A melting pot; a salad bowl; a mosaic. No, this isn’t the menu for a dinner party – they’re common references to the history of diversity in the United States, a legacy that has often been blemished with incidents of intolerance (Indian removal, racial segregation, Japanese internment, etc).
Today the US is recognised as one of the world’s most tolerant and democratic countries. But for all its steps forward, it has recently taken a few steps back, especially since 9/11. Following the terrorist attacks, the US has been criticised both at home and abroad for pinning the blame on the entire Muslim world, launching two wars and turning to isolationist tendencies.
An article published in the Portland Press Herald on 14 September recalled the way America seemed to turn itself inside out in order to cope with the shock. “The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon,” it said, “ruptured the sense of belonging many Muslims in Portland felt” before that day.
Last year, these sentiments culminated into heated controversy over a proposed Islamic community centre, which would include a mosque, situated two blocks away from ‘Ground Zero’.
Yet in spite of the conflict, New Yorkers were able to put differences aside in the run up to the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
According to an article posted to the CNN Belief Blog on 10 September, 200 people gathered at the building site to honour 10 families of 9/11 victims – five Muslim and five non-Muslim – in a show of solidarity.
“We share the pain, we share the hope, we share the prayer,” said Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, chairman of the Cordoba Initiative, as CNN reported.
Intercultural dialogue has been a key instrument in combating intolerance, especially among some of society’s most passionate and vocal members – college students.
Project Nur is a student-led initiative based in Washington DC and Boston, aiming to promote a civic Muslim identity grounded in pluralism and moderate thinking and action, according to its mission statement.
There are currently 23 active chapters at universities across the US advocating for the advancement of human and civil rights, social justice, tolerance and co-existence.
Like the US, Ireland also has a long history of diversity, from the Celts to the Vikings, Normans, English and Scots. Both countries retain a deeply ingrained value of equality.
The memory of the civil rights marches in Northern Ireland of the late 1960s and 1970s, which campaigned for fair public housing, voting reformation and equitable employment practices, still reverberates today. But the people of the island of Ireland have fought against injustices for much longer than that.
The canvas of Irish society has now grown to include immigrants from all over the world, many attracted to Ireland during the Celtic Tiger boom years. The Equal Status Acts from 2000 to 2004 reflect this changing society, protecting against discrimination based on age, gender, religion, race, sexual orientation, marital status, family status and membership of the Traveller community.
Yet stricter policies implemented in recent years have slowed the number of asylum applications and changed the automatic right to citizenship of Irish-born children of non-Irish parents, according to Migration Information Source.
In an age of globalisation and greater interdependence between countries, the process of integration goes beyond the policy level, and should be a responsibility of the wider community.
When we recall that, like in America, Irish heritage was formed out of many communities, there should be more effort among all ethnic groups to reach out and promote intercultural dialogue. There are so many pockets of cultural diversity in Dublin – Asian and African markets; music bars with sounds from around the world; restaurants with representing global cuisine; and cultural festivals featured throughout the year – that doing so should be easy. The first step could be as simple as talking with your neighbours.
Amanda Sawit is a journalism student from the United States and is currently an intern at Metro Éireann.
