Salimah Rahman
Salimah Rahman is eleven years old
and in the fifth grade at Woodburn Elementary School. Salimah lives
with her parents and her nine year old sister Raphiqa (Ra-fee-kah).
Their parents, who are now naturalized US citizens, emigrated from Pakistan
when her father, a computer engineer, was offered a position with an American
company. Their mother, a financial consultant, was able to take the
opportunity to study at an American university. Several years after
arriving in the US, the family welcomed their elder daughter Salimah.
Her birth was celebrated for many reasons, including the fact that she
would represent the first generation of their family to be born US citizens.
About a year ago, there was another day of celebration when her parents took the oath of citizenship. Salimah and Raphiqa were proud of their parents, who had worked very hard to learn all of the historical and civic information required to pass the citizenship exam. At their celebration party, Salimah said, "Now I know how Mom and Dad must feel when I get a good grade on a test or when they see me participate in school assemblies."
Salimah, like her father, enjoys all things computer-related. One of her favorite pastimes is corresponding via the Internet with her extended family still living in Pakistan. When there is an opportunity for an overseas call or the occasional visit, she and her cousins enjoy the opportunity to practice their language skills. Her cousins wish to improve their English, and even though she sometimes uses Punjabi (Poon-jah-bee) with her parents, Salimah enjoys the opportunity to speak Punjabi with kids her own age. Punjabi is a dialect of Urdu (Er-doo), the official language of Pakistan.
While the family is proud of their nationality as US citizens, they also honor their ethnicity as Pakistanis. Their house is home to jeans and shalwar chamise (pronounced shahl-wahr kah-mees, a loose tunic-like garment paired with long pants), to pizza and samosas (fried pastries containing spiced vegetables or meat which are eaten throughout the South Asian subcontinent).
Salimah reminds people that she is happy to talk about what being a Muslim means for her, but she can't speak for all Muslims. She also asks people to remember that she is many things–a Muslim, an American of Pakistani heritage, a computer programmer (someday!), and a big fan of the Woodburn Wildcats.
Salimah is featured in The Kids on the Block program about the war on terrorism, Coping with Crisis and Making a Difference.
