MANCHESTER — Fitting in can be hard to do, especially if you are a newcomer to a strange land.

A descendent of Irish immigrants, John Jordan on Thursday told a group about the hatred his forebears faced when they arrived in New Hampshire as the violent, anti-Catholic Know Nothing movement was hitting full stride in the mid-19th century. Greeks, French-Canadians, Irish and Pakistanis shared their experiences Friday at the Welcoming New Hampshire initiative, which drew about 80 immigrants and refugees, as well as advocates and city leaders.

Fast forward to the early 21st century and Pakistani immigrant Dr. Salman Malik related the fear that consumed him and other New Hampshire Muslims after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“We were scared out of minds,” Malik said of how he and other board members of the Islamic Society of Greater Manchester struggled to find how to respond to the crisis and head off any possible backlash against their community.

Malik said his response is the same, regardless of what the attack is or what group is being blamed.

“I don't believe in the view that we need to education. It's a nice answer. It's a politically correct answer. But what you need to do is talk to one another,” Malik explained.

“Many people wonder why I don't have a beard,” the clean-shaven medical doctor said.

“I don't think you should be afraid to ask questions of the other person,” he added.

Welcoming New Hampshire was launched last year to promote better relationships among the immigrant, refugee and native-born people by sharing their stories and experiences.

“We all have the same goals. We all want to have a safe community, decent jobs, good schools … We are all the same,” Eva Castillo of the New Hampshire Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees said.

Mayor Ted Gatsas, whose grandparents came from Lebanon and Greece, spoke fondly of growing up with a large extended family on a large pig farm on Island Pond Road.

“When I came home from school, my grandparents forbid (me) to speak in Greek or Lebanese because they wanted to speak the language (English),” Gatsas recalled.

“Learning to speak the language was most important,” he added.

For Robert Perreault, preserving the French language and culture of his Canadian ancestors was paramount for his family.

“You can keep your culture and your language and learn English and American ways,” said Perreault, who teaches French at St. Anselm College.

The Welcoming Champion award was given to the Rev. Norman Zane Knoy for his lifelong commitment to promoting justice and equality.

“Thank you very much, It's very humbling,” said Knoy, who moderated the program.

Other speakers included Pusta Man Joshi, who came here from Nepal; Letizia Ortiz, who is from Mexico; and Rashida Mohamed, from Sudan.

kmarchocki@unionleader.com