Dearborn, MI: Islam in America

While watching the documentary on the Islamic population in Dearborn MI, I could not help but appreciate the extent to which the religious and ethnic practices have immersed in the community. I think that the most interesting part is that the museum and the mosque serve two compleatly different functions, although tie together quite well. The Islamic community in the neighborhoods on the east side of Daerborn seamed to be centered around the mosque for advice and aid in practicing traditions of Islamic religion. The museam in the center of the city provides a history of ethnicity in Islamic culture and religion. Each structure is important and provides for cultural diversity in a suburb.

Although the structures in Dearborn are groundbreaking and historically important to the Islamic culture in the United States, they are not given the proper recognition. When the site map of Dearborn was shown, I was startled when there was no mention of the Islamic culture. It is a modern application of "perceptions of convienence". I'm not exactlly sure where the site of Dearborn was written (or by whom), although it seams to me that the reasoning behind ignoring a large portion of a community is for the sake of convienice. The people of Dearborn might not want to be thought of as a center for terrorists (?) and thus simply left the Islamic community out of the website.

I truely enjoyed the documentary and questions after. It makes me very happy to see that Islamic culture is integrating into the United States.