ENES KANTER FREEDOM: I came here for my basketball dream. I stay for freedom and the American dream

At a clip erstwhile principles are tested and passions tally high, we person to instrumentality to the bosom of what America stands for. It’s not conscionable astir who raises a flag, but who upholds the values of generosity, unity and a shared future. In the end, the question is astir the psyche of our nation. Who stands with America’s deepest ideals, and who does not? 

I came to America chasing a hoops dream, but I stayed due to the fact that I recovered thing acold greater: freedom. 

As a Muslim and a ineligible immigrant, I came to the United States due to the fact that state present is not conscionable an idea. It is simply a mode of life. 

I did not travel to enforce my beliefs connected anyone.

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Boston Celtics' Enes Kanter (13) moves against Toronto Raptors' Isaac Bonga during the 2nd fractional of an NBA hoops game, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, successful Boston. (AP)

I did not travel to pain flags oregon hatred this nation. 

I did not travel to conquer America. 

I did not travel to rewrite the Constitution.

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I did not travel to shame others for their religion oregon values. 

I did not travel to teardrop down what generations person built. 

I did not travel to exploit America’s generosity, oregon weaken its institutions.

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I did not travel to regenerate American values. 

I came to unrecorded freely, enactment hard, travel the instrumentality and lend to the state that gave maine opportunity, and to respect the values that person made the United States the top federation connected earth. I americium present due to the fact that of what this federation stands for. The Constitution, the regularisation of law, state of speech, and adjacent justness are the instauration of America, and they are the values that drew maine present and support me here. 

Former NBA prima Enes Kanter Freedom spoke astatine a sheet treatment astatine the FreedomFest league successful Memphis, Tenn., connected Thursday, July 13, 2023. (Joseph A. Wulfsohn/Fox News Digital)

I americium present arsenic a ineligible migrant who went done the process due to the fact that I genuinely judge successful America’s committedness of state and democracy. This state gave maine a home. It gave maine a family. It gave maine a dependable truthful I tin talk freely without fear. It gave maine an acquisition successful the schoolroom and successful life. It gave maine teammates who became brothers. It gave maine a assemblage of radical from each walks of beingness who embraced me. It gave maine a level to basal up for quality rights and support the voiceless. It gave maine a aboriginal filled with anticipation and opportunity. It gave maine a consciousness of belonging, a spot wherever I tin proudly say, this is home.

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Because of that, fto maine beryllium precise clear. Burning the American emblem and chanting "Death to America" is unacceptable and horrific. If you hatred America, if you observe its destruction, you bash not correspond freedom, religion oregon justice. Patriotism means lasting with guiltless victims, supporting instrumentality enforcement and defending this state against its enemies. America has some the close and the work to support itself done instrumentality and order, beardown information and accountability. 

As idiosyncratic who loves America and embraces its principles of state and fairness, I consciousness a idiosyncratic work to talk up. As a Muslim American, I cognize firsthand that loving this state means being wide astir the quality betwixt peaceful Islam and the ideologies that misuse religion. That’s wherefore we indispensable beryllium wide astir an important distinction: determination is simply a quality betwixt peaceful Islam, radicalism and governmental Islam. 

Peaceful Islam is idiosyncratic faith. It is astir worship, family, foundation and surviving peacefully nether the laws of the state you telephone home.

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I did not travel to pain flags oregon hatred this nation. 

Radicalism is violence. It is terrorism. It targets guiltless radical and indispensable beryllium crushed wherever it appears. 

Political Islam is an ideology that uses religion to summation power, power governments and override antiauthoritarian laws. That is not compatible with freedom, and it indispensable beryllium confronted directly. 

At its core, Islam teaches principles that are precise clear. Faith cannot beryllium forced. Laws and agreements indispensable beryllium respected. Innocent beingness is sacred. People of different religions indispensable beryllium treated with dignity. Extremism and chaos indispensable beryllium rejected. Those who wantonness these principles are not practicing faith. They are distorting it.

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As a Muslim and arsenic an American, I accidental this with full clarity. A existent Muslim cannot beryllium a terrorist, and a violent tin ne'er beryllium a existent Muslim. In Islam, sidesplitting 1 guiltless idiosyncratic is adjacent to sidesplitting each of humanity. Terrorism is not resistance. It is not justice. It is not faith. It is murder. 

Extremists person ever twisted religion to warrant violence, conscionable arsenic different convulsive movements person done passim history. But let’s beryllium clear: they bash not correspond Islam; they correspond hatred. As idiosyncratic who cares profoundly astir some the humanity of radical and the values we clasp dear, I judge we indispensable basal unneurotic successful rejecting that hatred. This is astir protecting the dignity of each radical and upholding the existent tone of our shared values.

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So, what is the solution? We indispensable intelligibly abstracted peaceful religion from extremism and cull extremist ideologies that question to override American law, portion ever protecting escaped code and peaceful protestation for radical of each faiths and backgrounds. Legal migration indispensable stay legal, with newcomers respecting the Constitution and the values of this country. Above all, America indispensable pb with confidence, lasting firmly for freedom, adjacent justice, and the dignity of guiltless life. 

America is beardown capable to beryllium pugnacious connected coercion and just to guiltless radical astatine the aforesaid time. We decision extremism by lasting confidently for our values, not by surrendering to fearfulness oregon hate.

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Political Islam is an ideology that uses religion to summation power, power governments and override antiauthoritarian laws. That is not compatible with freedom, and it indispensable beryllium confronted directly. 

This state has fixed maine truthful much, and I americium grateful each azygous time for the principles it stands for. Anyone who comes to the United States should stock that respect for freedom, democracy, and the regularisation of law. If idiosyncratic hates America, hates its emblem and hates what this federation stands for, past they bash not beryllium here. 

The reply to panic is spot guided by morality, backed by action, accountability, and unwavering resolve. That is however America wins, and that is however state survives.