As Americans, we all have the chance to become a great nation as a citizen of the country. Our culture is based on respect and equality- people’s right and live together as one nation; socially and economically. America can be a dynamic equilibrium, a harmony of different elements, in which the whole will be greater than any society the world have ever seen. What culture means to me? it’s an organized system of learned behavior. It’s non-instinctive but rests on a biological base of religion, parenting style which are differences and the same social life.
From my prospective, culture truly defines a person worths, how confidence, and personal interests. There are several different aspects of American Muslim culture such as religion and parenting style. Sometimes even culture itself can override religion. Muslims have to pray 5 times a day which is different for Christian. In an Article by Haroon Moghul says… “On a Wednesday in early April, I was taken from school to attend Eid prayers at the closest mosque, some forty miles north, where the Muslim part of me was all but born and bred.” (Moghul Par. 5). It’s not proper for a parent to take kids out of school because how can the kid learn by taking he or her out of school every Wednesday to go to a prayer. That’s what Christian parent doesn’t allow, they let their kids pray after waking up and before going to sleep not taking children out of school. It’s very important for kids to stay in school. It’s also good to pray but anyone can pray anytime, as long as we Americans believe that we worship the same God. The Muslim culture is really overriding religion.
My cultures might common interests with someone else culture and other culture may have customs that’s different from another. For my culture it shares many differences and similarities from other people cultures around the nation, not just with the American Muslim culture. Back to the past, in the United States everything was really based upon skin color, and the problem regarding people of different skin tone were handled by such, and not with ethnicity. Back then, African Americans couldn’t talk to the American men or women because everyone was judged by color. But now we I can talk to any ethnicity I want to talk. People should be judge by their actions not their color.
When I was in high school my male best friend bought me a Iphone for my birthday and I told my parents about it, so they told me to bring him home to get to know him and I did. They really liked him for who is he , even though he’s not a Christian. My parents allow me to talk to any boy I want to see, as long as I bring him home for my parents to get to know the boy, then no problem with dating a different race. Another quote from the article Inshallah says “Not only did my mom and dad never talk to me about girls, but also make sure that no one else did.” (Moghul Par. 9). As a Christian, I believe in the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Human beings are created equally. In my opinion, the reason why Muslim American parents don’t allow their kids to talk about girls is that Muslims always want to date Muslim and keep the religion going in the family.
Honestly, the American Muslim cultural distinctiveness can be found through the choice and the spelling of their names, the dressing of males and females, a recognized stage of growth, marriage rites and practices, politics and spirituality. And for my culture, it makes me a person that celebrates life. Can’t really if tell I’m a Christian or a Catholic or whatsoever because as an Americans, we all dress the same and that’s my culture. I know some foods are forbidden for Muslims like slaughter meat, but for me, I can eat anything I want as long as it’s not a human being. My parents have a lot of good friends in my community that isn’t Christian like me and not believes. Some Muslims do not want to socialize with other religion, they want to keep associating with themselves. From the Article Inshallah, the Muslim American boy states “my parents left town a few weekends later; Carla and I talked on the phone and agreed we were ‘dating’.”(Moghul Par. 31). The boy is trying to socialize with someone with a different culture, just want I would do. It’s good to mingle with different ethnicity to get knowledge about their culture. My family and I take good care of each other and treat others like a family and treat them with respect. My family and I like church activities and adventures every wednesdays. My belief, culture traditions, and special events that’s host by the church has made me a happy and a fun person to be around, and also motivate others.
I believe I am able to resist from difficult conditions for some many reasons. However, the most significant reason is my family because they taught me how to pray to God whenever I’m going through difficult and not to let social media distract me. Without my family, I would not be the person I am today. It was my parents who gave me the identity I have; they and other family members taught me my culture and my spirituality.
