Islam in America
Presented to the American Studies Conference, Islamabad

William B. Milam, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan

INTRODUCTION

Dr. Rais, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for the invitation to speak to you today. The American Studies Conference unites us all -- academics and diplomats -- in the pursuit of a common goal: making the United States better understood to the citizens of Pakistan. I am most pleased to have the opportunity to make your acquaintance so early in my tenure in Pakistan, and hope that we will have the occasion to explore together ways to deepen the Pakistani-American relationship in the years ahead.

Although we have different professional perspectives on that relationship, we both know how crucial it is for the well-being and prosperity of both our nations and for the larger South Asian community of which Pakistan is a member. The events of the past months have made it abundantly clear how important it is for our two nations to cooperate to control the nuclear menace, and while less publicized to continue, our work in combatting the worldwide threat of terrorism, controlling the scourge of narcotics, developing free markets and promoting democracy and human rights is no less important. For reasons of time I do not intend to review those aspects of our relationship with you today, but would like to focus instead on something that I believe is a common misconception of many Pakistanis: the role of Islam in America.

A TRADITION OF RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE

Our nation is very proud of the tradition we have established for religious tolerance, a tradition you are certainly well aware of. The United States was settled in large part by immigrants who were fleeing religious persecution in their homeland. These early statesmen felt strongly enough about their new-found freedoms that they enshrined religious tolerance in our constitution, proclaiming a separation of church and state as fundamental to our Nation.

ISLAM IN AMERICA

The religious tolerance provided by our constitution is enjoyed not only by Christians, but by Jews, Muslims, and adherents of many other faiths as well. In fact, it might surprise you to know that Islam is one of the fastest growing faiths in the U.S. today: there are over 1,200 mosques and Islamic centers in the United States, and the number is rapidly increasing. The six million Americans who worship there would be surprised to hear of the kind of "anti-Islamic" bent to American policy that is occasionally speculated about here. They would be the first to tell you that Americans respect and honor Islam.

In fact, I share the belief that President Clinton articulated in his recent speech before the UN General Assembly, that Americans and Muslims share the same hopes and aspirations: to live in peace and security, to provide for our children, to follow the faith of our choosing, to build a better life than our parents knew and pass on brighter possibilities to our own children.

I would imagine that just about everyone in this room has a friend or relative who has settled down in the U.S. and is living the American dream, a dream that Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike build together in their communities. Americans who are practicing Muslims have made great contributions at every level of American society. Like many of my fellow citizens, I think I was first struck by the growing influence of Islam with the conversion to Islam by some of our popular athletes, for example the great boxer Mohammad Ali or Hall of Fame basketball player Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Muslims also occupy positions of importance in some of our nation's top policy making institutions. Shirin Tahir-Kheli, for example, has served on the State Department Policy Planning Staff and the National Security Council, while Zalmay Khalilzad, who was just appointed by President Clinton to the Board of Directors of the U.S. Institute of Peace, earned the Defense Department's Medal for Outstanding Public Service for his work on shaping defense policy in the post-Cold War era.

The United States thrives on the variety of talents our multi-ethnic population has to offer, and we in turn share those gifts with our friends and partners overseas. One example of this rich give-and-take that you are surely familiar with is educational exchanges. Upwards of 10,000 Pakistanis study every year in the U.S., and a number of American scholars come to Pakistan to teach and do research under the aegis of the Fulbright program.

I am pleased to note that your conference has included a panel on "Muslims in America" and expect that this will give you an opportunity to explore in greater depth the many contributions that Islam has made to American culture. I hope that you will be able in your work to pay attention to this important aspect of American life.

Through the public arm of the Embassy -- The American Center -- we are doing our best to shed light on the role of Islam in America. In early 1999 we are planning to bring an exhibition to Pakistan that beautifully illustrates the variety of mosques one can find throughout the U.S. This project -- coordinated by the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at the MMassachusettsInstitute of Technology -- is a wonderful example of the fruits of collaboration between Pakistani and American organizations.

For those of you at ease using the Internet, our Embassy home page features links of interest on Pakistani-American relations and Islam.

Of course, you cannot discuss Islam in America in just the past tense. It is the future of Islam in America that is important, and my belief is that future is a one of growth and prosperity. It will be part and parcel of America's future, a subject I want to turn to now.

THE MILLENNIUM

The millennium is just a little over a year away now. While it is just an arbitrary date, it provides cause to reflect on what we have accomplished in the past century and on what lies ahead.

Historians will differ with regard to the most important achievement of the latter half of the 20th century. Some will opt for the end of the cold war and the liberation of broad swaths of territory from the communist yoke; others will choose the economic, and eventual political, integration of Europe, a phenomenon that has virtually eliminated the possibility or war among the European nations with have fought each other -- and been the cradle of numerous wider wars -- for several hundred years; others will select the decolonization and liberation of vast numbers of people and the advent of many new nations; a few may argue for the rapid globalization of the world economy prompted by swift technological advance, with deep political implications for all countries. In my view, they will all be right. All of those changes contribute to exciting -- and also worrisome -- prospects for our future. They lead us to look to the future with hope, yet also trepidation -- for even its outlines are indistinct. We must be confident of our institutions, and especially of the fundamental strength of our societies (for, after all, institutions can change), if we are to control this future.

I believe that the greatest challenges we will face in the years ahead will be of a social nature. The technology that promises to bring the diversity of the world to our very doorsteps can also be used to divide us if we are not careful. It will be essential for us to continue to look for common values, common interests, and common endeavors and to avoid simplistic stereotypes and labels.

This is why I believe it is worthwhile to look at the basic political and social institutions of America. Let me suggest three starting points for you which I believe are fundamental.

America is a country and people governed by the ideal of the rule of law. Do we have crime in America? Yes. Do we have shady business people? Yes. Do we have corrupt public officials? Yes. But the rule of laws sets a very low level of tolerance for this kind of human behavior, and the rule of law guarantees a fair hearing and uniform punishment for the rich and poor alike.

Another vital point is equality. This concept continues to evolve; equality expands and deepens as we are continually confronted by Lincoln's admonition that America was and should always be ". . . dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal . . ." America constantly reinvents itself to confront and to ameliorate conditions of inequality. In the third quarter of this century, great strides were taken toward racial equality; in the fourth quarter of the century there has been much progress toward equality for women. There remains some way to go on both.

Finally, I believe America is characterized by its vibrant civil society. American citizens take responsibility for ensuring that their government provides the services it should and that its businesses are generally honest and fair. America has thousands and thousands of grassroots organizations, non-governmental organizations, in which citizens work together to ensure that their legitimate needs are met and that their rights are not abused.

It seems to me that a nation rooted in the rule of law, continually expanding the concept of equality, whose citizens have a deep sense of civic responsibility, can be confident that its political and social institutions will remain strong and relevant.

I hope that sense of strength, with your assistance, can continue to eliminate any real or imagined divides between Pakistanis and Americans. That is why you have important work ahead of you. Your role as educators is key, as you will be responsible for informing and influencing the next generation. I sincerely hope that by promoting a better understanding of America, you will be able to strengthen the intellectual, cultural, and social ties that bind us.

Thank you.