Louisville

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The Louisville Division honors Dr. Muhammad Babar, a civic leader and advocate of reducing stereotypes in the community.

Dr. Babar, a physician and Pakistani native, has helped organize numerous interfaith public service projects and has been a voice for the local Muslim community in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Since moving to Louisville in 1995, Dr. Babar has worked with the local Rotary Club and has formed a close relationship with the mayor of Louisville to coordinate meetings between Muslim, Christian, and Jewish leaders—which included hosting an interfaith open house at his mosque. Dr. Babar is president of the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of Kentucky and Indiana, an interfaith organization with more than 150 members. The association frequently hosts interfaith events in an effort to unite physicians of all faiths.

Through the Pakistani American Community of Louisville (PACL), Dr. Babar provides mentoring and support in the form of clothing and toys to local refugee children and their families. The PACL has donated $5,000 to support renovations of the Center for Women and Families in Louisville. Working with the Louisville Islamic Center, Dr. Babar helped build a Habitat for Humanity house for a local single mother. In 2010, in recognition of his work in the community, Dr. Babar received a Global Visionary Award from the World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana.