Washington, DC - January 26, 2008: The most famous Bangladeshi-American, Mr. Hassan Askari -- a Bangladeshi born student at Berkeley College in Manhattan, New York City -- will be honored during President Bush's State of the Union address to Congress on coming Monday.
Taking personal risks, Mr. Ansari came forward to save Mr. Walter Adler and his Jewish friends from extremist Christian attackers. This incidence took place on the Q train in New York City on the night of December 7, 2007.
Hassan has received numerous honors from officials in New York and US Congress. The State of the Union feature is the first time for any Bangladeshi-American. The community is excited by all the recognitions Hassan has received and the positive attention on the community this has brought. Hassan's natural reaction to the situation on December 7th represents the general goodness of Bangladeshis and Bangladeshi-Americans.
Until Hassan's recent fame, the most famous Bangladeshi-American has been the late Dr. Fazlur Rahman Khan (
http://www.bafi.org/awards/fazlur_rahman_khan.asp), who is the father of tall buildings in the US and around the world. Bangladeshi-Americans are relatively new in the US, are highly educated and making important contributions in science and technology (see http://www.bafi.org/community/community_profiles.asp). Hassan represents the human side of our community and is undoubtedly the most widely known Bangladeshi-American. He is a role model for young people all over the world.
We are proud of Hassan, encourage everyone to watch him being honored on Monday, and wish him a bright future involving more honor for himself and our community.
