Ground Zero mosque...

Does the fact of building a mosque near Ground Zero fit into the melting pot or the salad bowl model of American culture? Do Muslims adapt to a country that is not theirs, or do they try to impose their beliefs and ways of living? Do American people put them in a "terrorist box" because of what happened on the 9/11? 

I think those are interesting questions to think about. To discuss them, I am going to analyze two very different and opposed points of view : the one from people that are non-Muslim, and the one from Muslims that live in a country with no islamic belief trend.

As far as non-Muslims are concerned, wether they are Christians or not, the melting pot model seems to be the rule, but in a bad way. Indeed, people (and by saying “people” I mean people in general, not only religious entities) often consider what is different from them as bad. The construction of the mosque near Ground Zero is considered as a personal attack to the country because, even if there are a lot of different cultures in the US, it was not a Muslim country when it was shaped and still is not. So, people are reacting very strongly to what they call an “invasion” of Islam in their country. A poll

Now, as far as Muslims are concerned, it is generally thought that, when they go to another country, they prefer sticking to their own beliefs rather than adapt. For example, women keep wearing headscarves while it is not the norm. This would fit into the salad bowl model, but again, in a bad way.

Through centuries, we have seen how cultures could melt together and adapt to each other in order to form a new one, a mix  that results in a harmonious new way of living that respects (more or less) the values of the ancient ones. Belgium is a great example of it: people from germanic and latin cultures living together in peace is something wonderful, even if sometimes difficult. That is not the case for most of Muslims, who strongly defend their own values without wanting to know more about the others’. That kind of behavior is often considered as narrowness of mind and is vividly criticized by those who think that you have to adapt to the place you go to and live in, not the contrary. 

Of course, all those things I spoke about in this post are the thoughts of many people, but not of everybody. I am sure there are citizens of the United States and of the world that are not against the building of that mosque near Ground Zero, people that are aware that Muslim is not synonym of terrorist, and that giving Muslim a place to pray will calm down the anger instead of amplifying it.

Let's imagine all the people living life in peace...

Harmony Lumeau

Sources:

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/113747-poll-public-strongly-opposes-ground-zero-mosque-

http://www.bonkersworld.net/the-ground-zero-mosque/

http://www.cracked.com/blog/3-reasons-the-ground-zero-mosque-debate-makes-no-sense/

If you're going to San Francisco... ♫

If I were to move to the USA, I would certainly go to San Francisco...

First of  all, because the weather is quite great: real seasons, not like in Belgium where it is rainy everyday of the year. There, they have chilly winters and quite hot summers, and spring and autumn are like they should be: with blossoming trees for one and crispy red leaves for the other.

Then, the sea and the beach are within reach, and it should be very funny to go there and surf after class ends. Living by the shore must be something invigorating, breathing everyday iodine from the sea. Moreover, this panorama must provide kind of an energy, a motivation to inhabitants, compared with the grayness of Belgium that often makes us grumpy... Not seeing anything but grey buildings makes me sad at times.

Also, I have to say that I grew up with an image of the USA, and specifically of California, as a place where teenagers and young people are having fun all the time, going to big, awesome parties, with thin, tanned and blonde girls and surfer boys... Tough I know this kind of representation is a huge cliché I have to admit that it was, and still is, one of my "american dream". To live my teenage years there would have been fabulous, and I still hope that I will have the opportunity to go there before turning 30 to make up for lost time!

As far as jobs are concerned, I'm really looking forward to be working as an interpreter or a translator, but I know there are quite a lot of nature reserves there, and as nature and ecology are two of my biggest passions, I think that, if I were to move to the USA, I might be looking for a job in this section.

So, I know there are a lot of things I still don't know about the USA and its culture; stereotypes to dismantle and regions to learn about, but still, I think that I would absolutely love to go live there, even if it is not "party all the time"...

Harmony Lumeau