Invasion of Privacy: International student, Zahoor Raza

Thumbnail courtesy of Zahoor Raza

During his time on campus Raza has been involved in countless clubs and other extracurricular activities in which he has been able to showcase his knowledge and skills.

Zahoor Raza is a business administration major who has attended SUNY Geneseo over the past two semesters through an international studies partnership hosted by his university in Karachi, Pakistan. Raza has truly been making the most of his time on campus, being involved with copious clubs and extracurriculars such as Model UN, The Lamron, Society for Human Resource Management, and the National Society of Success and Leadership. On top of this, he is a frequent contributor to The Friday Times, a notable, independent Pakistani newspaper, publishing since 1989. 

Though his major may be focused in the business world, Raza admits that his true aspirations lie elsewhere, “I don’t have any interest in business,” he confesses. In an ideal world, he would “…work at some journalism outlet, or like, have my own independent media outlet. Which is some far-fetched dream, but I want it.” Raza’s love for print and the journalism industry transcends generations as he shares that most of his maternal family works in the journalism field. He speaks to the fact that in high school, he was a “…newspaper addict…” and that he would “…go to the newspaper store at 6:00 a.m. and get the newspaper and read the sports section” before the van for school picked him up at 6:30 a.m. 

With the adamancy and passion he uses to write about politics, it might be hard for some to believe he started his journalistic career writing for sports, with a particular focus on the sport of cricket. He admits, though, that he became bored of it because “[his] team kept losing.” This shifted his focus from the athletic to the political, and that is where his focus has been since. 

He began his political writing coverage by examining prejudice and targeted violence against members of the Shia subgroup of the Islamic religion, the minority denomination in Pakistani Muslims. Witnessing the hateful rhetoric and murder that resulted because of tensions between the Sunni and Shia denominations, respectively. Raza notes how this work gave him a greater sense of direction and a feeling of responsibility in his journalistic writing, stating, “I thought that if I could write articles and make videos, [to denounce the violence and discrimination] then I should.” This perspective continues to be a driving force in his work as he diligently follows, covers, and speaks out regarding the genocide and violence in Palestine from Israel. He has made more localized movements when it comes to SUNY Geneseo’s complacency and investments, which contribute to the arming of Israel. Last semester, he even interviewed members of SUNY Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction (BDS) to try to help the everyday college student understand how the college and its administration are complicit in the violence. 

Raza highlights the importance of student-run and college-level newspapers, noting how colleges are often at the center of change, protest, and progress. Supporting minor publications is as important as supporting the “big leagues” like the New York Times or the Washington Post. It’s a great way to stay informed on local and national things and keep the art of print alive. 

Raza does great work with The Lamron. We cannot wait to see how his pursuits and career in journalism grow; we wish him all the best!