In Search Of A base

Two immigrants have collaborated to blend personal and professional views in this short summary of key issues which affect the lives of Muslim immigrants in America today. “In Search of a Base” offers a clear overview of what is faced by Muslim individuals and families who have emigrated to America during the past decades and now make the USA their permanent residence. It seeks to identify major factors which affect their ability to adapt to life in the United States, to adjust to their new environment and to assimilate. How should they balance assimilation with ethnic and cultural diversity? What is the impact of past experiences, traditions, customs, culture, education and religion on their day-to-day lives in their new environment? How important is the immigrant’s age, sex, race, ethnicity and language in the effort to adapt and “fit in”? Using his very relevant personal experiences and professional training as a practicing board certified psychiatrist, Dr. Fawaz postulates that in this post-9/11 era all recent Muslim immigrants to the United States have a common quest: the search for a base. Most have already found such a base almost as a direct consequence of having made the decision to emigrate from their native countries, to come live in America. Others are still searching. Finally, in their “search for a base,” a few others – especially among the younger immigrants – are strongly influenced by a multitude of complex factors, including the global reach of the internet.

The thoughts and contents of "In Search of a Base: Healing Fractured Relationships" began as a series of conversations by two American citizens who many decades ago began their lives in the United States as young immigrants. It evolved over the past year into a closer analysis of the history of immigration in America, particularly of the wave of recent Muslim immigrants from every corner of the world. The impact of 9/11 on all Americans -- including Muslim American immigrants -- prompted Dr. Jamal Fawaz to summarize his thoughts and observations related to the decade following September, 2001, and to synthesize from his own experience as an individual immigrant as well as a board-certified psychiatrist key issues related to adaptation, assimilation, polarization, and healing.