Find the Article Here.
CNN News; By Rupa Mikkilineni
Published September 11, 2008
This article was written about a young designer named Ali Kahn, who lives in Lahore, Pakistan. He took online classes from California's Academy of Art University School of Fashion in San Franciso. His teachers spoke highly of him and said that he had true talent, which is why he was one of the few students who were selected to showcase their collections at New York Fashion Week. When he found out that he had been selected, he immediately applied for his travel visa, but was denied by U.S. and Pakistan governments. He also wasn't given any reasoning as to why he was not given a visa. He had to send his collection to New York to be shown without him there.
While I understand some of the reasons he was denied his travel visa, it still does not seem fair to me. I understand that the U.S. tries to be very selective with who they let in and out of the country and I understand that he is not a U.S. citizen, but a citizen of Pakistan. However, I don't understand why the designer was given no concrete reason for not being able to travel to see his designs on the runway. The Internet allowed him to be enrolled in classes in San Francisco while he was in Pakistan. I don't understand why he would be able to pay and complete all of the work that brought him to the point he was at, just to be turned down when he asked to be there to witness all of the hard work that he put into it. It says in our Constitution that we are all born with human rights that entitle us to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Would that apply to a student of a U.S. University?
I really found this article interesting because it made me think more about our human rights and who they apply to. It made me wonder what progress we are making as a country, if a fashion school student isn't allowed to see his collection at Fashion Week. Since there was no reason given, I know that I can't assume or conclude why he wasn't allowed a travel visa, but it still makes me wonder about who is given all of their human rights, and who isn't.
While I understand some of the reasons he was denied his travel visa, it still does not seem fair to me. I understand that the U.S. tries to be very selective with who they let in and out of the country and I understand that he is not a U.S. citizen, but a citizen of Pakistan. However, I don't understand why the designer was given no concrete reason for not being able to travel to see his designs on the runway. The Internet allowed him to be enrolled in classes in San Francisco while he was in Pakistan. I don't understand why he would be able to pay and complete all of the work that brought him to the point he was at, just to be turned down when he asked to be there to witness all of the hard work that he put into it. It says in our Constitution that we are all born with human rights that entitle us to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Would that apply to a student of a U.S. University?
I really found this article interesting because it made me think more about our human rights and who they apply to. It made me wonder what progress we are making as a country, if a fashion school student isn't allowed to see his collection at Fashion Week. Since there was no reason given, I know that I can't assume or conclude why he wasn't allowed a travel visa, but it still makes me wonder about who is given all of their human rights, and who isn't.
No comments:
Post a Comment