Peter King, member of the US House of Representatives, has a new novel out. He was interviewed by Terry Golway for the NY Observer (not sure how long that link will remain valid).
I'm interested in his remarks about the Islamic community in the US. He compares the reactions of the Muslims in the US with the reactions of the Irish Catholics in 19th century America, when they were not very welcome or trusted.
"In speaking to security officials from all levels of government, I’m hearing that they are not getting the cooperation they would like from the Muslim community," Mr. King said. "It seems as though they may be doing well, but they are outside the system. They’re Muslims first."
Reminded that similar accusations were made of Catholics, particularly Irish Catholics, in the mid-19th century, Mr. King made note of the conspicuous Irish presence in the Union Army during the Civil War.
"When the test came, they were eager to prove they were just as American as the nativists," Mr. King said. "That has been true of other groups as well." But, he noted, after Sept. 11, there weren’t many U.S. flags flying along Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, where many Arab-Americans own businesses.
I find this interesting on many levels, but the primary one is the extent to which so many people have emigrated (and I don't think it's just Muslims) to the US in recent years, but who still do not feel American. This is the most unfortunate effect of the culture of ethnicity that has flourished in the recent past. If people living in the US don't feel American first, then that's a big problem. The US is a nation of immigrants and all groups have struggled to become American. It may not be fair or right, but it's always been the case. Nowadays it seems that many people are not interested in becoming American, only living in America.
During WWII, Americans of Japanese descent were made to suffer because of an imagined lack of commitment despite the Japanese-Americans' insistance that they were American first. If King is right (and I suspect he is to a large extent) then things have gone too far the other direction. Immigrants have to want to be American, not just work and sleep there.
