Jonathan Hayden: What defines American? Inclusiveness, compassion

The writer is a fellow at American University in Washington, D.C. He is involved in dialogue among Muslims and non-Muslims. This essay was written exclusively for The World-Herald.

Last September, Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, a team of four other young Americans and I were in Omaha for a research project and filming a documentary. As we checked into the hotel, we read about a problem that some Somali Muslim workers from Grand Island, Neb., were having with management regarding prayer during work hours in the month of Ramadan. More than 200 legal immigrants were fired during the dispute.

This became a perfect case study for our project, “Journey into America.” Should the factory workers assimilate and not take a break for prayer like everyone else, or should they be allowed to hold on to their customs and traditions? How can they be accepted by the majority and become more American? And on whose terms?

We faced the question: What does it mean to be American? With Independence Day approaching, this question deserves thoughtful consideration.

The answer is much more complex than we previously had thought. Our project began as a study of Muslims in America, but in order to put it into context, we realized we must look at America as a whole.

We talked to people from all backgrounds, religions and ethnicities and heard their perspective on American identity and the Muslim community — from Native Americans on reservations, to Mormons in Salt Lake City, to churches in the Bible Belt, to the roughest parts of Harlem, to more than 100 mosques. In all, we’ve visited more than 75 cities, documenting the answers and discussing the American identity.

Our project and film really took off when we arrived in Omaha, and we couldn’t think of a better place to announce its upcoming premiere.

This Saturday, July 4, the film “Journey into America” will premiere at the Islamic Society of North America’s annual conference in Washington, D.C., as a special event to the conference that draws more than 50,000 people. The film is described at the blog for our American University team’s “Journey into America” project: http://journeyintoamerica.wordpress.com.

We believe the film gives an unbiased and unprecedented look into the lives of Muslim Americans. We heard stories of hope and compassion. We filmed in homes while breaking the fast during Ramadan, in mosques late into the night, in schools and on the street.

We talked to victims of 9/11, converts and people in rural towns who had never met a Muslim. We got to know people by name; we listened to their stories of living in America. We heard from esteemed scholars and religious figures, including archbishops, rabbis and imams.

While we know that there are 1.4 billion Muslims in the world and at least 7 million Muslims in the United States, polls tell us that the gaps between the West and the Muslim world are widening, not closing.

In talking to this diverse group of Americans, one thing that nearly everyone suggested for bettering relations was education and dialogue. Indeed, last month, President Barack Obama sent a strong message with his speech in Cairo calling for “a new beginning.” Among his points was a call to dialogue.

The president may have jump-started the dialogue, but if it is to be successful, it will have to be at the grass-roots level — from the ground up by citizens all over the world. It will be done by the people of Omaha — people like Beth Katz of Project Interfaith, Dr. Naser Alsharif and his various interfaith programs, Rabbi Aryeh Azriel of Temple Israel and the Tri-Faith Initiative.

The film “Journey into America” is our contribution to education, understanding and the dialogue.

As Americans, we have to ask ourselves what kind of America we want to live in. Will we be a country living in fear and suspicion of “others”? Or will we recognize the enormous contribution that “others” have already made and that we, in fact, are all “others”? Will we rediscover our moral clarity, inclusiveness, pluralism and compassion that the Founding Fathers called for more than 230 years ago?

We must.

This is what it means to be American to me. If we as Americans are to continue in the 21st century as leaders, we must begin by listening and learning.

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