Press Releases 2004

The United States and India - Building Strength in Diversity

Remarks at Lucknow University By Robert O. Blake, Jr., Charge d'Affaires

January 16, 2004

Vice Chancellor Singh, Pro Vice Chancellor Singh, students, thank you for inviting me this afternoon. Let me thank you, Vice Chancellor Singh, for your continued support and your engagement with the U.S. Embassy over the years. This has resulted in a close working relationship with Lucknow University. I would also like to thank Pro Vice Chancellor Singh for his guidance in putting together an excellent program today. And I would like to acknowledge Mr. Arvind Mohan's efforts that made this event possible.

I am both honored and happy to be at Lucknow University today. I am honored because this University is one of India's leading schools and has a renowned history. It is a real privilege to have the opportunity to share my views with you on a subject of importance to you and me. I am happy to be here because I always enjoy direct interaction with students and faculty. The lively debates that occur daily in universities in India and in the United States -- and that I expect we will have today -- are crucial pillars to all free and democratic societies.

I am particularly happy to return to Lucknow, "the city of Nawabs" and the electoral home of Prime Minister Vajpayee. This is my second visit to Lucknow and I always enjoy seeing the city's great cultural heritage, sampling its famous cuisine, especially the kebabs and biryani, and shopping for Chikan embroidery clothes for my wife. A great example of India's secular values, Lucknow shows us how diverse historical and cultural traditions blend together to create a vibrant community.

Today, I also had the pleasure of donating a special collection of books on American society and studies. I hope that this collection will allow you, your colleagues, and future students in this University to learn more about the United States and its policies, values and institutions.
Today I want to address an issue of significance to both our nations, the important role of cultural and religious diversity in our two democratic societies. I am pleased to do this, because this diversity is a principal source of strength for our two great democratic countries. Diversity catalyzes not only creativity, but tolerance. This is important because our two nations are playing an increasingly important role on the world stage today, and we can help influence the world by our own examples.

Before I go further, I'd like to say a few words about the U.S.-India relationship. All of you know that relations between the United States and India have never been better thanks to the leadership of President Bush and Prime Minister Vajpayee. The dramatic transformation that has occurred has its roots in our common values and interests. We are the two largest democracies in the world, and we are committed to political freedom, tolerance and representative government. We have common strategic interests in protecting the vital sea-lanes of the Indian Ocean; fighting terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, organized crime, and drug and human trafficking; and creating a strategically stable and prosperous Asia.

The level of cooperation over the last two years between our two countries across a broad range of issues has been nothing short of extraordinary. In fact, just last Monday the United States and India announced an agreement on a significant expansion of our strategic partnership. The agreement announced by President Bush and Prime Minister Vajpayee lays a solid foundation for our two countries to work much more closely together in areas such as expanding high technology trade, civil space and civil nuclear cooperation, and missile defense.

But the positive trends in our bilateral relationship have not been confined to government-to-government relations. People-to-people contacts are flourishing as well. Each year, the U.S. consular sections in New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata issue more than a half a million visas. In spite of the challenges posed by the terrorist acts on 9/11 and afterward, the overall visa issuance rate for India is the same today as it was before 9/11.

In fact, India has become the second highest source of legal immigration to the United States, second only to Mexico. And for the second straight year, more students from India are studying in the United States than from any other country, including China, with over 70,000 young Indian men and women going to U.S. colleges and universities. In 2002, India was second only to Germany as the country of choice for American scholars seeking Fulbright grants to study overseas. And we all know the extraordinary and growing contributions Indian Americans are making to U.S. culture, business, science and technology and, increasingly, politics.

Just last week, over 400 Americans of Indian origin came to New Delhi to participate in the second annual Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, a major international conference sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry to help India develop bonds with NRIs throughout the world. I had the pleasure of hosting a reception for the American NRIs to learn more about what they are doing to cement the bonds between our two great countries. I told them the United States is very proud of the NRIs who have chosen America as their home. They are making a significant contribution to the ongoing transformation in the U.S-India relationship.

Let me now turn to the main theme of these remarks, the importance of diversity in our democratic societies. America's history is a story of continuous social evolution. For more than two hundred years, new immigrants have flocked to our nation from all corners of the globe. They landed in great cities like San Francisco and New York but quickly blazed trails to settle all over the United States. Subsequently, their families and descendants followed those paths to new homes, new occupations, and new self-worth as American citizens.

Thanks to this constant stream of immigration, the United States, like India, is a multiracial, multiethnic democracy. Today, there are more children from more diverse backgrounds in our public schools than at any other time in our history, with one in five from immigrant families. For example, just across the Potomac River from our Nation's capital of Washington, Virginia's Fairfax County School District boasts children from 180 different racial, national and ethnic groups who are fluent in more than 100 different languages.

The face of America is changing -- literally. While much discussion focuses on the potential divisiveness inherent in a nation so diverse, the integration and inclusion of this new and increasing diversity is in fact bringing greater strength and vitality to the United States.

For example, one study projects that by 2050, 21 percent of the U.S. population will be of mixed racial or ethnic ancestry, up from an estimate of seven percent in 1999. Among third-generation Hispanic and Asian Americans, it is estimated that marriage outside one's ethnic group is already at least 50 percent.

The year 2000 census showed that at least three out of ten U.S. residents are something other than of European origin. In the year 2006, the Hispanic population will outnumber the African-American population. Soon, Islam may be the second largest religion in the United States after Christianity. In 2030, one out of four Americans will be either Hispanic or Asian in ethnic makeup.

Over the past twenty years, there has been a significant increase in "foreign-born" Americans. Between 1990 and 2000, the foreign-born population increased by an astounding 57 percent from 19.8 million to 31.7 million! In 2000, 40.3 percent of the foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens, but taken as groups, 82 percent of those who entered the U.S. before 1970 were naturalized as opposed to 13 percent of those who had entered in 1990 or later.

Of this group, Indians are making a significant and growing impact on American society. Indian-Americans already have the highest per-capita income of any ethnic group in the U.S. There are 50,000 Indian American doctors, a number that represents 5% of all doctors in the United States. Of the 52,000 hotels in the U.S., 22,000 are owned and operated by Indian Americans. Indian Americans are responsible for one-third of the start-ups in Silicon Valley. According to the U.S.-India Political Action Committee, Indian Americans donated $7 million in the last U.S. Presidential campaign and are expected to donate $10 million this year. And many of you may have heard of Bobby Jindal, a bright, young Indian-American who recently narrowly missed being elected as the Governor of the State of Louisiana. Even though he lost this time, I am sure it will not be long before there is a state Governor, a U.S. Senator, or a member of Cabinet who is Indian-American.

Just last week, we had Congressman Joseph Crowley, the Co-Chairman of the Congressional India Caucus, visiting India with a delegation of nine Members of Congress. The Congressional India Caucus, a grouping of legislators dedicated to promoting U.S.-India relations, is the largest such organized group in the U.S. Congress. Several other Congressmen and Senators are also visiting India this month. These Congressional delegations testify to the growing importance of U.S.-Indian relations and the growing ties between our two nations. It is no exaggeration that Indian-Americans are quickly assimilating into the American mainstream and becoming an active force throughout American society

These statistics show clearly the changing make-up and face of America and the strength and dynamism this diversity brings to American society. America is quickly becoming more diverse in what is an increasingly globalized world. This is good.

Admitting and assimilating so many new people from such a vast array of cultures and nationalities is a true testimony to the strong foundations that underlie American society - the commitment to democratic principals, the rule of law, and the right to freedom of expression and religious beliefs. These values, I believe, are also shared by India.

This is especially apparent in Lucknow. Visiting here today, I am reminded of the importance of religious and cultural tolerance because of Lucknow's long and rich history of promoting these values, including under the Nawabs of Oudh. In particular, the last Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah, was well known for the cultural enrichment of Lucknow, which would not have been possible without the tolerant interaction between Lucknow's various religious and ethnic communities. This history, and the success of the Nawabs in promoting the best in different cultures and religions, is important for all of us to remember.

In this regard, let me say a few words in particular about the growing role of Islam in American society and focus on some misconceptions of how U.S. foreign policy has interacted with the Muslim world.

Welcoming people of all ethnic groups and faiths into American society has been the rule, and Islam is no exception. For example, you may be surprised to learn that Islam may well be the fastest growing religion in the United States today. By some estimates, in 2010 the Muslim-American population will be the second largest in the nation after Christian-Americans.

In fact, while it is difficult to be precise because the U.S. Government is prohibited from asking its citizens about their faith, it is estimated that there are 6 million Americans of Muslim faith and 1.3 million of the Hindu faith in the American population. America has over 1,200 Mosques and 700 Hindu temples.

America's history has taught its citizens the value of reaching across faiths, creeds, and cultures so that everyone can achieve their dreams. We are a nation of many races and religions. In fact, our nation is diversity in action, not theory. If you take a walk in the area around the Department of State in Washington, D.C., within minutes you can be at a mosque, a synagogue, a temple, or any of a large number of different kinds of churches.

As for America's Muslim population, historically they have been a part of American society since the late 1800s when people from the Middle East (present-day Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon) immigrated. Today, the American Muslim population is highly diverse, representing Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Middle Easterners, North Africans, Iranians, Turks, Eastern Europeans, Southeast Asians, Africans, and African Americans and other converts.

Today, American Muslims are very young, with 74% under age 50; and like the Indian American population overall, highly educated, with 58% holding college degrees; extremely successful, with 50% earning more than $50,000 annually; and involved in the political process with nearly 80% registered to vote.

The remarkable success of Islam in America is ensured by a form of government and secularism that values the role of religion in the lives of its citizens while keeping the hand of government out of their faith. It is predicated on open borders that allow goods, services, information, ideas - and people - to flow freely. This has enabled America to perpetually reinvent itself and change with and adapt to a dynamic world. America, like India, is opening and accepting of positive new influences from anywhere. These beliefs not only underlie the profound diversity of our domestic society, but they define our foreign policy objectives as well.

Yet around the world one encounters the unfortunate and incorrect impression that American foreign policy is directed against a particular ethnic group or religion, such as Islam. This cannot be further from the truth. U.S. foreign policy is not based on religious or ethnic considerations. It seeks to promote freedom and democracy throughout the world for everyone regardless of their ethnicity or religious beliefs.

For example, in Bosnia the U.S. deployed American troops to protect its Muslims from Serb attacks. We contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to Bosnian reconstruction, and remain committed to an independent, democratic, secure and prosperous Bosnia. In 1999, the United States intervened in Kosovo to assist oppressed Muslim Kosovars. Kosovo is now on the road to stability.

In 2001 the United States helped liberate the Afghan people from a regime that supported terrorists. Earlier this month, Afghanistan, after considerable effort, formally adopted a new constitution that protects the basic human rights of Afghans and sets forth a civil law that is consistent with Sharia law. Recognizing the importance of protecting democratic rights and the right to religious freedom, the Afghan constitution provides broad guarantees of religious freedom, allowing adherents of other faiths to practice their religions and observe their religious rights. Our effort, together with the international community, including India, helped the Afghan people reach this important milestone.

The United States is working hard to achieve a similar objective in Iraq. Our goal there, shared by India and the United Nations, is to build an independent, democratic and stable Iraq. We are now working with Iraqis to help create the conditions in which the Iraqis themselves can elect a representative government that can lead the Iraqi people to full sovereignty. The United States Coalition Provisional Authority will not remain in Iraq one day longer than is necessary to accomplish this goal, but we will continue to work with Iraqis on the reconstruction after our soldiers have gone.

In the future the United States, like India, will continue to help people of all religions and ethnic backgrounds share equally in building a great nation. Both of our countries are opposed to the oppression of anyone regardless of religion, ethnicity or gender.

President Bush has said, "America rejects bigotry … America values and welcomes peaceful people of all faiths -- Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and many others. Every faith is practiced and protected here, because we are one country."

So what does the future hold for America? The debate over immigration tells us something about Americans as a people. The story is one of increasingly blurred boundaries between groups. Although erasing distinctions completely may be neither possible nor desirable, minimizing them seems inevitable. As we move into the 21st century, the American challenge, like that for India and for much of the world, is to continue to welcome immigrants and diverse ethnic groups into our societies in a way that strengthens democracy and increases mutual understanding. It is this vision of the future that will continue to strengthen our mutual commitment to democracy and freedom throughout the world.

Thank you for your warm welcome, and may I wish the students and faculty of this university all the best.