The Theme Of Call Me American By Iftin

Under the comforting shelter of a neem tree and the smell of fragrant blossoms, our story begins. In the memoir “Call Me American” by Abdi Nor Iftin, he illustrates the struggles he experienced while living in Mogadishu at the beginning of the Somali Civil War. He further goes on to share his journey as a Somalian refugee attempting to make it to the United States to become an American citizen. Overall, Iftin’s struggles for survival in Somalia impacted me by coming to realize there are vast differences in culture among other countries around the world. However, a common theme is that we all have our own struggles in life which ultimately proves we are human and can relate to one another regardless of circumstances. In reading Iftin’s story

One cultural example that stood out to me was birthdays are not celebrated or even documented in Somalia. In America this became quite problematic for Abdi, as the world outside of Somalia is filled with legal documents and paperwork such as birth certificates. Educational differences also exist. For example, American students attend school regularly and are offered the opportunity to pursue higher education such as college. Whereas in Somalia Abdi was only offered the option to attend school at the madrassa which only allows for education based around memorizing the Koran. However in America students learn about a variety of subjects. Finally customs in Somalia are rather different in regards to the rules for women. Abdi Nor Iftin states, “She was wearing a heavy hijab and face cover, with gloves on her hands and socks on her feet.” (Iftin, 165). Somali customs require women to dress and act in a certain way. In America we have the freedom as women to dress and act as we

Iftin made me recognize that safety, education, and basic freedoms are a few things I am grateful for. While living in Mogadishu, safety was a high concern and Abdi was constantly surrounded by gunfire and militias. Abdi states, “Khadija brought home two guns, an AK-47 and a SAR-80 assault rifle given to her by a relative who had plenty of guns…” (Iftin, 96). A few months into the war Abdi’s aunt felt unsafe in her own home and believed having a military grade gun was necessary. Whereas in America we have the right to own a gun, but I do not dodge gunfire just walking to the grocery store in our