Perspective: Acceptance at An Edmonds Kind of 4th parade | Shumaila Ahmad

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Muslim men, women and children can still walk in this country, feeling welcome and confident without it becoming a problem.

Times of Ahmad | News Watch | UK Dessk
Source/Credit: Edmond's Beacon
By Shumaila Ahmad | July 14, 2017

Perhaps due to the current political climate or because I did not feel so proud of this country, I had no real desire to celebrate July 4th in 2017.

So the decision to walk in the Edmonds Kind of 4th parade was a difficult one.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, of which I am a member, has been in this parade the past few years, and what pushed me forward this year was a lingering sense of responsibility.

For quite some time now, I've worked hard to show people the truth about being a Muslim – how we are not terrorists, we are here in the USA, and we are here to stay. I had walked in the parade before, so I knew how it went and, as we began the route surrounded by hundreds of people, some of my nervousness began to melt away.

It was invigorating as people clapped louder, the sound enveloping me with a feeling of acceptance. I was reminded yet again that this is what America is really about – the ideas that began this country have not disappeared.

They are still here, just below the surface. Muslim men, women and children can still walk in this country, feeling welcome and confident without it becoming a problem.

Those who chose not to celebrate the 4th of July missed the point displayed in Edmonds: That no matter what divides us, we can still come together with the love of our country and celebrate.

Shumaila Ahmad
Student at Tesla STEM High School
Redmond


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