Pakistani becomes US citizen serving in Baghdad

By DAN POMPILI

TheNewsOutlet.org

YOUNGSTOWN

A Youngstown man has been fighting to defend American liberties that he did not even have for himself until recently.

On Feb. 15, Pvt. Falak Mir Shafi, a Pakistani native serving in the 3rd Squadron of the 1st Cavalry regiment in the Army in Iraq, became a naturalized American citizen at a ceremony in Baghdad.

Shafi, 27, joined the Army in August 2008. He began his bid for citizenship one year later. His application was expedited through a new program the Army implemented only 6 months before Shafi’s filing. In fact, a New York Times article reported about the program exactly one year before the ceremony that made Shafi a U.S. citizen.

Citing a lack of manpower, the Army adopted a policy of expediting citizenship in an effort to recruit foreign-born soldiers. A primary reason was to fill gaps in medical, linguistic and cultural expertise.

While Shafi does speak Urdu, the native language of Pakistan and one of those the U.S. State Department specifically mentioned, he did not enlist as a specialist in either linguistic or medical fields.

Shafi’s native tongue is of little use to him or his brigade, since Arabic is primarily spoken in Iraq, where Shafi has been stationed the last eight months.

According to a fact sheet on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 extended all aspects of naturalization to all members of the military serving overseas. Before Oct. 1, 2004, members of the military could apply for citizenship only while residing in the U.S.

That Shafi did not enlist as a medical specialist also is somewhat curious since an aunt and uncle who live in Youngstown and both of his parents are all doctors.

His father, Dr. Mir Waseem Gul is a chest specialist, and his mother, Nuzhat Naheed Waseem, is a general practitioner who also teaches physiology at a university in Shafi’s hometown of Lahore, Pakistan. Lahore is a large city located in Punjab Province near the Indian border.

His uncle, Dr. Khalid Iqbal, and aunt, Dr. Riffat Iqbal, are pediatricians working through St. Elizabeth Health Center. They also own a private practice on Belmont Avenue.

Shafi said his aunt and uncle’s presence was a primary consideration when his family came to Youngstown from Pakistan in 2002. His parents originally were intent upon retiring here. Shafi’s aunt and uncle came to America in 1977 and were naturalized in 1983.

While here, Shafi worked as a front-desk clerk at the Comfort inn and Suites in Austintown while taking classes at Youngstown State University.

“He was very witty, always kept me on my toes,” said office manager Kathie Swetko, Shafi’s immediate supervisor. “He was pretty excited about going into the military.”

In 2006, his parents found that an unfamiliar place was not what they desired at their ages. They maintained their green cards and returned to Pakistan.

They returned for a visit in 2008, however, when Shafi’s sister Saher Mir Shafi graduated from YSU with a major in biology. She then rejoined her parents in Pakistan. That was when Shafi decided to enlist.

“I always wanted to be in the Army,” he said. “ Something always seemed to stop me from doing that. Then, in 2008, I saw an opportunity, and so I just put my head down and joined. I had no other responsibilities … and I did what I always wanted to do.”

After completing basic training, Shafi began his service as a cavalry scout, a position he still has.

Shafi’s job is to know at all times what the enemy is doing, to recommend actions to the commander and be able to carry out those actions which involve reconnaissance and weapons deployment.

“I wanted combat arms,” Shafi said in the military press release. “I chose cavalry because it is rich in history and tradition.”

Shafi, a Sunni Muslim, is not alone. He was naturalized along with 106 other soldiers. While no immigration or military agency could provide demographic numbers, a Washington Post article earlier this year said that more than 3,500 Muslims are on active duty.

According to the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest Recruitment Pilot fact sheet, more than 43,000 soliders have been naturalized while serving since Sept. 11, 2001.

Christine McKenzie, a public spokeswoman for USCIS, however, gave a larger number, updated this year, of 58,300 soldiers across the five branches of the military.

“There’s nothing better than serving those who serve their adopted country,” said McKenzie, a retired Army sergeant major.

Some, however, do not share McKenzie’s sentiments.

While foreign natives historically have served in or alongside U.S. forces, certain political-action groups still oppose the service of noncitizens.

In some cases, Muslims and noncitizens have filed discrimination complaints against military branches. Atty. Mikey Weinstein, director of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, says such discrimination is as omnipresent as gravity.

Shafi, though, says he has experienced nothing of the sort. In fact, he says his faith was one of the reasons he enlisted.

“All of these Islamic [extremist] organizations are abusing the teachings of Islam ... for their own benefit. Islam is the religion of peace, and they are spoiling my religion,” he said.

Shafi said he plans to remain in the Army. Among the new doors that citizenship opens for a naturalized soldier are the options to join the military police or to become an officer. Enrolling in Officer Candidate School is on his agenda.

Shafi said that was one of the primary reasons he applied for citizenship.

Shafi has five more months of duty in Iraq and says he plans to re-enlist when he becomes eligible in December 2011. While at YSU, he studied pre-law and foreign affairs. He is continuing his education while on duty through American Military University. Shafi is set to graduate with a degree in international relations in 2011.

His aunt, Riffat Iqbal, said “We are really very proud of him. This was his belief and his determination. This is what makes him happy. We’ve always told him to do well, and be proud of what you do. I told him he chose the right profession.”

Swetko said she and Shafi’s Comfort Inn co-workers sent him and his squad a package of items last Christmas, and she plans to do it again if he is still in Iraq this holiday.

Shafi said he misses his friends and family and wishes them well. For now, however, he is entirely immersed and gung-ho about doing his part for U.S. operations in Iraq.

“I will say that our efforts to give this country a better future are successful,” he said. “We are very near in accomplishing our goal of having a democratic and stable Iraq.”

The NewsOutlet is a joint media venture by student and professional journalists and is a collaboration of Youngstown State University, WYSU radio and The Vindicator.