June 24, 2011

Shehrbano Taseer, the daughter of Pakistan's Governor of the Punjab state, who was assassinated earlier this year for opposing the misuse of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, spoke at MPAC’s Spring Banquet last Saturday, June 18, at the Hilton New York.

Taseer, who graduated from Smith College with a degree in government and film studies and works as a journalist at Newsweek Pakistan, spoke alongside Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Laila Al-Arian, a journalist and senior producer for Al-Jazeera English.

All three speakers emphasized the importance of working toward change and against those who want to stand in the way of peace and tolerance.

"The MPAC-NYC Banquet was a great success and allowed us to come together to celebrate and recognize voices of courage and conscience," said Salam Al-Marayati, MPAC President. "From Imam Shamsi Ali reciting Quran to Mohamed Tantawi signing the national anthem, it was a memorable event that showed that MPAC and the New York community are committed to one another.”

Nineteen delegates of MPAC's first Young Leaders Media Summit in NYC that was held last week also attended, received certificates and spoke about all they were able to see from visiting the CNN newsroom to having a one-on-one meeting with NBC anchor Lester Holt.

Undergraduate and graduate students traveled to New York from around the country to get a first-hand look at the news industry. The delegates  met with prominent reporters and editors at NBC, the Wall Street Journal and Columbia University School of Journalism to discuss the media industry and its current influence on the world.

-- Nika Najafova
(nika@mpac.org)
Communications Intern