Living abroad, I am constantly reminded of how special America is, because we believe that despite differences in race, religion and origins, we are all Americans, and we are all equal. In so many countries, even liberal democracies like Italy, where I am now, that fundamental equality is not assumed to be true. We know that our country isn't perfect, but as long as we are reaching for that dream of a pluralistic society - for the American dream - we are being true citizens of America.
Mari's op-ed in today's Yale Daily News (YDN - Culture Shock at Home) is an eloquent stand against the current climate of religious intolerance. As she writes, it is shocking to compare the kindness and generosity of individual Muslims we encountered in Tajikistan with the inflammatory rhetoric about the Islamic community center in New York and threats of Koran-burning in Florida. We must remember that our values are not threatened from the outside, by Islam or any other ideology, but by the voices of fear and hatred that always lurk within society, and within our own souls.
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