By : Imam Shamsi Ali*
Today, July 4th, is a very important and
memorable day for all Americans. It is the day of Independence. I wish all
Americans at the outset a very happy and blessed Independence Day!
Since its Independence from England, the
United States has been struggling to grow, mature, and become ever better.
America known today as a “super power” in
the world, has faced many challenges since its founding, and in meeting, and in
trying to meet those challenges, America and Americans have been given so many
opportunities.
Being an Immigrant, as are all Americans
save the Native Indian Americans, since my arrival in this land I have been
blessed with abundance. My family has grown, the pursuit of my American dream
continues, and more importantly I am blessed to be a part of this great nation
and am proud of its values.
America is not only a land with
geographical boundaries . Neither is it only a group of people called Americans
with all the advanced talents they have in science and technology. Nor is it is
simply the combinations of its economic, political or military might.
What is more important is that America is
about ideas and ideals. It is about values that the nation has established and
valued highly throughout its history. That America is about democracy, freedom,
justice and equality, and the pursuit of happiness.
And that really makes me proud to be a part
of that American tapestry, to be a tiny part of the beautiful and colorful
fabric of American society.
I am Indonesian born, Islamic in faith,
Asian in ethnic and culture. And all these don’t minimize my attachment and connection to my adopted home, America.
As an individual I carry multiple
identities, at any given time. Be they cultural or even religious, they shift
over time due to personal, cultural or religious experiences and larger social
changes.
Identity is an evolving process of
“becoming” rather than simply “being.”
American identity, thus, is not something
that is static, fixed and immutable; rather it evolves and changes with the
changes of time and generations.
America is just like a living organism. As
such, if it does not renew itself and change in the different times of its
development, it can lose its real sense of identity.
America has become more diverse, stronger
and beautiful, and certainly with more hope to be more respected both
domestically and globally.
Similarly when we come to American
multiculturalism, the history of America in multiculturalism is an evolving
acceptance of deep diversity.
Preservation, embracing and acceptance of
diversity in America is indeed the very
nature of this nation.
America as a land of immigrants in its
originality and inner security allows freedom of cultures, religions and their
enhancement is a national strength not a weakness.
As we enter the global world of the 21st
century, the focus of multicultural policy has shifted in the direction of
inclusive citizenship – rights and responsibilities of all Americans and its
values.
In different timeframes, the key metaphor
of American multiculturalism changed, from “a mosaic” to “belonging” to “the two-way street and
harmony” and to “conforming”.
I would rather want to see “accepting or
respecting” as the key metaphor of our American multiculturalism today when
this great nation celebrates its many years of its existence.
Being American is not only about being born
in this land, holding an American passport, one’s personal existence or the
protection of individual rights.
Being American is about being responsible
citizens – in mind and in action!
Being American means being indefinable. The
fact that there is no prototype of an American, a newcomer can come to America
and be in love with this country as much, if not even more, than a sixth or
seventh generation American.
There was a familiar saying of the
17th-century philosopher Spinoza that “Citizens are made, not born” and this is
especially applicable to America nowadays.
Being American I hope means being a citizen
of the best country in the world and being respected and welcomed everywhere
else.
Being American means being a part of a
great and diverse functional family where each member is welcomed, embraced and
respected.
Being American means striving to always
better ourselves and our relations with others, to our nation and the whole
world.
Being American means being committed to
treating our bothers and sisters well in other nations, and in accepting the
responsibility for misbehavior towards and mistreatment of those we may call
the “others”, those who we perceive as different from us.
Hence being American also means having
acceptance of and respect towards those different from us.
Further it means feeling compassion for and
generosity to others, especially those less fortunate, and sharing with them of
the blessings we enjoy, both at home and abroad.
It means being free to dream, free to
speak, free to laugh, free to live, free to believe and worship and free to
follow our cultures without any fear.
It means being loyal, patriotic and
faithful to the nation and caring for its people and its security.
It also means feeling happy with your own
skin color, no matter which color it is.
But also it means being what you are: a
Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jew, Muslim, non-believer or something else … and
still being a good American and human being.
It’s indeed difficult to define being
American with simple thoughts and definitions. It’s as complex as the
complexity of America itself.
Happy Independence Day to all my fellow
Americans!
* Director of Jamaica Muslim Center New
York/ President of Nusantara Foundation
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