Support for Bangladesh Caucus

Draft Letter: (This is a sample letter, you can edit the content to express your views)

Dear Honorable____________

As a member of you Constituency, I request you to become a member of the Congressional Bangladesh Caucus to recognize and further promote the long established friendship between the United States and Bangladesh. Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY07) is the founding Co-Chair of this Caucus.

Bangladesh, with United States support, has made excellent progress in poverty alleviation through micro credit and population control that has been an example to other developing countries. Increasingly, the relationship has grown into one based on trade and investment. Moreover, as the largest Muslim country with a working democracy, Bangladesh needs our support through increased trade and investment to sustain and deepen democratic practices and principles.

As a community, Bangladeshi-Americans are relatively new but our number is increasing rapidly. We are professionally and financially well established, and we are making significant contributions to the wider society. As of end-2006, we numbered about 350,000. Census office data show that our community is mostly concentrated in medicine and University-level teaching. We are significantly above average in terms of educational and professional achievements and household incomes. Detailed statistical information is available at http://www.bafi.org/community/community_profiles.asp.

Bangladeshi-Americans are very well organized too, because of our historical experiences -- in 1952, Bangladeshis had to organize to defend the right to use our mother tongue and, in 1971, they had to organize to fight for their Independence from Pakistan. Reflecting these experiences, we have about 250 organizations throughout the USA serving the cultural, social and professional needs of our community.

With our high professional and financial achievements, and organizational strength, we are increasingly rallying for strengthening and deepening trade, investment and friendship between the United States and Bangladesh.

I request you to join the Bangladesh Caucus. It will help to foster friendship, bilateral investment and trade between the two countries.

Respectfully yours,
____________