Among the many fields American Muslims have distinguished themselves is entrepreneurship, achieved through the use of the opportunities that the United States offers for innovation in business.
Dr. Aly Gamay, head of DreamPak Company, represents one such story of success. He among the current business leaders, who came to the United States at a young age to study, and then climbed up the ladders of success through hard work, commitment and bold experimentation.
In a recent interview, Gamay made some important points that helped him pursue excellence in business, like many of his peers in other fields.
American Muslim immigrants, the prominent entrepreneur says, can be effective ambassadors of goodwill for the United States as an overwhelming majority of them represent the achievement of the American Dream.
Dr. Aly Gamay, who himself embodies the American Dream, also believes strongly that the U.S. Muslims are part of the American fabric.
“American Muslims are an integral part of the society, they are part of the American fabric. They are not different in their ideals from the mainstream population,” Gamay, an Egyptian-American, says.
Gamay, whose company DreamPak is known for inventing some of the famous brands in cold and warm drinks like energy liquids and coffee as well as energy liquids, says while he has never faced discrimination on any account, he feels Muslims need more inclusiveness.
American Muslims are “pretty much part of the United States, they want to be included in the society,” noted the food chemist, who also developed technology to produce fat-free cheese.
“They also spread word to the parts of the world they come from that America is a great country and that the American dream is great. They can be ambassadors of goodwill for the United States.”
However, Gamay feels under the current circumstance, when Muslims are often stereotyped in the political discourse and media portrayals, the community should extend its participation to political and civil society issues and represent itself nationally.
“American Muslims should play a prominent role in the society. They should make themselves more noticeable so that people recognize their role and contributions.”
On the question of immigration, Dr. Gamay said America has always benefited from the talent and hard work of immigrants.
“Immigrants have always played a vital role in the U.S. advancement, they fuel growth and innovation.”
Limiting immigration will make the highly talented people go somewhere else, he argues.
“Look at my own example. If I had not come here, I would not have innovated or succeeded — I employ several hundred people, pay a lot of taxes, do a lot of community service, we contribute back to the society.”
AMI believes that the younger generation of American Muslims can draw inspiration from many such examples in the fields of business, finance, information technology, medicine and academia that highlight the importance of hard work, consistency and a resolve to succeed.
We, at the American Muslim Institution, will continue to tell stories of success that American Muslims have achieved and with their achievements they have contributed to innovation and growth of the U.S. economy.