Since Sept. 11, many Muslim immigrants have disappeared from public life.
But Ghulam Bombaywala figured it was the most important time to stand up and be heard.
The successful Pakistani restaurateur has stepped forward to defend South Asians and other immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries. He took over as head of the Pakistani-American Association of Greater Houston after the 2001 terrorist attacks and has used the position to lobby for improved treatment of Muslims at airports and elsewhere.
"What those 19 guys did — I can't take responsibility for that," Bombaywala said of the Sept. 11 tragedy. "But it gives me the responsibility to go out and talk about what Islam really is.
"We have to get involved in the mainstream, show our faces and do charity, so people can see we are part of Houston."
Few would dispute that Bombaywala ("Bombay" to friends) is part of Houston. Arriving from Pakistan as a University of Houston student in 1973, he worked hard and saved enough to eventually buy Michelangelo's, an Italian restaurant in Montrose. He then went on to buy partial ownership in a number of restaurant chains, including James Coney Island.
In 1991, the professional services firm Ernst and Young named him Houston's retail entrepreneur of the year.
Bombaywala also became involved early on in civic duties — the Boy Scouts and the United Way. In 1997, he formed the House of Charity, a group that has brought more than 300 desperately ill children from around the world to Houston for medical treatment.
All those efforts continue. But after Sept. 11, he has expanded his volunteerism. Through his position with the Pakistani association, he met repeatedly with immigration officials to seek improvements in the way Pakistanis are treated after arriving at Bush Intercontinental Airport.
But his work is often complicated by national and international events. Last week, officials announced that they had arrested a Pakistani, Kamran Akhtar, who carried what appeared to be surveillance video of landmarks in Houston and other cities.
But Bombaywala presses on, working to show people that he and the majority of Pakistanis care deeply for America.
"This is my country," he said, noting that he became a U.S. citizen more than a decade ago. "I have to protect my country."
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