On January 7, 2015, when terrorists slaughtered 12 journalists at the Paris offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, my mind wandered off to Paris, Texas — a town often referred to as “the second largest Paris in the world.”

Why?

Because the mayor of Paris, Texas — a conservative Christian town — is a Pakistani-American Muslim man named Dr Arjumand Hashmi.

A seemingly apolitical student when he was in Dow Medical College in 1980s, he is best known in Pakistan for being the cardiologist of former president, Pervez Musharaf. He grew up admiring Mohammad Ali Jinnah, but after making America his home, he quickly found new role models: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Meet Dr Arjumand Hashmi, the mayor of Paris, Texas, who hails from Karachi, Pakistan

For the local Parisian of Texas, Dr Hashmi is just their mayor, and of course, their cardiologist. But as the maddening violence of Paris, France reverberated around the globe, I wondered how the people of Paris, Texas, who had elected a Muslim mayor, have reacted to the violence.

Why did you choose to run for public office?

A number of reasons. Like many other residents, I was not satisfied with the performance of the local council. We were losing jobs, and the local leadership was not appropriately addressing the attrition. In 2010, Sara Lee had shut down their production and 700 people had lost their jobs. In a town of 25,000, that’s big. Besides economy, there was a general decay that was obvious from the appearance of this town. Our infrastructure was old and falling apart. I had lived here and had a successful practice. I felt a sense of obligation. I owed it to the community, so I offered to serve.

"I am a Pakistan-born immigrant living in Texas, and people were concerned about my intentions. Some even asked if I would build a mosque or implement Sharia.

What type of obstacles did you have to overcome?

I am a Pakistan-born immigrant living in Texas, and people were concerned about my intentions. Some even asked if I would build a mosque or implement Sharia.

But the great thing about America is that people here are willing to listen. You can reason with them. For example, I explained to my fellow citizens that just like we don’t build churches with public funds, we cannot build mosques with public funds either.

I told them that I lived in America because I love this political system. This system is working so why would I want to change it? I also explained that if I wanted to live in a country with Sharia, I would migrate to Saudi Arabia. We adopted this country and nobody forced us to come here. I follow my religion, I say my prayers, but we live in the very same town. This is our town.

Why are there are a limited number of Pakistani-Americans engaged in public service?

Normally Pakistanis stay occupied within their groups. We are active in our communities and participate in activities such as the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA). We are interested and engaged in the politics of Pakistan. We are all working for our own personal financial growth. So our priorities are different.

But I believe the main reason [Pakistani-Americans] don’t run for office is a fear of failure. They do not want to lose an election.

They do not want to step out of their comfort zone. But it needs to change. This is our country, this is our community. We must participate in politics, ensure positive change for posterity.

My wife and I have raised our kids to be socially responsible. They are encouraged to participate in local politics. Of course, they need to pursue academic and professional studies, but that should not preclude them from being part of public service.

"I believe the main reason [Pakistani-Americans] don’t run for office is a fear of failure. They do not want to lose an election. They do not want to step out of their comfort zone.

Do you think being a cardiologist helped your electability?

I am sure it helped. Because I have a practice in town, people already knew me. But as a health care provider, I had a different relationship with the constituency. Patients came to me for assistance. But when I was campaigning, I was going to them seeking their support. Different dynamics.

What have you managed to achieve for Paris, Texas?

My goal and campaign promise were to empower individuals, increase people’s participation in local government, and practice an open-door policy. My administration has been open and completely transparent.

People were welcome to every council meeting even when it meant opposition to my point of view. I wanted to create the environment of inclusion. Under my admin, the local fire department was able to procure state-of-the-art fire trucks. We also secured a bond of $45 million to modernise our water and sewerage system.

I am proud to say that under my administration we were able deliver on our election promise of health, safety and quality of life.

Texas is at the centre of the debate on hydro-fracking. Where do you stand on environmental issues such as fracking and Keystone XL that can potentially go through your town?

I am for green energy; wind, water and solar.

Does that put you at odd with conservative Republicans? What will you do if Keystone XL pipeline has to go through your town?

I will study the health impact and also economic benefits. There has to be a balance. I will make sure that the citizens of this town are involved in any decision.

If you were the mayor of Paris, France how would you have responded to the recent massacre? Do you support freedom of speech unconditionally?

Well, I am not the mayor of Paris, so it is hard for me to respond. But the ruthless and senseless murder is extremely sad and must be condemned unconditionally. When Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) took over Makkah, he pardoned everyone. I don’t know at what point these extremists took over Islam. This is extremely distressing, and it is very sad that moderate Muslims are being held hostage by these fundamentalists.

So are you saying that you completely support freedom of expression and not the concept of blasphemy? Do you support the 1st Amendment in its entirety?

Yes, absolutely. I support the 1st Amendment. No doubt.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, January 25th, 2015

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