Penaku masih ligat menari

Balik dari kerja hari ni (petang semalam) aku dikejutkan dengan kiriman bungkusan yang agak besar. Nampak seperti kiriman barang penting. Bila aku belek di belakangnya, tertulis alamat yang cukup memberikan impak kejutan kepada aku.

Tertera alamat pengirimnya, LINCOLN RESOURCE CENTER | EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA. Belum pun aku buka kiriman tu, rasa teruja yang teramat sangat aku dapat agak sesuatu untuk aku di dalamnya. Betul! Di dalamnya ada sekeping sijil penghargaan  dan sekeping DVD bertajuk 'Gran Torino' ~hadiah di atas kejayaan aku memenangi salah satu kategori dalam pertandingan menulis esei anjuran pihak kedutaan US. Bila diingat semula, aku hanya dapat tahu tentang pertandingan ini kurang 3 minggu daripada tarikh tutupnya.

Punyalah aku kembali ke zaman jadi student dulu-dulu. Banyak benda positif aku dapat bila join competition macam ni, yang paling ketaranya bila aku dapat kunjungi semula perpustakaan awam Kelantan yang dulunya di zaman aku masih di sekolah rendah, di sinilah aku selalu habiskan masa dengan teman-teman yang lain. Bila aku dapat pelunag untuk berkunjung lagi ke galeri ilmuan ini, rasa cukup terharu dan bangga. Terus saja aku daftarkan diri sebagai ahli dan ke bahagian Lincoln Corners untuk pinjam bahan rujukan di situ. Aku ambil masa 2 minggu untuk habiskan 2 buah buku dan kemudian buat esei tentang aspek-aspek diversity di United States. Ada 2 kategori yang dipertandingkan, satu KENNEDY CATEGORY (16-22 tahun) dan dua bagi kategori LINCOLN CATEGORY (23-28 tahun).

Akhirnya esei aku terhasil dalam masa seminggu dan sedar-sedar hari itulah juga tarikh akhir untuk hantar. Alhamdulillah aku sempat hantar esei tersebut walaupun hanya tinggal kurang setengah jam sebelum waktu pejabat tamat. Memang asalnya aku berharap dapat memenangi pertandingan ini tapi kemudian aku rasa cukup puas hati kerana berjaya menyertainya. Biarlah apa keputusannya nanti, aku cuma berserah. Selepas 2 hari tarikh tutup, aku rajin meninjau di laman sesawang kedutaan US. Tapi kerana masih belum ada pengumuman, aku terus terlupa hinggalah aku dapat kiriman sijil penghargaan ini.

Walaupun aku tak dapat tempat pertama dan menang iPod shuffle tu, aku cukup berbangga dengan pencapaian ini. Mana tidaknya, kemenangan ini telah mengiktiraf hasil tulisan aku sebagai satu kepujian. Aku hanya dapat tahu pengumuman pemenang pertandingan menulis esei ini di laman sosial kedutaan US, yang mana telah pun dikeluarkan pada 22 September lepas. Di sini aku sertakan esei hasil tulisan aku untuk pertandingan ini, untuk tatapan semua.

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Religious and social diversity in the United States.

“-that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

-Gettysburg Address, 1863 by Abraham Lincoln.

Through the history, America has been known as a land of multicultural of ethnic, cultural, racial and religious diversity. Looking to the beginning of America history, it is found what was considered as a unique social contract. This contract, which included a mutual relationship between the state and its citizens, was originally considered with a relatively homogeneous society in mind – racially, culturally and religiously. The story of America is about the story of its people and it also informs the story of religion variation in America.

During the colonial days, America has been converged with the European settlers whose came to seek for the religious freedom. It is because this land promoted as a haven for religious escapers and political persecution or seeks for economic opportunities as to find a better life. But religion has been the most progressive factor that influenced the mosaic of America. Since that influence continues in American culture, social life, and politics. Since 1960s many other religions have emigrated through their followers such as Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and others in great significant numbers but somehow majority of Christianity, Judaism and Islam are the most acknowledged. Reality today, America has been raising marvelously more wide diversity in religiously diverse and dynamic.

Christianity was introduced during the period of European colonization. It is the largest religion practiced by the majority of the population in the America. From those Christians, most of them are Protestants, another more are Catholics and also other branches of Christianity have since spread beyond the boundaries of ethnic immigrant communities and now include multi-ethnic membership and rural community. Despite its status as the most widespread and influential religion in the US, Christianity is undergoing a continuous relative decline in demographics.

Muslims community has been experienced a tremendous growth in population among other two major monotheistic religions and becoming the second-largest representation in the United States. Islam first been practiced in America after the African slaves arrived during 17th and 18th centuries which most of them were Muslims. Like other subcultural and religious communities, the Islamic community has generated its own political organizations and charity organizations, as well as institutions of education from kindergarten to school. According to some sources, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States. Much of the growth has been driven by immigration, and a comparatively high birth rate. Conversions also figure in this growth, with a quarter of American Muslims being converts, almost entirely African-American.

The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly who emigrated from Central, and their US-born descendants. Judaism is the third-largest religious affiliation in the America after Christianity and no-religion, though this identification is not necessarily indicative of religious beliefs or practices. In other context, Judaism is viewed as an ethnic culture which the immigrant generation began in the early 1880s.

A survey which is done in 2001 indicated that category of "no religious identification" had the greatest increase in population in both complete and percentage terms. This category included atheists, agnostics, humanist and others with no theistic religious beliefs or practices.

With both of the varied circumstances and historical contingencies that have shaped the American community, nor the differences of color, ethnicity, cultural background, and religion among them, it is never lied that the fact of their common humanity. The Muslims, Christian and Jewish experiences the reality nowadays reflects upon their shared struggles of faith and identity; of integration and assimilation, institution building and cultural.

Many elements are required to achieve all these common good. They include the emergence of a shared ethos; an operational civil ethic informed by religious values; responsible instruments of governance, giving all the American citizens whether they are white or black, Christian or Muslim or even Protestant or Catholic, the same right to live and to get jobs; of course that depend on how qualified they are. Despite the previous incident such as the tragedy of 9/11, where brought back most of American to find way back closer to religion, this has to look as a good start. It is showed that religion has been a central and often defining for throughout the history of man.

Sources:
1) RELIGION AND IMMIGRATION : Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Experiences in the United States.(Edited by Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, Jane I, Smith, and John L. Esposito)
2) TWO MISERABLE PRESIDENTS : The Amazing, Terrible, and Totally True Story of the Civil War.(Steve Sheikin)