He was a 15-year-old when he came to the United States with just $15 in his pocket. Now Frank Islam is a business tycoon, a sought-after entrepreneur, philanthropist, writer, education and peace activist who interacts with top American political leaders, innovators and intellectuals. He is a great believer in the power of education and arts. He also holds philanthropic causes dearly. Let’s see how Frank Islam does this all. Question: So tell us your story. What happened in the last three … [Read more...]
Articles
Frank blogs regularly for the Huffington Post and writes occasional columns and articles for publications such as the International Business Times and The Economic Times of India.
Frank writes on a wide variety of topics that are critical to shaping the future of America and the American dream and to making the United States and the world a better place. These include: Business; education; poverty and inequality; politics and public policy; immigration; manufacturing; innovation; leadership; citizenship; and social commentary.
Frank’s most recent blogs are highlighted on this page. To read other blogs or articles by Frank, click on the categories or publications links on the left.
Article by Radiance on getting Ross Masood Award
Grassley-Durbin law could kill Indian IT’s model
The battle over H-1B and L-1 reignited on Capitol Hill earlier this month, when two influential senators and long-term critics of the two visa programs introduced a new bill in the US Senate, calling to end their "abuses and protect American and foreign workers from exploitation”. The 'H-1B and L-1 Visa Reforms Act of 2015’, introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley - chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee - and Dick Durbin - the chamber’s Democratic Whip - would ban companies from hiring … [Read more...]
Let’s Make Black Friday Thankful Friday
Over the past several years, Black Friday has become more important for some than Thanksgiving. Commercial interests and retailers have appropriated and transformed this once sleepy day after Thanksgiving into 24 hours of shopping gone wild. Stores open early, crowds queue up in line and on-line in search of bargains, and merchants measure much of their success for the holiday season by the sales racked up in this single day. One might say that's the American way. That could be. But, we … [Read more...]
Empower Indian Muslims with Education
WASHINGTON: Expressing sadness at the educational plight of Indian Muslims, an Indian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist has called for the community's active participation in India's inclusive economic growth. "India's Muslims must be active participant in shaping the future of India's inclusive economic growth. They must be partner in India's prosperity," said Frank Islam in a keynote address to the Aligarh Alumni Association Inc. New York (AAANY). "When they succeed, ALL of us … [Read more...]
Philanthropist Frank Islam presented the Sir Ross Masood Lifetime Achievement Award
The Aligarh Alumni Association of New York recently presented noted Indian American philanthropist and entrepreneur Frank F. Islam with the “Sir Ross Masood Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Leadership, Education, Community and Public Service” in recognition of his distinguished leadership, community and public service and philanthropy. Islam was bestowed the honor during the seventeenth annual Sir Syed Day celebration dinner on November 15 in Garden City, N.Y. Islam … [Read more...]
Thoughts on Creating an Atmosphere of Communal Peace and Harmony in India
Over the past several years, because of savage and violent acts by radical sects, the word Islam has become entwined with terrorism. This is tragic because it distorts religious beliefs and defames its practitioners. More importantly, it creates great mistrust and a false divide with those of other faiths. In parts of the Western world, this divide is a chasm that will be difficult to overcome. There are places where there is little hope at present for creating an atmosphere of communal … [Read more...]
The Critical Need to Sustain Pre-K Gains by Closing the Educational Chasm
Over the past month or so, the ongoing debate about the efficacy of pre-K programming for children from low income backgrounds reared its ugly head again. The debate was precipitated by a new research study from Tennessee which showed that although youth in a statewide subsidized program had shown substantial progress while in pre-K those gains were not sustained. An earlier study in Tennessee showed that the gains had actually disappeared by the end of kindergarten. This follow-up … [Read more...]
Making the Digital Connections to Improve Education in the 21st Century
A tremendous emphasis has been placed in this century on improving the quality of and outcomes from education. The most well-known efforts are: "No Child Left Behind" initiated by the Bush administration; "Race to the Top" initiated by the Obama administration; and "Common Core Standards" initiated by the National Governors Association with significant financial support from the Gates Foundation. Although not as well-known or widely recognized, another primary initiative area has been that of … [Read more...]
Ben Carson: Should We Take Him at His Word?
According to the polls, Dr. Ben Carson is one of the leading candidates for the Republican nomination for President. His primary qualifications for that position appear to be his outsider status (he has never run for nor held a political office); his calm demeanor and soothing voice; and, his propensity for making outlandish and/or uninformed statements. These statements have been far-ranging but tend to be concentrated around guns and other matters that have appeal to the hard-core … [Read more...]