What effect did the World War I draft have upon Syrian men in America?
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World War I had a great impact on Syrian men in America. In the case of Joe Allie, "it meant something special to go back home again to Indiana." The use of the word "home" evoked a sense of surprise for me. Throughout this course, the word "home" has carried such a weighted backstory. Did the new country that first-generation immigrants settled in really feel like "home"? Without the customs, religions, traditions, and families from their birthplace, could this new Western country really be a place where immigrants felt happy, acclimated, and proud to be a part of?
According to Curtis' writing, some Syrian men in America did indeed feel a sense of belonging that may have been intensified by World War I. The distance from their new home, fighting a war under the American flag, and being surrounded by fellow Americans must have dramatically increased their sense of affiliation with America—something that might not have occurred in other circumstances. Additionally, for Syrian Muslims, “their participation in the war advanced their social status as white Americans,” which suggests that the war was a mechanism through which Syrians could identify with White America rather than the non-white Middle East.
This notion is further highlighted by the “increased public attention to the discrimination” Syrians faced in America. While serving in the U.S. military abroad allowed them to prove themselves as Americans, back home, their families and communities were still struggling with prejudice. However, Syrians were becoming more integrated into American society, not just as foreign workers. This is evident in the funeral of Edward Shikany, where "a military firing squad and a bugler were present at the burial, and Shikany’s casket was covered with the U.S. flag. Though the sermon was given in “both Arabic and English”, the Syrian man being given the honour of an American soldier’s funeral (an honour, at least from the American perspective) was one of the utmost respects that could be bestowed upon him to signify his position as an American.