Immigration

Immigration is a hot topic these days and many people on the left and right are providing their opinions. I am going to provide my point of view on this topic as a person who immigrated to the United States and became a citizen.

An immigrant is a person who seeks to become a citizen of a new country. In my case, I was born in Egypt and I decided from a young age that I want to be an American citizen so I worked hard to build the right skill set that can land me a job in the United States. I worked for several years in Egypt until I landed a good opportunity to work for an American company and moved to the United States. I worked through the system until I became a citizen of the United States. In the process of becoming a citizen of the United States, I renounced my allegiance to my previous country and became an American citizen. I am not a Muslim-American, an Egyptian-American or an Arab-American and I hate that many people are pushing these kinds of dual identities that split people into distinct groups based on their race, national origins or religion. To me being an American is about being an individual which means that I am a unique person and everyone else is unique in his or her own way. This individuality is what makes us Americans, this individuality makes us value life, love liberty, and pursue our own happiness through family, community, and career. I immigrated to this country because I want to build my life without the interference of government, without permission from a supreme leader and without being harassed because I don’t follow a certain religious dogma. The meaning of assimilation, in my opinion, is to embrace the American individuality and be yourself. Unfortunately, many forces prevent immigrants from fully embracing their individuality.Read More »Immigration and Assimilation