LI Pakistanis raise funds for flood-ravaged countrymen

At Shaheen Sweets in Hicksville, images of the devastating floods in Pakistan play continuously on the restaurant's television.

Yesterday morning, employees watched as a crowd of men looked into the camera and pleaded for help. "We are watching every moment," said Mohammad Naseer, a restaurant employee. "It's very bad. It's devastating, it's horrible."

Naseer and other Long Islanders of Pakistani heritage have tried to help their countrymen since the floods hit, killing at least 1,500 people and affecting more than 20 million in the country. But charity and United Nations officials say response to the flooding has been muted compared to other crises this year, both on Long Island and elsewhere. "With Haiti, the phones were inundated," said Sam Kille, spokesman for the American Red Cross Nassau chapter, which has yet to receive any local donations. "We haven't had that effect yet."

Mosques and local Pakistani groups have raised thousands of dollars through collection boxes and mass e-mails. But group leaders point to limiting factors: concerns about corruption within the Pakistani government and the difficulty of scheduling fundraising events during Ramadan, when Muslims fast during the day and perform extra prayers at night.

In Westbury, the Islamic Center of Long Island raised about $10,000 in the past week through collection boxes and is working to find a beneficiary, center president Habeeb Ahmed said.

"It's very, very painful," said Ahmed, who is from India. "And I have a lot of friends who are Pakistani, and they are saying some crazy, crazy stories about what people are going through there."

Ali Mirza, an Elmont resident and longtime activist for Pakistani and Muslim causes, said he's raised about $5,000 through friends and family. "Right now, due to Ramadan, it is difficult to hold a fundraising event," he said. "We are collecting among ourselves."

Many local Pakistanis have tried reaching out to relatives and friends living in the country directly, instead of giving to Pakistani authorities, many of whom are accused of corruption and waste. "We don't want to give it to the Pakistani government," Mirza said. "Half of that will be wasted in corruption by government officials."

Aurang Zeb, a native of Pakistan-held Kashmir, who now owns a Hicksville grocery store, said he had spoken to friends' relatives about donating money to them. "I'm seeing how I'm going to send money directly to people," Zeb said. "The government's corrupt. They're thieves."

Nadeem Haider Kiani, a spokesman for Pakistan's embassy in Washington, dismissed the claims. "It is not a time for politics," he told Newsday.

Monsoon rains are responsible for the floods, destroying homes and an estimated 1.7 million acres of farmland - leading to fears of food shortages. The Associated Press reported many of the millions displaced are living in overcrowded government buildings or muddy camps, or sleeping in the open. Thursday, U.S. officials said they would commit $150 million for relief efforts. The United Nations says it still needs hundreds of millions more in immediate aid.

How to help

• American Red Cross 800-RED-CROSS, http://www.redcross.org

• The United Nations World Food Program http://www.wfp.org/pakistan

• Save the Children 800-728-3843, http://www.savethechildren.org

• Doctors Without Borders 888-392-0392, http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org