Are We Becoming an Impenetrable Society?

Last week's issue of Newsweek magazine features a worthy article on Islam in America, and points out the unparalleled diversity of the US Muslim community and its economic success relative to other western nations. Unlike Europe, where declining factory jobs have left many Muslim immigrants in poverty and in ghettos with escalating crime, the US has proved a place where Muslims have been able to thrive and cultivate a strong sense of American identity. Newsweek points out, however, that how the US treats its young Muslims--comprising a majority of the US Muslim population--will determine whether this trend of prosperity will continue.

Newsweek calls European societies culturally "impenetrable," resulting in even fourth generation immigrants feeling like outsiders in the countries of their birth. While it is possible to attain a German visa if you have a German grandparent, being born in Germany does not guarantee you citizenship if you are not of non-German descent. French cultural elitism similarly marginalizes its immigrant communities, giving the children of immigrants a sense of non-belonging (Click here for a fascinating related article from the International Herald Tribune about France's "Sarkozy law" requiring compulsory French integration courses for immigrants).

The United States is at a crossroads in terms of how we treat the immigrants in our midst, and we are dangerously close to becoming a more "impenetrable" society. The anti-immigrant sentiment that is gaining momentum and producing legislation around the country barring non-citizens from obtaining drivers' licenses and enrolling in school is harming hardworking people who have the potential to contribute to our society. Leaving undocumented children without an education and making it illegal for their parents to drive does nothing but create more human suffering, poverty, and resentment.

For the US government, criminalizing decent people and stealing their hope while tolerating lying and deceit at the highest levels (Scooter Libby, etc.) is an immoral way to run a country, not to mention a bad investment for the future. If we turn the tables on growing isolationism and let openness and amnesty be the values that guide us in the 21st century, we may just create a stronger and less fearful America.