I work for KN Hospitalwear in northern California and I ran across an article on the Internet that was in the December 2007 isssue of InFocus. I thought your readers might be interested in the beautiful hospital gown we designed for North Shore University Hospital, which is part of North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. It has a high neckline, long sleeves and covers the calf. It works for IV use, nursing and any abdominal surgery. Your readers need to know we are there for them.

Thank you,

Laura LaLonde

I am writing in response to Zeyad Maasarani’s article, "Ellison Motivates youth during California visit" in the February issue of InFocus.

Congressman Keith Ellison’s visit to Irvine, which was hosted by CAIR, was incredibly beneficial for the Muslim community, not only for Muslim youth who aspire to engage in politics, but also for anyone interested in ensuring that their voice is heard at the appropriate levels of our government.

Ellison proved to be a very engaging orator whose simple words easily inspired even the most apathetic youth to become more active in their communities. Mr. Ellison has much insight into the political infrastructure of our government, and he was there to share that knowledge with us.

As the first Muslim congressman, Mr. Ellison is setting a precedent that should be an inspiration for our community. Next time an opportunity like this presents itself, I encourage all Muslim community members to attend and learn about what they can do to make a difference.

Sheba Ali

Irvine, Calif.

Could you please clarify what Imam Zaid Shakir meant when he talked about immigrant Muslims in the United States in the February issue of InFocus?

Does this group include people who immigrated to the United States and became citizens and who lived in a community where they were accepted as and understood themselves to be Americans? What about the child of such people, brought over to the U.S. with his parents at the age of 3. At the age of 37, is he supposed to see himself as an "immigrant" to the United States, according to the terms used in this article?

To me, it seems that once people have become naturalized citizens, their immigration is over and they are no longer immigrants, unless they emigrate from their new home and settle in a (new) foreign country.Thank you.

Adnan Ashraf

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Via e-mail

Thank you for your question. By immigrant, I mean people whose immediate family circumstances are primarily defined by the reality of immigration. That may include first- or second-generation immigrants. Hence, the use is more cultural than political, referring here to cultural distinctions that may have a bearing on how one understands and practices the religion.

As you mention, people can become so well-acculturated, even if they migrated here, that they are for all practical purposes indistinguishable from those whose families have been here for generations.

Editor’s Note: The questions were presented to Imam Zaid Shakir. His reply is below: