View more of the Sun's opinion section
Brian Greenspun is taking some time off and is turning over his Where I Stand column to others. Today’s guest columnist is Dr. Ikram Khan, a Las Vegas surgeon and health care industry consultant who, among other professional and community activities, served on the national Veterans Affairs Commission on Care and sits on the Nevada Homeland Security Commission.
My love affair with the United States began long before I arrived in 1973 as a medical resident at a John Hopkins University-affiliated hospital. I grew up in Karachi, Pakistan, dreaming of living in the United States. Everyone knew the promise this country held. My love affair was, and is, rooted in its numerous doors of opportunity — where I could help to make a difference by providing health and healing.
I have practiced medicine in Las Vegas for more than 35 years. I have had the honor and privilege of volunteering on various federal and state boards and commissions. These opportunities reinforced my belief in America, where all citizens — irrespective of their religious, ethnic and racial background — can realize their dreams.
I am an American by choice, not by chance. And, I am a Muslim.
The current political environment is an anathema to me. You see, my professional objective is to heal, not to take apart. But when our children and grandchildren can’t watch the news without being exposed to hurtful words, anger, insults and taunting, something is wrong. People of good will and intent must step up and speak out against divisive statements. It has been said that in a democratic society, silence out of fear of adversity and fear of critique is the ultimate hypocrisy. Labels can hurt and divide; they can spawn prejudice distrust and hatred.
Winston Churchill observed during the darkest days of World War II that “everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without it being extolled, but some people’s idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage.”
Just nine years later, during the height of the Cold War and the Joseph McCarthy era, great American diplomat Adlai Stevenson noted, “Every man has a right to be heard; but no man has the right to strangle democracy with a single set of vocal cords.”
Ours is the greatest country in the world. The foundation is strong and unshakeable. We are a country of immigrants; America is not a monolithic nor a monopolistic society.
My family and I are among the 1.6 billion Muslims globally and 2.6 million who call the United States home. Yet while we may be of one religion, we identify with our country first and our religion second. While I am from Pakistan, I am an American. My three daughters were raised here in Las Vegas. They attended public schools in Clark County. Their academic interests and hobbies were diverse and endless because of the opportunities made available by this country. They played violin, practiced gymnastics and joined soccer teams. They went to UNLV and have grown into intelligent, kind and involved members of their communities.
Muslims’ presence and influence in the United States is rich and long. Muslims fought under Gen. George Washington during the Revolutionary War. In 1935, the U.S. Supreme Court honored the Prophet Muhammad for his influence on law and justice, alongside Confucius, Moses and Solomon. Muslim Americans have fought and died defending this country in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The United States is special because it embraces diversity of religion, culture and ethnicity. In fact, this diversity is what makes the United States stronger, more productive and more competitive on the global stage. Immigrants to our country make a difference every day in areas such as research, science, medicine and technology. By some counts, more than 40 percent of researchers at the top 10 U.S. cancer research centers are from other countries and the same is true for physicians, where almost 30 percent of the approximately 850,000 physicians in the U.S. are non-native. Approximately 10 percent of the non-native-born physicians are Muslims. Las Vegas has approximately 200 Muslim physicians.
It’s not just medicine. Muslim American success stories can be found in every field, be it sports, entertainment, journalism, law, business or information technology. And with success comes a duty to give back to the country that has offered so many opportunities. Muslim doctors, for example, have started free clinics in Fort Worth, Texas; Montgomery County, Ohio; Flint, Mich.; Los Angeles and Las Vegas, to name a few. Such generosity is the rule, not the exception. Muslims have a deep and abiding commitment to helping those less fortunate.
As with all religions and ethnicities, Muslims are woven into the very fabric of America. Our country is made strong by its diversity.
The recent Olympics illustrate the case for achievement through diversity. As a team, Olympians come together. They train and perform as part of a larger, cohesive force. The American women’s gymnastics team was one of the most diverse at Rio, and the women took home the gold in the team final. For the first time, a Muslim American woman competed during her fencing competition while wearing a hijab. She and her teammates took home the bronze medal. More than ever before, the greatness of America’s diversity was on the world stage.
These stirring examples of the contributions of Muslim Americans stand in stark contrast to the hateful rhetoric on display during this campaign season. Every day American Muslims — through their generosity, compassion and love of country — prove the prejudiced fear-mongers wrong. We are all Americans, above everything else. And Americans from all walks of life must stand firm against bigotry and divisiveness.
As I have monitored the campaign and its rhetoric the past 16 months, I think about Pastor Martin Niemoller’s comments during World War II:
“When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn’t a Jew.
When they came for me,
There was no one left to speak out.”
We must all embrace our country’s core values of diversity, opportunity and justice. We must oppose hate and injustice in whatever form it takes. Our nation’s spirit lies within the courage and generosity of its people. This is what truly makes America great.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy