Farooq Kathwari Honored as “Outstanding
American by Choice”
Washington: Monday, April 23, 2007
Farooq Kathwari and three other naturalized Americans
were honored in a special ceremony in the U.S. State Department’s
Ben Franklin Room where fifty immigrants from more than twenty
countries were sworn in as citizens of the United States.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice congratulated
the honorees by stating “Today, we honor four such individuals,
men and women, like you, who arrived in this country as strangers,
who became citizens with the same oath that you have sworn and
who, by their actions, have earned the honor that they will receive
today, as Outstanding Americans by Choice.
In introducing Mr. Kathwari, Secretary of State
Rice commented, “Farooq
Kathwari, who departed his home in Kashmir, nearly forty years ago,
and today serves as the Chairman, President and CEO of Ethan Allen
Interiors, as well as a respected voice in international affairs”.
Dr. Emilio Gonzalez, Director of U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services, gave the award to Mr. Kathwari saying, “Farooq Kathwari,
who came to the United States in 1965, has dedicated himself to the
cause of conflict resolution in his native Kashmir. He is Chairman
of the Kashmir Study Group, serves on boards of several non-governmental
organizations, and is director of the Institute of Diplomacy at Georgetown
University.”
Mr. Kathwari made the following remarks after accepting the award:
“It is a great privilege to participate in this special ceremony. I
would like to add my congratulations to all the new citizens of this
great country and also my fellow awardees of the very special recognition
of Outstanding American by Choice.
“When I was informed of this award, many emotions were aroused. It
was hard for me to believe that a very young student, who landed
in New York 41 years back with barely enough to survive for a few
months, was being recognized in this special manner.
“In July 1976, the Bicentennial year of the Independence of
America, I had the privilege of taking the oath of citizenship. For
those of us who have lived as refugees in regions of conflict, being
separated for years from loved ones, and facing nightmarish difficulties
in getting any official papers, becoming a United States citizen
was an occasion to become a person who had his dignity restored and
to have an identity that one could be proud of. Over the last
41 years, this country has afforded me a unique opportunity in many
ways. I have had the privilege of leading Ethan Allen, a classic
American brand, for the last 20 years. I am involved in many
organizations with civic and humanitarian causes and am proud to
have the opportunity to contribute.
“I am also very pleased that my wife, Farida, is here to celebrate
this occasion with me and gives me support in my endeavors. I
also want to thank my associates from Refugees International, Kashmir
Study Group, and the National Retail Federation who are here.
“The strength of America is its diversity and the rights we
enjoy, and this needs to be nurtured. Since September 2001,
this diversity has been challenged and in some quarters questions
are raised about the role and contributions of immigrants. A few
weeks back I participated in a conference with Emilio in Spain on
the important subject of migrations of people in the North Atlantic
Region and the challenges and opportunities this provides . We
discussed that immigrants demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit because
they leave their homes and families and add new blood to America
and other countries they emigrate to.
“I am honored to receive this award as it sends a message
that America values its immigrants, in fact, all immigrants, and
recognizes their contributions. I am particularly privileged
to receive this award in these difficult times for our nation and
the world where the principal message should be that America respects
its immigrants and its citizens irrespective of race, religion and
ethnic origin. America was founded on principles of law and
justice and we must preserve those as they are the fundamental American
values and our strength as a nation.
“I believe that despite the current conflict and perceptions
the United States is in a unique position to lead, not only because
we are a major economic and military power, but also because we are
situated to be a model of constructive pluralism since the United
States is a microcosm of the world community in its diversity. We
must be recognized for the precedents of justice and fairness. I
want to again thank you for this great honor as all recognitions
should be to help establish a precedent for others to follow.”
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