NRI chairs major US Muslim body

Parvez Ahmed, a graduate of India's Aligarh Muslim University, is now chairman of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).

An Indian-American has been made chairman of a major American Muslim organisation.

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Parvez Ahmed, a graduate of India's Aligarh Muslim University, is now chairman of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). CAIR claims to have more than 30 chapters around the country and its reports on discrimination have been quoted occasionally in American mainstream media.

Ahmed, an assistant professor of finance at the University of North Florida since 2002, replaces founding chairman Omar Ahmad.

"Following in the footsteps of a trailblazer will be a hard act to follow," conceded Parvez Ahmed. "The board of directors placed this responsibility on my shoulders and it is a responsibility that I accept with a great deal of humility and appreciation for the enormous task ahead."

"It is my belief that this change in leadership will benefit the organisation and the cause of American Muslims," said the retiring Omar Ahmad.

"The new leadership will bring fresh ideas to the table and invigorate the organisation with renewed spirit and enthusiasm."

Prior to his election as CAIR National Board chairman, Ahmed was chairman of the board for the Florida Chapter of CAIR and a CAIR National Board member.

He lives in Jacksonville, Florida, where he teaches finance at the university. He has also been writing editorials on issues of stereotyping Islam and Muslims, and his articles have been published in The Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, Miami Herald, New York Newsday and Seattle Times.

CAIR characterises itself as "America's largest civil liberties group," with 31 regional offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.