Japanese Americans

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

Actually the Canadians were somewhat more brutal than we. I

recommend the novel "Obasan" by Joy Kogawa. It is an excellent work.

 

Blessings,

 

prainbow

 

 

, Sister Usha Devi

<sisterusha> wrote:

> I wish to use a piece of American history to

> illustrate a point about what is happening in the

> world at the present time.

> During the Second World War of 1939-1945, the

> United States and many other countries fought against

> Germany, Italy, and Japan. As everyone knows, the USA

> is a land of immigrants and the children of

> immigrants. There are many people in the US whose

> parents or grandparents or great-grandparents came

> here from Germany, Italy, and Japan. The commander of

> the US army in Europe during the war was a man with

> the very German name of Eisenhower.

> Americans of Japanese ancestry live mostly in

> Hawaii and California. During the war, there was an

> enormous amount of prejudice against the Japanese. The

> government decided to move all the Japanese in

> California from their homes and into camps in rural

> areas. They lived in small, hastily built homes and

> were not allowed to leave.

> Yes, I know what you are thinking. This is exactly

> what the Nazis were doing to the Jews at the same

> time. The US camps had no torture or gas chambers or

> anything of the sort. But the people lost their homes

> and their jobs and their businesses because of this.

> The US government has in recent years admitted that

> this was wrong and apologized to the Americans of

> Japanese ancestry for the mistreatment that they

> suffered.

> The question is: was the prejudice justified? Were

> these Americans of Japanese ancestry loyal to their

> ancestral homeland in Japan? Or were they patriotic

> Americans?

> Many Japanese men in Hawaii and California

> voluntarily joined the US Army. This included many of

> the men who were living in these camps. They fought

> very bravely. One unit of the army comprised mostly of

> Japanese-Americans won many medals for heroism

> fighting in the mountains of Italy. One of these men,

> Daniel Inouye, lost his right arm fighting Nazis in

> Italy. He later served many years as a member of the

> US Senate.

> Similar things are happening today. There are many

> moslems living in the United States. Many are

> immigrants from various moslem countries. Others are

> converts. There are many Americans of African ancestry

> (descendants of slaves) who have converted to Islam.

> It is very possible that a few of these people

> hate the United States and will help Al Qaida and

> other terrorist groups to attack the USA. But it is

> more likely that many American moslems love their

> country very deeply and would defend it bravely, in

> the same manner that Americans of Japanese ancestry

> did years ago. It is stupid and ignorant to assume

> that all moslems hate the USA.

> The converse is true also. It is stupid and

> ignorant to assume that all non-moslem Americans hate

> moslems. Some do, certainly, and some of these people

> are dangerous. But is is never correct to assume that

> all the people of a certain ethnic group or a certain

> religion or a certain gender are of the same opinion

> and to be blamed for what other members of that group

> may do.

> Let us remember this always. Let us judge each

> person as an individual, never as a member of a group.

> And let us reach out to peoples of all nations, all

> faiths, and all ethnic groups, and build bridges of

> love and friendship. Let us never hate people blindly

> without knowing what is truly in their hearts.

>

> Sister Usha Devi

>

> =====

> Sister Usha Devi

> Founder, Divinely Female and worshipper of the Sacred Flame that

shines inside every woman

>

>

>

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