Re: Venues
Where I live, there are too many religiously stuffed up people, and people will not organize cultural gatherings. Like I said, when anyone does, the religious maafia comes in and tries to enforce their rules: no mixing of sexes, partitions at dawats between ladies and men's section, no events with only younger people in it because God forbid it becomes an orgy, why have Pakistani events as Islam transcends all national boundaries, etc
That sort of trash.
Maybe it is a matter of ME putting my foot down and setting up a facebook-invited gathering of younger people - open to young Pakistanis for a CULTURAL networking event. But I've tried to do similar things before, and as I move on and other people take over those activities, they are converted into religious events. I did some social gatherings back in college. Now they are still done - same venue, but they are religious events now. So, a non-religious crowd will not show up.