--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My national identity is first American…" description: "\"My national identity is first American. My religious identity is first Muslim.\" — Dalia Mogahed" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f06/dalia-mogahed-13851_american_my-national-identity-is-first-american-m_2047197.png" --- # My national identity is first American. My religious… ![“My national identity is first American. My religious identity is first Muslim.” quote by Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f06/dalia-mogahed-13851_american_my-national-identity-is-first-american-m_2047197.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f06/dalia-mogahed-13851_american_my-national-identity-is-first-american-m_2047197.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f06/dalia-mogahed-13851_american_my-national-identity-is-first-american-m_2047197.png) > “My national identity is first American. My religious identity is first Muslim.” [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prioritizing national and religious identities can coexist, emphasizing civic duty over sectarian labels. **In simple terms:** Being American first, Muslim second. Key Takeaway Put country before creed. Themes identity nationalism faith Mood thoughtful balanced Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - political discourse - community building - interfaith dialogue - public policy Key Concepts civic duty intersectionality Questions to Reflect On - How do you navigate conflicting loyalties? - What role does civic engagement play? A Different Perspective Balancing multiple identities can cause social tension. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Muslim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muslim/) [National identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-identity/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-identity/) ## Related quotes > [Actually I'm more culturally Muslim than religiously but being Muslim is an important part of my identity. As Muslim, I feel it's important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aasif-mandvi/actually-i-m-more-culturally-muslim-than-religiously-but-being-muslim/) [Aasif Mandvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aasif-mandvi/) > [We are undermining a generation's happiness by depriving them of national identity, religious identity, and gender identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/we-are-undermining-a-generation-s-happiness-by-depriving-them-of/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [The identity of just one thing, the "clash of civilization" view that you're a Muslim or a Hindu or a Buddhist or a Christian,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/the-identity-of-just-one-thing-the-clash-of-civilization-view-that/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [I grew up with so much of the identity of being Muslim and being Arab tied around politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramy-youssef/i-grew-up-with-so-much-of-the-identity-of-being-muslim-and-being-arab/) [Ramy Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramy-youssef/) > [There's something really beautiful about people from all different walks of life... who are bound together by this big idea about American identity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-miller/there-s-something-really-beautiful-about-people-from-all-different/) [Stephen Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-miller/) > [The notion that -- which some people are trying to suggest, that by asking for the identity of an American person, that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/the-notion-that-which-some-people-are-trying-to-suggest-that-by/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [“For years, I wanted to know if there was one person, one voice, one individual inside me. All my life people would call me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-huang/for-years-i-wanted-to-know-if-there-was-one-person-one-voice-one/) [Eddie Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-huang/) > [I've always had a complex relationship towards my identity as an American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-ve-always-had-a-complex-relationship-towards-my-identity-as-an/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [Being Nigerian is a strong part of my identity. Being American is a strong part of my identity. And there are important parts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/being-nigerian-is-a-strong-part-of-my-identity-being-american-is-a/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [I wasn't looking to be an Indian brass band, but to be a band that reflected my complete identity as an American. The America…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunny-jain/i-wasn-t-looking-to-be-an-indian-brass-band-but-to-be-a-band-that/) Sunny Jain > [I've realized that it's important to stop trying to think I'm any one thing. People are confused as to their identity and try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-ve-realized-that-it-s-important-to-stop-trying-to-think-i-m-any-one/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [I hope for an America where no president, no public official, no individual will ever be deemed a greater or lesser American because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/i-hope-for-an-america-where-no-president-no-public-official-no/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [“Deists of Jefferson’s generation fought tax support for religious institutions at a time when the only influential American religious sects were Protestant. Their nineteenth-century…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/deists-of-jefferson-s-generation-fought-tax-support-for-religious/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [“My reading of American religious history is that religion always functions best from the margins of society and not in the councils of power.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-balmer/my-reading-of-american-religious-history-is-that-religion-always/) Randall Balmer > [In American religious history, theological qualms tend to get pushed aside when politics intervenes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/in-american-religious-history-theological-qualms-tend-to-get-pushed/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) ## More by Dalia Mogahed > [I hate this idea that we, as Americans, are going to say we're going to have a sense at the border, someplace else, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/i-hate-this-idea-that-we-as-americans-are-going-to-say-we-re-going-to/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) > [The establishment Republicans are beginning to say on the record what they had been whispering about in private for months: that Donald Trump at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/the-establishment-republicans-are-beginning-to-say-on-the-record-what/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) > [Muslims are the primary victims of ISIS. Muslims are the ones who want to do the most to defeat this ideology. It's important that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/muslims-are-the-primary-victims-of-isis-muslims-are-the-ones-who-want/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) > [Human development, not secularization, is what's key to women's empowerment in the transforming Middle East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/human-development-not-secularization-is-what-s-key-to-women-s/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) > [ISIS simply do not have ideological, theological, or popular support. And this is a criminal organization that is funding their criminality with things like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/isis-simply-do-not-have-ideological-theological-or-popular-support/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) > [If you want to beat Donald Trump - then you need to be the candidate that is not the establishment in your thinking, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/if-you-want-to-beat-donald-trump-then-you-need-to-be-the-candidate/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) > [I'm hearing here that this Muslim movement, well, for women, is what we have to focus on. And women have been doing, I think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/i-m-hearing-here-that-this-muslim-movement-well-for-women-is-what-we/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) > [We have to be concerned about the gun killing that people who are Americans, who are Irish, and who are English, who are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/we-have-to-be-concerned-about-the-gun-killing-that-people-who-are/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) > [ We don't know yet but so far the three candidates that have dealt with \[Donald\] Trump most adeptly are \[Ted\] Cruz, \[Chris\] Christie, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/we-don-t-know-yet-but-so-far-the-three-candidates-that-have-dealt/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) > [I don't think there's any clever way for the establishment to take Donald Trump down. It's very simple. Another candidate is going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-clever-way-for-the-establishment-to-take/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) > [Better a broken heart than a hardened one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/better-a-broken-heart-than-a-hardened-one/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) > [Folks in the media ask at the behest of Democrats, "isn't it insensitive for us to do a Second Amendment rally following this terror…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/folks-in-the-media-ask-at-the-behest-of-democrats-isn-t-it/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) > [I just want to point out that Warren Harding, The Times assailed his nomination for president.And we can see how effective that was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/i-just-want-to-point-out-that-warren-harding-the-times-assailed-his/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) > [This is a book called Women in the Shade of Islam. It's published by the government of Saudi Arabia. I picked it up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/this-is-a-book-called-women-in-the-shade-of-islam-it-s-published-by/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) > [I think the guy who gets the least chatter, given how high his chances are of winning the nomination, is Ted Cruz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/i-think-the-guy-who-gets-the-least-chatter-given-how-high-his-chances/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) [Explore all 49 Dalia Mogahed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) Browse all 7,717 American quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My national identity is first American. 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