GSI attends a lecture by Farah Pandith
Source/Author: Kurt Wahlgren, Social Studies Department Chair
December 12, 2019
On November 19, Shaherzad Chawdree ‘21, Brenna Dukes ‘21, and Rachel Ford ’21 attended the Tampa Bay Area Committee on Foreign Relations dinner. All three students are members of Shorecrest’s Global Scholars Initiative.
The remarks were given by Farah Pandith. Ms. Pandith was appointed as the first-ever Special Representative to Muslim communities in 2009, by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She traveled to over one hundred countries and started youth engagement initiatives.
Ms. Pandith noted the following points in her lecture regarding engagement abroad:
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The Obama administration focused too much on economic factors when trying to counter extremism.
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It is a hard sell to get Congress to support non-military programs abroad.
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The Obama administration didn’t focus enough on women and their role in stopping extremism.
Shaherzad Chawdree '21 (pictured, second from left) was glad to have attended the event. "I am very inspired by her actions as a female Muslim-American in government, and applaud her for trying to help the youth and educate the ignorant. She perfectly captured the difficulties that young Muslims go through when figuring out their identity and more."
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