Welcoming a mosque

The city of Utica in Upstate New York has seen better days. Like many Rust Belt cities, Utica has seen its' share of  businesses leave, followed by residents and its young people packing their bags to find their fortunes elsewhere.

However Bosnian immigrants are breathing new life into this down and out rust belt city. The Bosnians began arriving here during the 1990's, fleeing the war that tore apart their home country.

A key milestone marking the Bosnian's ascendency in Utica was the opening of the Utica Mosque. The mosque opened in 2008 in the United Methodist Church building. The significance does not go unnoticed that Utica's new mosque opened without controversy, whereas communities elsewhere in the United States struggle with proposed mosques, even in New York City. It's very well possible that the reaction to the mosque might not have been the same if Utica's Muslim population was dominated by Arabs, versus European Bosnians.

Egyptian- Americans reflect on changes in their homeland

Regime changes unfolding halfway across the globe can impact immigrants watching the turmoil from here in their adopted country. This past week has been especially turbulent in Egypt, as Islamist President Mohamed Morsi's administration was toppled by the nation's military.

Depending on what news source you watch, you may think Egyptian-Americans are celebrating in the streets, or you might hear that they are worried for their families back in the homeland. 
 
Adding to the difference in reaction is the diversity within the immigrant community. Americans don't always appreciate the diversity of the Middle East. Egypt included. While the majority of Egyptians are Muslim, the country is also home to a large Coptic Christian community. Egyptian-American Christians were always wary of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood ties. But there is also concern of the military toppling Egypt's first democratically elected president.

There are over 190,000 Egyptian-Americans in the United States, according to the the 2010 American Community Survey. The largest communities are in California (39,436) , New Jersey (29,889), and New York (25,978). Egyptians are the 2nd largest Arab nationality in the United States after Lebanese.