By Angelina Hamilton
THE PURPOSE OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT is to protect the freedom of the citizens of the United States of America to express themselves. It protects our freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and our freedom to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Every person has their own opinion regarding these rights and some are more personal than others. Coming from an Egyptian family, with our own religion and language, I relate strongly to the freedom of religion and freedom of speech.
Culture and religion are very large parts of my life. I am the first generation on my mother’s side to be born in the United States. All of the generations before me were born and raised in Egypt. In Egypt, there are two major religions: Muslim and Coptic Orthodox. While I am a Protestant Christian, the majority of my family is Coptic Orthodox. As active members of our church, we attend Coptic Orthodox services and volunteer at the church events. The language spoken in the service and by my family is Arabic. Because Arabic is also the language spoken in Iraq and Afghanistan, many assumptions have been made about my family.
I take pride in being Egyptian and I would love to one day learn the language. However, because of the stereotypes of Muslims and the language they speak, Egyptians often get stereotyped as well. When I am out with my family in public and they start speaking Arabic, I often notice us catching the attention of the people around us. Yes, we look Middle Eastern and we speak Arabic, but that doesn’t mean we support terrorism. In the United States of America, Muslims and their language are perceived as the religion and the language of terrorism. Muslims are unfairly stereotyped as supporters of terrorism and are treated as enemies.
One instance in particular made me feel outcast. I was out to dinner at a popular chain restaurant with my entire Egyptian family celebrating a birthday. There were many of us and we took up a large portion of the restaurant. We were all catching up with each other and the primary language spoken was Arabic.
Our waiter came to take our order and I immediately noticed a feeling of uneasiness coming from him. He seemed very rushed when taking my order. When he approached my grandparents to take their order he was very rude and frustrated with the fact that English was not their first language. My mother attempted to assist in ordering and spoke to my grandmother in Arabic to translate her order to the waiter. I looked up at the waiter and watched him roll his eyes at my grandmother and mother. I was so disgusted by this, and unfortunately his attitude continued throughout the remainder of our dinner.
I don’t believe the government is taking away our freedom of speech but this undeniably violates our freedoms. If we don’t feel comfortable speaking the language we desire to speak, then our freedoms are being abridged. If we feel uncomfortable going to dinner with family and engaging in conversation publicly, then our freedoms are being abridged.
Finally, if we feel like we can’t take pride in our heritage and where we come from, then we might as well not have a First Amendment. Freedom of speech is the same regardless of the language being spoken. We have the freedom to say what we want in any language we desire and worship whomever we choose to worship. Unfortunately, in America, not all languages and religions are accepted equally.
As an American, I take pride in all of the freedoms we are given. One of the most important freedoms we have as Americans is the freedom of speech. We are able to express our opinions in any form we desire. Whether it is learning to speak the language of my ancestors, or simply ordering soup at lunch, we should not only feel comfortable but also take pride in our language. Once those freedoms feel threatened, we develop a sense of betrayal and unfairness. We feel like outcasts in our own country. I hope one day we feel free to express ourselves in whatever language we desire.
Angelina Hamilton is a 2010 graduate of Benicia High School. She is currently attending Sacramento State University.
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As an American several generations removed from Europe, I understand and agree with your feelings and views completely. Our Bill of Rights knows no race, ethnicity nor language. We hope immigrants will learn to speak good English, sooner or later, but learning it is not quick or easy, especially for older folks. You seem already to be a good writer. May you grow prosperous and happy.
From the piece: Muslims are unfairly stereotyped as supporters of terrorism and are treated as enemies.
The statement is shamefully true by itself.
The real question is how can this misrepresentation be corrected?
The answer has to come from within the Muslim community. As all Muslims who support their faith, but abhor the senseless violence perpetrated in its name, must stand up, as the author has done here, to condemn violence as a means to an end.
Until that occurs across the board in very vocal ways, such stereotypes will continue unabated.
actually the change must come from all of us…we have a responsibilty to protect our citizens from any and all racist/bias attacks…putting the burden on their shoulders makes it seem as if they are something other than a faith…a faith such as catholics or baptists or protestants or buddhists or the Jewish ….faiths one and all…..
I think it is important to differentiate between law and culture with regard to First Amendment rights. The U.S. legal system has a robust framework for protecting expression of speech and religion, and it would be illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of race, color, religion, or a number of other factors (in job applications, for instance). But changing culture and individual biases takes more than enforcement of the First Amendment; it takes outreach and friendships between people of diverse religions and cultures, and efforts at mutual understanding, which take time to develop (as set forth by Jonathan Haidt in The Righteous Mind).
Your experience in the restaurant shows that there is still work to be done in the United States with regard to promoting a mutually respectful culture. But it also shows that we have improved quite a bit from the 1960s, when restaurants could outright refuse service to someone on the basis of their skin color.
Thank you for your thoughts, and may God bless you in your endeavors to promote a more respectful and understanding social climate.