It is interesting to note that parades serve as more than just a display of ethnic or religious pride. In truth, parades also reflect certain social and political issues relevant to ethnic subgroups in America. For example, Slyomovics points out that parades can sometimes be a demonstration of Americanness (which resides in dual identification), but they can also serve as political acts of confrontation or challenges to accepted social norms. It seems as though the Muslim Day Parade is unique in that it embodies both of these intents. While it certainly resembles your archetypal New York City ethnic parade by including an Irish marching band, among other “American” subtleties (depending on how you define the term), the Muslim Day Parade also seems to stray from conformity by temporarily rejecting the Manhattan street grid during prayers, emphasizing the role of signs, and chanting the takbir. Slyomovics asserts, however, that despite its supposed boldness, the Muslim Day Parade is actually subject to certain unspoken restrictions. As Slyomovics concludes, “What Muslims in America articulate ritually about Islam in public should be heard as friendly, accommodating, and familiar, it should not be overheard, and at best, it should still be heard only among their own.” How much more so would these regulations be apparent today, post 9/11, when American wariness towards Muslims has grown substantially?
This leads me to another question I have in response to something Naomi brought up in her post. After addressing the idea that parade routes indicate the power of an ethnic group, she writes, “it makes sense that the more powerful the group is, the more likely they are able to get permission to block off a major street.” This indeed makes sense, but who, or rather what, decides how powerful an ethnic group is? Is more “power” given to Irish, Jews, and Italians because they have been around longer? Is it because these ethnicities are more familiar to American culture? Does one necessarily lead to the other? And finally, what exactly does this mean for the future of Muslims in America?
