Rep. Chu Announces Local Muslim Leader as 2016 State of the Union Guest

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) announced today that Mr. Adnan Khan will be her guest at the 2016 State of the Union. Adnan Khan is the past president of the Council of Pakistan American Affairs (COPAA) and is a business leader in the San Gabriel Valley, owning several small businesses. Rep. Chu released the following statement:

“I am honored to be joined by Mr. Adnan Khan, a proud Muslim American and an outstanding leader in Southern California. The State of the Union is an opportunity to showcase what is best about the country and lay out what must be improved. To me, one of the most obvious answers to both is our treatment of immigrants and minorities.

“The diversity of our nation drives our economy and forms stronger, more dynamic communities. That is why I have been so deeply troubled by the increased amount of xenophobia and anti-Muslim rhetoric we have been hearing. The fear mongering against Muslims in particular is dangerous and un-American. Thanks to the hate speech being espoused in even our national political conversations, hate crimes against Muslims are on the rise. And there are even proposals to codify prejudice into ill-conceived laws targeting Muslim immigrants and others.

“As former head of the Council of Pakistan American Affairs, Mr. Khan has played a leading role in bridging the gap between our different communities. That spirit of strengthening communities by embracing diversity is exactly what we need to keep the state of our union strong and growing stronger. My invitation to Mr. Khan is in recognition not only of that experience in building community relations, but also that xenophobia and racism have no place in our country.”