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Babur Lateef

Interim School Board Chair
In 2018, the Prince William County School Board appointed Dr. Babur Lateef as the Interim School Board Chair. Dr. Lateef is a local ophthalmologist and has been active parent in the Prince William County Schools.

He is a member of the Spark Foundation’s Board of Directors and a member of the PTOs of the schools his four children attend. His wife, Tarannum Lateef, is a local Pediatric Neurologist and is very active in the County school system as well, serving on the Superintendent’s Advisory Council and a number of PTOs. At the higher education level he serves on the Board of Visitors for the University of Virginia.[1]

Virginia New Majority endorsement
Virginia New Majority, a non-partisan non-profit 501(c)4 organization working to bring social and economic justice throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia has endorsed Dr. Babur Lateef for Chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. Below is the text of the endorsement issued by Jon Liss, executive Director for Virginia New Majority.

“Dr. Lateef shares with us a vision for Prince William County as a beacon of acceptance, fairness, and freedom. We firmly believe that, under his leadership, Prince William County can make major strides towards ending the county’s perpetual attacks on immigrant communities and vital public services. Dr. Babur Lateef believes in a County government that ensures fairness for immigrants, excellent schools, and funding for high quality public services for all county residents. We are confident that Dr. Lateef has the right work experience to lead and life experiences that will foster the commitment to fighting for equality for all the residents of Prince William County.

Virginia New Majority joins Senator Mark Warner, Congressman James P. Moran, State Senator Chap Petersen, the Prince William Education Association Political Action Committee of Educators and many local leaders in endorsing Dr. Babur Lateef for Chairman. Since announcing his candidacy Dr. Lateef, an eye surgeon in Woodbridge has proven himself to be an energetic challenger to Republican incumbent Corey Stewart, whose naked ambition for higher office has proven to be a disservice to Prince William County’s more than 400,000 residents. Dr. Lateef has been recognized as one of the top fundraisers in the state, outraising Chairman Stewart in the last two finance reporting periods.[2]

Muslims for Herring——Babur Lateef co-chair
Mark Herring, current state senator and democratic candidate for Attorney General of Virginia, announced on August 8, 2013 the formation of a “Muslims for Herring” coalition led by six members of the Northern Virginia Muslim community.

Herring represents Virginia’s District 33 which consists of parts of Loudon County and Fairfax County, and often reaches out to his large Muslim constituency which includes ADAMS Islamic Center in Northern Virginia. “He [Herring] is very committed to representing them fully,” said co chair of the Muslims for Herring coalition Yasmine Taeb.

All of the co-chairs of Muslims for Herring know Senator Herring personally, whether it be through working with him or organizing events for him. “The coalition is comprised of like minded people that believe in similar issues. It’s a way for Herring to excite the people that share his vision and try to get them out to vote,” said Babur Lateef, a Muslims for Herring co -chair.

The coalition helps introduce Herring to the community, whether it is through Pakistan Day celebrations that Herring attended, or ifaar dinners and jummah prayers, all are put together by Muslims for Herring.

“We make sure Senator Herring will be at events and have a booth so that he can talk about his candidacy and vision,” said Babur Lateef. “We try to do all that we can to give him exposure.”

As a state senator, Herring has dealt with foreign law bills targeting Sharia law, and as Attorney General he hopes to protect the elderly and the youth. He has worked closely with law enforcement to keep drugs off the shelves in hopes to eliminate threats to the safety of the youth. He has stood with legislation that targets those that would commit financial scams against senior citizens. Herring also fights to protect the civil rights and liberties of minority groups. “Herring doesn’t care whether you’re black, brown, green, purple or yellow, he believes that you should be represented,” said Babur Lateef.

Senator Herring has addressed social issues and immigration and is for the expansion of Medicaid and Medicare. “The healthcare bill that Herring supports is incredibly important for the Muslim community and for immigrants and it affects almost every family in the state,” stated Babur Lateef.

Muslims for Herring has organized various events that allow community members to connect with Senator Herring on a personal level. “We’ve held town hall at ADAMS where we have invited Senator Herring to meet with the community,” said Yasmine Taeb. Community members are able to voice their concerns directly to Herring.

Herring’s campaign reached out to the co-chairs personally, asking if they would be interested in bringing support to Senator Herring specifically from the Muslim community of Northern Virginia. Muslims for Herring is not the only coalition that exists in the area, however, it is different than most as it is a formal coalition that consists of Muslims. “I’ve seen a lot of political collations on social media such as Twitter and Facebook and coalitions… and at the federal level… but we received a very formal launch through Senator Herring’s press release,” said Yasmine Taeb.

As a group, the coalition keeps the community connected to everything Mark Herring. They send out emails to inform the community of new events that are coming up related to Senator Herring, and organize events where Senator Herring can meet with his constituents. Muslims for Herring hopes that their efforts will drive as many people as possible to support Senator Herring in the election for Attorney General of Virginia on November 5, 2013 against opponent Mark Obenshain.[3] (wiki)