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Dr . Babar receiving an award from FBI Director James Comey
With his family in Florence , Italy
Registration System , and have my fingerprints taken even as a young physician . We talk about profiling not being done in this country , but profiling was done . I went to register as a legal person in this country , and the officer was kind of embarrassed . He said , ‘ Oh doc , I don ’ t know why you have to come here ,’” Dr . Babar said .
“ I have 9-year-old twin boys , and I wish I could show them the America before 9 / 11 . That was what society should be like . We were open . We were welcoming . Even after I registered , I thought this fear was a temporary thing and shall pass . Meanwhile , I moved to Louisville and had kids . I thought , ‘ Man , it ’ s not getting better , it ’ s getting worse . Maybe I need to play my role as a citizen '.”
A friend from Pakistan , Dr . Waqar Saleem , called Dr . Babar to offer him an opening at the medical school in Louisville . Dr . Babar welcomed the opportunity , moving to the city in 2004 with his wife , Suri . The two had met in Buffalo during Dr . Babar ’ s residency and were married in 2002 .
Once they arrived , Dr . Babar ’ s work grew in countless different ways . First , he completed a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine , followed by a Master of Science Degree in Public Health . He would also complete an MBA degree online from the University of Massachusetts . He took a position at Sts . Mary & Elizabeth Hospital then began his own geriatric practice . Soon , Dr . Babar was acting medical director at several nursing and rehabilitation centers across the city .
But he hasn ’ t let the studying distract him from the real job of helping his fellow human beings . Of that duty , he stays painfully aware .
“ I still remember my first patient as a resident , a 17-year-old girl diagnosed with lymphoma . After that , when I went back to my apartment I cried like a baby . Then a few months later , I had a 35-year-old with a breast metastasis , and I hugged her mother-in-law , and we both cried . That makes this a special profession . It keeps you humble . It keeps you close to God and your fellow human beings .”
The Babar family grew in 2007 , as the couple ’ s twin boys , Adam and Harris , were born . “ That ’ s when things changed for me , I ’ ll be honest ,” Dr . Babar explained . “ I was still happy in my little cocoon . Weekends watching football … Then I had kids , and I thought ‘ What kind of world is this ?’ We were seeing a lot of islamophobia . My family , my friends , we were trying to be invisible . How long could we live like this ?”
Dr . Babar recalled seeing the tactic of dividing people through fear as
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he grew up in Pakistan . Now in America , he had a horrifying sense of déjà vu . “ The beauty of America is that America welcomed everybody irrespective of their faith , their ethnicity , and then those people give their best to the country . The uniqueness that America had , we ’ ve lost .”
To combat the concern he felt inside , and the fear he was seeing from family and friends , Dr . Babar was called to action internally . As President of the APPKI , he guided local efforts to distribute and install 100 water purification units in Pakistan after a devastating flood in 2010 . That same year , he collaborated with interfaith initiatives to provide disaster relief in Haiti following their earthquake .
“ It was very humbling to see all these people step up and help . It reaffirms your faith in humanity when you send out a call and people are ready .”
His community service continued as he helped plan relief after tornadoes ravaged Southern Indiana in 2012 . Dr . Babar also worked to forge a collaboration between Louisville Jewish , Catholic and Muslim communities to build two houses for Habitat for Humanity .
“ That was a great experience ,” Dr . Babar recalled . “ Not only does service make you a better human being , it helps a fellow human being . And , when you ’ re in the act of service , you understand more about the people around you in a practical way . Just through that experience , we knew more about each other ’ s faith , traditions and backgrounds . It was humbling and very spiritual .”
In the last three years , Dr . Babar has worked to establish three non-profit organizations : Muslim Americans for Compassion ( to engage the community through outreach initiatives and educational events ), Doctors for Healthy Communities ( to help fight epidemics of addiction and childhood obesity ) and a multi-ethnic engagement committee that is getting off the ground .
“ That organization has been approved but we ’ re still getting started . The goal is to reach immigrant communities , help them integrate into
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