Moin Moon Khan, an Illinois-based computer specialist, writer and motivational speaker, has been nominated by the Republican Party to run for Township Trustee of York Township, for which elections are to be held on April 5.

Speaking to News India-Times, Khan, who hails from Muzaffarpur, Bihar, said he may be the first non-Caucasian to be nominated by the Party in DuPage County, within which York Township falls. President of the American Muslims for Peaceful Co-existence, Khan is recognized in the Muslim-American and Asian-American communities for his moderate and patriotic views and commitment to coalition-building efforts.

Paul Hinds, York Township Republican Party Chair told News India-Times Moin was the kind of candidate the Party wanted. “We need candidates for these offices every four years. Moon’s always been active and he was on the shortlist. The candidate has to have the ability to campaign and the community should already know you before you run for office. He has all those qualifications,” Hinds said in an interview. DuPage is a predominantly Republican County and historically the four Trustees have been Republicans.

“Actually, this is the first time that an Asian is running for a township council. The Asian community is increasing in this DuPage County. We do have village level Asian candidates, but he is the first in DuPage County at Township level,” Hinds said. DuPage County has close to a million people, and York Township, one of nine townships in the County, has about 200,000. Khan, who came to the U.S. in 1986 with plans to become a journalist, switched to computers after getting a journalism degree from the University of Georgia, Atlanta, because being a scribe “was not financially lucrative,” he told News India-Times laughing.

But politics was in his veins, he said, and when he moved to Illinois, he founded the Bihar Cultural Association, and served on the boards of more than a dozen civic organizations in the past 15 years that include the Illinois Ethnic Coalition, United Way, American Cancer Society, Council of Islamic Organizations, Asian American Institute, and the Federation of Indian Associations. “My passion is politics and interacting with people,” Khan said, but what helped him decide to become more active was when his son came back from school one day three years ago and said, “My American friend said so and so ….” Khan recalls, “I said to him, ‘you are as American. You are the new face of America.’”

Khan said that being from the most backward state in India also gave him strength. “When I was growing up, there was no electricity in our college, and I studied with a lantern, and there was no library. I knew always how to survive in adversity.”

Khan has been often quoted and profiled in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Daily Herald, Daily Southtown and also served as one of the panelists at the WTTW Channel 11’s ‘Chicago Tonight Show. In its Oct 9 editorial, the Chicago Tribune admired him for urging fellow Muslims to defend the United States in its war against terrorism. Khan lives in a western suburb of Illinois (Lombard) along with his wife, Shanu, and son, Shaan. “My election will provide political voice to one-fourth of the residents of York Township, who speak about two dozens languages and practice a dozen religions, yet they are not represented,” said Khan.

“We are the new face of the 21st century and we can make it known by working together and making new pragmatic alliances.”