WITH VIDEO: Residents reflect on what it means to be an American

Jul 03, 2010

By: Oakland Press staff

By ANN ZANIEWSKI
Of The Oakland Press

Nawal Jabiro endured untold suffering in her native Iraq, a country she remembers as being rife with violence and religious persecution.

She moved to the United States in 2001 and was granted asylum. Now living in Troy, the 67-year-old said she loves America.

“This country who helped me, I am grateful for,” she said, smiling.

What does it mean to be an American? People’s thoughts and opinions on what constitutes the American identity are as richly diverse as the country itself.
For Jabiro, the answer is easy: Being American means living freely, safely and in peace.

“I came to America and live here because I feel free,” she said.

‘Gaining even more’
Oxford resident Ruth Bota said her parents’ willingness to give up everything to move to the United States makes her appreciate the opportunities Americans have.
Bota’s father, Michael Sontag, came to the United States in 1929 to meet his biological father, who had immigrated years earlier.
“My dad had never seen his father, but he looked forward to meeting him and all of the opportunities he had heard that America offered,” Bota wrote.
“At 16 years old, most kids are thinking about adventures with their friends. My dad at 16 was on a boat by himself crossing the ocean. He left his mother, step-father, siblings and other family members in the small German village (where) he grew up in Romania for a one-way trip to America. He would never see this family again.”
Sontag arrived at Ellis Island and was put on a train headed to Detroit. He spoke only German, so a sign was pinned to his coat that said “Detroit.”
Bota’s father worked odd jobs before landing a brewery job that he kept for 35 years until the brewery closed. He “re-met” Bota’s mother (they knew each other in Romania) and was married to her for 49 years before he died in 1990.
“He was proud to be an American citizen. My parents never taught us their German language. My mother would say, “You are in America, speak English,” Bota said.
Bota said her mom and dad gave her and her brother every opportunity to succeed. She said knowing her parents’ stories makes her realize how important America was to them.
“They gave up a lot, but they felt they were gaining even more becoming Americans,” she said.
Another woman, named Kay, also can trace her roots to another country — and back by hundreds of years.
A former Rochester Hills resident who asked that her last name not be used, Kay said her ancestors were passengers on the Mayflower, the ship that carried a group of people who became known as Pilgrims from England to the New World in 1620.
She said her family has a precious Bible that was carried on the Mayflower. It is three inches thick and wrapped in dark, unpressed leather that varies in thickness, with pages so old they’re crispy, like potato chips.

For Kay, the book is more than just a family heirloom.
“This Bible has been brought forth through the generations to give us the teachings of Jesus Christ himself, and for no other reason did they (the Pilgrims) come to America but to find their own Christianity,” and have religious freedom, she said.
She said the Bible shows that the United States was founded on Christian principles, and that freedom is a gift from God.
“I want our country to know that this is the reason why we are here, and this is the reason God gave us this country,” she said. “God has given us this country, this freedom that we have.”
Kay said morals seem to be declining, with people becoming increasingly selfish and greedy — and turning away from God.
“When we have turned from God,” she said, “he will turn from our country.”

‘The way we used to be’
Scott Adcock is a smoker. Because of a statewide ban that took effect in May, he can no longer smoke in bars or restaurants.
The 58-year-old Pontiac resident said the smoking ban is just the latest in an increasing number of laws being adopted that are chipping away at Americans’ rights.
“To be an American is the way we used to be, without many laws and regulations, and without so many politicians lying,” he said. “It used to be (that) you could do a handshake on a deal. Now, you can’t.”
He said years ago, kids could be kids.
“If they got caught with a bottle of beer, they were sent home. Now, everybody goes to jail,” he said. “You got in a fight in school, parents got called in, everybody shook hands, and it never happened again. Nowadays, everybody goes to court.”
Adcock said grown adults should be able to decide what’s right and wrong for them, not micromanaging politicians.
He said the adoption in recent years of what he sees as unfair and unnecessary regulations makes him feel “overpowered — like all you can do is get mad.”
Adcock, who used to own a plumbing business and is now on disability, said he is also concerned about illegal immigrants living in the United States and taking jobs and resources away from legal citizens.
His grandparents came here from Germany and learned to speak English. He said people who live here now should also be able to speak the language.
“Why should we have to ‘press 1 for English?’” he said, referring to a common telephone prompt.
“Being an American to me means that you belong here, that you came here legally and that you know how to speak the English language,” he said.

‘God bless America’
On a recent warm June afternoon, Jabiro sat with four other people at a table in an office at Bethany Villa, an apartment community in Troy for seniors and people with disabilities. All of them emmigrated from the Middle East.
Jabiro’s eyes welled with tears when she talked about her mother, a 76-year-old housekeeper, being killed years ago by terrorists in Iraq. Her nephew also was killed there, in 2006.
Jabiro entered the United States as a visitor in 2001. She applied for and was granted asylum, and today carries in her heart a deep sense of gratitude.
“I pray for America every day, every morning, to help America to be strong. I love (Iraq), but America, I also love this country,” she said.
On the day of this interview, Jabiro was looking forward to taking the naturalization oath, after which she officially becomes a U.S. citizen. She was helping her husband, 80-year-old Manuoel, study for the citizenship test that must be taken before the oath.
“Wow!” Jabiro said about taking the oath. “I am very, very happy.”
Another Bethany Villa resident, Therese Khoury, was born in Jordan. She came to the United States as a young adult in 1961.
“I love America,” she said. “Free religion, free everything. You can do whatever you want. We are thankful we are here in this beautiful country.”
Every resident at the table was Catholic. They said they are especially grateful for the ability to practice their religion freely in this country, as Christians are persecuted in Iraq.

“Why did we come here? Peace,” said 80-year-old Sami Rahimo, who was an English teacher in Iraq for 30 years. Three of his six children also live in the United States.

Gladys Murphy, the social services coordinator at Bethany Villa, said the residents’ stories have given her a heightened appreciation of what it means to be an American.
“I don’t have to worry about someone coming in my home and telling me to leave,” she said. “I can go to church on Sunday, a church of my choice. “We take much of our freedoms for granted,” she said. “It’s brought home to me how precious they are.”

Contact staff writer Ann Zaniewski at (248) 745-4628 or ann.zaniewski@oakpress.com. Follow her on Twitter @OPCourtReporter.

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