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Transplanted: A Memoir of Faith and Vision for American Muslims
An eighteen-year-old Iranian boy is thrust into a new and strange world in search of a Western education. He returns home after 13 years and becomes a leader in the academic and medical community, working to foster progress. Decades later, and after years of soul-searching in the U.S. as an immigrant Muslim, he passionately shares his insights gained from living between two cultures. Transplanted is the personal testimony of a man who has succeeded in life on both sides of the cultural line and sees clearly that Islam is compatible with modernity and western civilization. It is the wisdom of a man who passionately wants to share his insights with those, both Muslims and non-Muslims, who wonder about these issues. And it is a call to future generations of Muslims in America and Europe not to lose their heritage, but to have the courage to explore it, understand it, cherish it, preserve it, and draw from it inspirations and ideas that they can contribute to the betterment of their adopted homeland.
261 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2008
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July 16, 2018
Transplanted: A Memoir of Faith and Vision for American Muslims, "Dr" Mahmood Sarram
This is the story of man, deeply in love with his Country of birth, the Culture and a Religion that accorded him a place amongst his Contemporaries.
The story beings in Iran, and his ascension to higher education and the desire to become a doctor. His aspirations take him to Germany where he finds himself at odds with the Westernized experiment and the challenges of his Faith -- but over time he realizes that there is no contradiction at hand, infact his religion maintains notions that are compatible with the West.
Being that the story begins with Iran and his journey to Germany and back to Iran, he finds much dissapointment upon returning. Iran was caught in the quagmire of the self imposed Westtoxification of the policies of the Shah, of the alienation of those values that were strictly Iranian pitted against a culture that was too uncomfortable in their shoes when dealing with the Wester values. They felt insulted, insulated, foreign to the Western ideas, from dress codes to how appointment of Western backed individuals to positions of power
The book maintains that ayatollah Khoemini was initially fine and accepted the reality, that religion would serve to guide people, while the nation at large would imbue values that would change over time as a society progressed. But over time, the over zealousness of those associated with the ayatollah trumped the desire of the ayatollah.
The author also felt precisely of the experience with the religious zealots, the role of the ulama should be to impart ethical values, with the technocrats be guided with that to their respective roles - like the field of medicine. Interference of religious zealots in the medical field, gave away to a medical institution (whether a hospital or private practice or a university) that didnt serve any one well. Those zealots who were at the helm of power corridors even within the medical establishment looked down on those doctors who were trained in the most advanced fields in the West.
These circumstances came with their set of umn-intended consequences.
What was most disturbing was the reality, imposed by ayatollah and his ilks, that either you were with them or you were against them, by and large because anything Western was corrupt and against the ayatollah. This was a severe blow to the author and others like him, who had trained as medical professionals, and imbued certain Western ideals, like hard work, transparency and the notion of challenging authority when needed.
The author after the 79 revolution left Iran in the fourth year of the War with Iraq. His eventual migration led him to Seattle, WA and also a return of his Children who were studying in Germany.
There is a deep lament on how the West is perceived to be a corrupting influence, while ignoring by and large the progress that West has made, with respect to how to deal with Organizations, what methods and techniques are used to teach Others, a certain transparency with respect to how politicians are judged etc
The author feels strongly in the embellishment of organizations that can serve the muslim Community at large, by setting an Islamic Theological school, which was shot down by all ulama, Sistanis proteges, Kashmiri, and even Iranian Ulama in Qum. They by and large declined, since their perception was that they won't be able to control the discourse coming from the Theological Schools, especially when they weren't funded by either Iran, Iraq or even Kuwait.
At the end of the day he settles with a foundation that serves funeral services and a cemetery: judging with the needs of what people are seeking.
The author tied several at times to bring communities together, starting with the Iranians, but there was little interested except in socialization of their cultural counter parts. Serious discussion in setting theological school wasnt met with much ferver and certainly there was no vision articulated on how the children and the grand-children would be taught so that they can maintain their self respectful identities.
This is the story of man, deeply in love with his Country of birth, the Culture and a Religion that accorded him a place amongst his Contemporaries.
The story beings in Iran, and his ascension to higher education and the desire to become a doctor. His aspirations take him to Germany where he finds himself at odds with the Westernized experiment and the challenges of his Faith -- but over time he realizes that there is no contradiction at hand, infact his religion maintains notions that are compatible with the West.
Being that the story begins with Iran and his journey to Germany and back to Iran, he finds much dissapointment upon returning. Iran was caught in the quagmire of the self imposed Westtoxification of the policies of the Shah, of the alienation of those values that were strictly Iranian pitted against a culture that was too uncomfortable in their shoes when dealing with the Wester values. They felt insulted, insulated, foreign to the Western ideas, from dress codes to how appointment of Western backed individuals to positions of power
The book maintains that ayatollah Khoemini was initially fine and accepted the reality, that religion would serve to guide people, while the nation at large would imbue values that would change over time as a society progressed. But over time, the over zealousness of those associated with the ayatollah trumped the desire of the ayatollah.
The author also felt precisely of the experience with the religious zealots, the role of the ulama should be to impart ethical values, with the technocrats be guided with that to their respective roles - like the field of medicine. Interference of religious zealots in the medical field, gave away to a medical institution (whether a hospital or private practice or a university) that didnt serve any one well. Those zealots who were at the helm of power corridors even within the medical establishment looked down on those doctors who were trained in the most advanced fields in the West.
These circumstances came with their set of umn-intended consequences.
What was most disturbing was the reality, imposed by ayatollah and his ilks, that either you were with them or you were against them, by and large because anything Western was corrupt and against the ayatollah. This was a severe blow to the author and others like him, who had trained as medical professionals, and imbued certain Western ideals, like hard work, transparency and the notion of challenging authority when needed.
The author after the 79 revolution left Iran in the fourth year of the War with Iraq. His eventual migration led him to Seattle, WA and also a return of his Children who were studying in Germany.
There is a deep lament on how the West is perceived to be a corrupting influence, while ignoring by and large the progress that West has made, with respect to how to deal with Organizations, what methods and techniques are used to teach Others, a certain transparency with respect to how politicians are judged etc
The author feels strongly in the embellishment of organizations that can serve the muslim Community at large, by setting an Islamic Theological school, which was shot down by all ulama, Sistanis proteges, Kashmiri, and even Iranian Ulama in Qum. They by and large declined, since their perception was that they won't be able to control the discourse coming from the Theological Schools, especially when they weren't funded by either Iran, Iraq or even Kuwait.
At the end of the day he settles with a foundation that serves funeral services and a cemetery: judging with the needs of what people are seeking.
The author tied several at times to bring communities together, starting with the Iranians, but there was little interested except in socialization of their cultural counter parts. Serious discussion in setting theological school wasnt met with much ferver and certainly there was no vision articulated on how the children and the grand-children would be taught so that they can maintain their self respectful identities.
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