In one of his last speeches as president, Ronald Reagan said: “Anyone, from any corner of the Earth, can come to live in America and become an American.” This is a phenomenal strength of our country, unmatched in its impact.
As an immigrant and a citizen of the United States, I am filled with awe at having the privilege of celebrating its 250th anniversary. For most immigrants, their first day in the country is when they join this massive river of the American experiment in a tumultuous confluence of tributaries, adding their own flavor. Every immigrant group has built upon the work of the previous one, refining, elevating, and continuously improving in this journey.
Xenophobia, racism, and inane claims to superiority have never really vanished. Those who demand assimilation rarely say what they mean by it, though the meaning is usually sameness. Integration asks for something different and something more. It asks the immigrant to embrace the Constitution, and it asks the country to mean what the Constitution says. That document tests all of us. The native-born do not get to grade only the newcomers.
Immigrants arrive for various reasons, such as to escape persecution, to study, to work, to chase a dream. In June 2001, I co-founded the Islamic Resource Group (IRG) in Minnesota to build bridges of understanding between Minnesota Muslims and the broader community. Twenty-five years and more than 8,000 presentations later, we have reached over half a million Minnesotans in schools, hospitals, businesses, and houses of worship. That work turns 25 in the year America turns 250.
I see two Americas right now, shaped by a clear generational shift. One America is increasingly inclusive, comfortable with diversity, and unwilling to look away from human rights violations, both here and abroad, even when they happen on our watch. The other America is struggling to keep pace with the inexorable changes already taking place in the next generation that will shape the country’s future direction. Those coming of age today are bringing a different moral clarity to the American story.
At 250, our country is well placed for introspection so that we march toward the next 250 years on a foundation steeped in justice and peace. The values that we advocate within our borders must extend to our interactions with the rest of the world. We need to bring back respect for our country based on love rather than fear. We cannot speak of freedom while enjoying the fruits of oppression. We must end our support for regimes involved in genocide and occupation. Our credibility is weakened when we do not live up to our ideals.
I pray that God blesses our country and keeps it strong for centuries to come. May we be a country that adheres to justice so that peace can prevail within and around us.
The post Opinion: As the American experiment turns 250, we are still perfecting its promise appeared first on Sahan Journal.
