.

Posted 2 years ago on 21 Nov 2009 16:27 #
Shock
Members

Don't we muslim people have any other topics? Would we allow anyone to give a speech in favor secularism in our country.

Posted 2 years ago on 21 Nov 2009 16:45 #