Ye 21 March ka din tha aur shayed sun(year) 2003 ka zamana...I was driving from Duluth Minnesota towards Chicago.......Ye woh waqt tha jub 9/11 ke baad poore america main 'muslim community' main aik khauf-o-hiras pehla huwa tha.....
Main subah sawere fajar ke waqt hi chal para aur jald hi wisconsin ke sabzazar ilaqon main daakhil ho gaya. Ab bhi kahin kahin peechli sardioN ki barf pari nazar aa rahi thi. Subah subah 'state route' pe kafi 'fog' thi. Shomiye-qismat 2 aik ghante baad mera tyre flat ho gaya. Us ilaqe main cell phone bhi out of network tha ke AAA ko call kerta. Main ne gari aahista aashista 'highway' ke 'shoulder' pe park ki aur paidal chalta huwa aik chote se 'town' main daakhil huwa. Hari bhari wadioN main ghire bus koi 25-50 khubsurat makanat the.
Main ne aik roadside sandwich shop pe ruk ker 'public phone' se AAA ko call kiya. Intezar kerte huwe main yunhi 'yellow pages' dekhne laga. Mujhe local clinic ki 'ad.' pe aik pakistani sa naam nazar aaya. Bari hairat hui ke is weerane main aik Pakistani doctor kiya ker raha hai. Main ne 'clinic' ka number dial kiya. 'Answering service' ne mujhe direct doctor se connect ker diya. Jub doctor shahab ko pata laga ke, main is waqt unke ilaqe main kuch mushkil main hun to unhon ne kaha: "aap wahin rukain, main aata hun".
Doctor shahab tashreef laye to kuch lamhoN ke liye main chonka....He was in grey 'shalwar kurta'....sir pe namaz ki kaali topi thi aur koi aik foot lambi darhi thi....kehne lage:" Main ghar se nikal hi raha tha. kuch photo copies kerwani thi".
Main ne kaha: "aap ki bari himmat hai. In dinoN main bhi (9/11) - rural USA main - yun apne religion ko openly express ker lete hain. Wahan to sharoN main bhi log - despite in community ghetto, are fearful of expressing themselves as muslim".
UnhoN ne bara khubsurat jawab diya: "Koi kuch kahe - despite all political things going around - still America is a country - where we muslims can practice our religion with more dignity....Meri Darhi ke bawajood - rural wisconsin ne mujhe job di. Mujeh aur meri family ko green card ke liye sponsor kiya. Kahin aik lamhe bhi mujeh ye mahsoos nahi huwa ke - mere saath mazhab ki wajah se - 'discrimination' - ho raha hai....... Now I feel integral part of Rural USA. I am planning to stay here, built my practice and raise my family for many many years"....
This is so true. Rural USA which is the real soul of USA, never discriminated against muslims - and many many muslim families have become integral part of rural USA over years.
Thank you and welcome spring - my home country USA.
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