Final answer:
Abdi Nor Iftin's decision to embrace American culture causes internal conflicts as he balances integration with maintaining his cultural heritage.
Step-by-step explanation:
The decision to embrace American culture causes conflict in Abdi Nor Iftin’s life by creating tension between his original cultural identity and the new values he is adopting.
This often leads to a sense of alienation and a struggle to find a balance between the two sets of values, as also expressed by Senegalese author Mariama Bâ and sociologist Oberg's observations on cultural assimilation.
According to Oberg, new cultural encounters may lead to an initial rejection and idealization of one's own culture; however, there is a significant stress on the importance of integrating without losing one's own cultural essence.
As highlighted in the writings about the double aims of the Negro in America.Such conflicts are not unique to Iftin; they are part of a broader discourse on cultural identity and assimilation that has been explored by various authors.
Including Chinua Achebe, who calls for a balance of stories to represent diverse African experiences, and W.E.B. Du Bois, who envisages a reconciled identity that is both African and American.
The assimilationist tendency is also critiqued by Mariama Bâ, who notes that colonial ambitions have often sought to erase indigenous ways of life.
Furthermore, economic concerns and cultural wars accentuate these personal struggles, as demonstrated during the controversial support for an Islamic community center in Manhattan.