Introduced by SADRUDDIN NOORANI

Having lived in the USA for over forty years since arriving from South Asia in 1981, I felt it was important to acknowledge the opportunities America has provided to my family and me. What began as a small personal effort — sending notices to my contacts in the USA to ask for their stories about their homeland, which I would later share with significant American institutions such as the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress — gained new significance, meaning, and momentum when Malik Merchant, publisher and editor of Simerg, encouraged me to invite Ismaili Muslims of all ages across the country to participate in “Letter to America” and to transform the project into a special series on Simerg. This series, like Simerg’s acclaimed series I Wish I’d Been There and Thanking Ismaili Historical Figures, aims to preserve stories, inspire reflection, and highlight the valuable contributions of Ismaili Americans to our society. Your individual stories and voices will help us reflect on our shared history and community achievements.

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The Logo for Simerg’s “Letter to America” Series

LOGO DESCRIPTION

This America 250 logo, conceived and designed by Chicago’s Salim Sopariwalla for Simerg’s special series “Letter to America”, unites national pride, historical significance, cultural inclusion, and future-facing optimism in a single, cohesive design as the USA celebrates its 250th birthday.

The bald eagle evokes an immediate connection to American identity, freedom, strength, and civic responsibility, while its outstretched wings symbolize protection, aspiration, and the many stories that shape the nation. The wings are designed as a mosaic, representing the many people, places, communities, landscapes, professions, families, and stories that together shape America, supporting the theme “One Nation. Many Stories. Shared Future.”

The eagle holds wheat to symbolize growth, prosperity, and stewardship, while the arrows represent courage, resilience, and the defence of liberty and shared values. The geometric crest at the eagle’s centre adds refinement and reflects harmony, pluralism, and the beauty of diverse communities coming together.

The 13-star arc represents the original 13 colonies and directly connects the design to America’s founding in 1776. The enlarged center star creates a strong focal point, symbolizing unity, shared purpose, courage, resilience, and the defence of liberty.

The colour palette is intentional: The red, white, and blue honour the American flag — the red represents great courage and bravery, blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice, white represents purity and innocence — the green represents growth, renewal, and pluralism, and gold adds a commemorative tone worthy of a 250th anniversary celebration.

This logo honors America’s past, reflects its diverse present, and points confidently toward its shared future.

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Participants in the series will also share how America and Americans have enriched their lives materially, culturally, and scientifically; challenged them; fulfilled their hopes or raised concerns; and shaped their dreams of living in America.

“Letter to America” is open to all Ismaili residents of the USA and to interfaith members of resident Ismaili families. We invite contributions from students, professionals, business leaders, Ismaili institutional leaders, educators, scientists, innovators, and ordinary hardworking people, recognizing the diverse perspectives that strengthen residents and our communities where we live.

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The guidelines for “Letter to America” are as follows:

• The letter must be original, at least 100 words long, and should not exceed 500 words;
• Your submission should include your name, address, and contact information, including your telephone number, to verify your contribution. Anonymous contributions will not be accepted. Note: Personal contact information will not be published in the article; it is required only for verification;
• Each submission should include the contributor’s brief profile of no more than one hundred (100) words. The contributor may also submit a profile photo, which will be included with the letter and the profile;
• You can submit up to three JPEG images to substantiate your contribution and life in the USA;
• It is open to Ismaili residents of all ages and interfaith members of resident Ismaili families;
• Young adults up to the primary level should submit their contribution with their parents’ consent;
• The publication of each “Letter to America” will be at the absolute discretion of the publisher and editor of this website and of Sadruddin Noorani, the founder of the series;
• The deadline for submission is November 30, 2026; and
• The submission should be emailed to Simerg’s editor at mmerchant@simerg.com with the subject line “Letter to America”.

It is my sincere hope that the series will be educational and inspiring for readers, historians, educators, researchers, students, and future generations, and that it will offer reflections that will lead to a more dynamic Ismaili community in the years to come, as the community, both institutionally and individually, continues to build on the solid progress it has made since Ismaili Muslims began settling in the USA as early as the 1950s and in larger numbers from the 1970s onward. The series will commence the week of July 6, 2026, and conclude at the end of 2026.

Featured image at the top of the post: A cancellation issued by the US Postal Service on July 4, 2026, in Philadelphia, a city central to American independence and history, where the Declaration of Independence was officially adopted on July 4, 1776, and signed on August 2, 1776. NOTE: The image has been annotated with “Letter to America” to reflect this special series.

Date posted: July 4, 2026.

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About the series founder: Sadruddin Noorani is a community leader, entrepreneur, and public servant who arrived in the United States in 1981 and made Chicago his home. In 1989, he became the first Ismaili Muslim elected to public office in the United States, serving five consecutive terms on Chicago’s Local School Council. He continues to serve on several nonprofit and government boards, including the Alzheimer’s Association. Noorani has authored more than 60 articles on Ismaili history, faith, culture, and rituals, underscoring his deep knowledge of Ismaili traditions and civic issues. He is also an avid philatelist, specializing in postage stamps and postal history related to the Abrahamic faiths, with a particular focus on Ismaili history, its Imams and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).