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Nobel Peace Prize winner honored for bolstering human security |
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By InFocus News Staff
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New York – In front of a packed New York City audience on March 9, the Muslim Public Affairs Council honored Dr. Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, with MPAC Foundation’s 2nd Annual Human Security Award.
Following a touching video compilation of the extraordinary work, Yunus has accomplished, the Nobel laureate shared the story of the birth and evolution of the Grameen Bank, which he founded in the mid-1970s to provide small, collateral-free loans to women in remote Bangladeshi villages who were crippled by poverty.
“Whatever I have done, you can say it’s the work of a desperate person,” Yunus told the audience, after being presented with the award by Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati and MPAC Foundation Chairwoman Zubeida Khan. “If you can make so many people happy with such a small amount of money, then why shouldn’t you do more of it?”
Starting in the mid-1970s in the Chittagong district of Bangladesh, Dr. Yunus’ innovative approach has been exported to more than a dozen countries worldwide. Most recently, he helped launch Grameen America in New York.
The MPAC Human Security Award was created to recognize those extraordinary individuals who protect and empower the world’s most vulnerable populations. The inaugural award was presented to Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for his efforts to reduce nuclear proliferation.
During the event, MPAC leaders also announced the launch of the MPAC-New York City chapter, which will be headed by Naoma Nagahawatte. MPAC-NYC steering committee members Dalia Mahmoud and Shaheryar Azher shared their plans for their local efforts.
Special guest Rabbi Marc Schneier, co-founder of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding with hip-hop mogul and philanthropist Russell Simmons, shared his hope for increased Muslim-Jewish dialogue to break down barriers to mutual understanding.
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