Khaab Khayaal Saraab

Tuesday, June 10, 2003

> what's an american muslim ... a muslim with an american citizenship?

Used to be. But 2-3 generations is enough time to develop a separate
communal identity; with all that it entails. My (developing) thesis is
that the mainstream of american muslims is dominated by a certain world
view and attitudes. And they are very close to the kind of Muslim we--I,
at least--*don't* usually associate with back home; Rationalist/Qutb'ist
and Salafi/Deobandi/Wahabi. I need to organize my thoughts, but that's
the core.

You are most probably an exception in not being Salafi, but take
yourself for example. You're not just an muslim who happens to have
american citizenship. (Or an American who just happens to be of Muslim
origin, either.) You've been shaped by the overlapping worlds of
American culture and Muslim as well as South Asian cultures. And by the
experience of growing up Muslim in the US; how your parents reacted to
living here, how you evolved as you negotiated life in the US of A...

Am I making sense?