On July 4 we celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. A few weeks later, on August 14, Pakistan will celebrate its independence. That 171 years separate the two events is inconsequential when you consider the similarities. As I pondered over a piece on American independence in the Wall Street Journal, I felt a surge of exhilaration when I connected yet another dot in our parallel histories—a soaring dot.
That both nations sought independence from British colonial rule?
Yes, but that is not the dot.
That both were British colonies for about 200 years?
True, but not that either.
The legacy of British colonialism has endured, as in English as the official language?
I am not kidding. It could have been French or Dutch.
That British literature—as in Shakespeare, etc.—is considered the ultimate in achieving mastery in English Literature?
Surprised? Read on.
That the law of the land was largely derived from the common law system of British law?
That too.
I won’t keep you guessing. And the winner is:
The Bald Eagle.
How about that!
Now a bit of history.
When Muslims in British India were struggling under the yoke of colonial oppression and had lost hope of ever regaining their dignity, a poet rose among them. With the flourish of Urdu poetry, Mohammad Iqbal , the 19th century celebrated poet of the subcontinent, aroused in them a sense of self-respect. He stirred their soul and awakened in them the spirit of hope. And he invoked the metaphor of the bald eagle. His most well-recited Urdu poem harkens to that call:
Your dwelling is not on the dome of a royal palace,
You are the eagle; make your abode on the mountain peak.
That was a terrible translation, the poetic expression totally lost in translation. But you get the idea—I hope. Iqbal’s audience—the Muslims of British India—relished the image of the soaring eagle, flying high, with its magnificent wingspan, aloft on the highest peak, taking in its surroundings with its piercing eyes. Young, old, and children, all recited this verse over and over again, feeling the stirring of pride. And soon they began to believe in it: that they had in them the strength, bravery, and foresight of the eagle, and they too could soar to heights. The eagle became their emblem, not as a graphic, but as a belief, that they had the capacity to shake off the yoke of colonialism and reclaim their freedom. They could be free bird, like the eagle. And free themselves they did.
As I read the piece in the Wall Street Journal, “How the Eagle Became an Emblem of American Freedom,” I was transported to the land of my birth and moved by our shared humanity. I quote:
“The bald eagle was an American bird, long regarded by Native Americans as a symbol of strength and courage. Their war chiefs wore its feathers as a symbol of leadership. Many early American preachers evoked the bird as a symbol, quoting the prophet Isaiah: “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not be faint.”
Happy Birthday America, land of the free.
