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A Cultural Inquiry into the Education of Muslim Students in America
Copyright
2001 by Somayyah Nahidian
It all started when I was a child — a Muslim child growing up in the middle to high-class suburb of McLean, Virginia. I slowly began noticing that I was different from everyone else and what went on in my house was very different from what went on in my neighbor’s house. Religion has always been an important part of my family’s life. In fact, it was in the fourth grade where I had to decide just how much it would be a part of mine. According to Islam, girls from the age of nine should begin covering their hair from men, other than relatives. I remember telling my closest friends a few weeks before my ninth birthday that I would begin wearing a scarf to school. I guess I was trying to prepare them and I needed to know that I would still be accepted by them. Of course, being the good friends that they were, they saw no big deal in it. But I was always concerned about the rest of the school and the reactions of the other kids. At that time, in the ‘70’s, there weren’t a whole lot of Muslims in the area and I certainly didn’t know anyone my age, even in our small community, who would have been going through what I was. Now it is very common to see Muslim children in public schools and girls wearing scarves or other types of hair coverings. Nonetheless, I was faced with a tough decision. My parents never forced anything on me. My father taught me about Islam and told me why we do certain things, but always said the decision was mine. I knew my parents would love and support me whatever I decided to do, but I also knew that my father would be so proud of me if I decided to follow the way of Islam, especially in a society that often ridiculed it. At that time, pleasing my father and making him proud was all I knew. I do remember asking my mom the day before my ninth birthday if I could wear a wig instead of a scarf! I actually already knew the answer and when she laughed and said, "The purpose of covering your hair is to keep your beauty for only certain men to see," I felt empowered by the fact that I would have something special about me that not everyone could see. She compared me to a gift that you wrap neatly to give to a friend and surprise her. She said I was so special that I needed to be covered from the eyes of men and kept safe for only the man I marry and those in my family. My decision was made! I would do my best to please my parents (and God) because it made sense to me. I went to school from November 1st, 1977 on, covering my hair. I was asked a lot of questions, some friendly, some not. I was laughed at, stared at, and the topic of many whispering conversations as I walked through the school hallways and cafeteria. But my confidence was never shaken and I never regretted my decision. I went to Iran for my seventh grade school year and came back to the U.S. the next year to attend a newly established Muslim school in Washington, DC. Of course, I had no problem "fitting-in" in Iran and now for the first time in the U.S., I was among other girls my age who were also Muslim!! I graduated from that Muslim school and went on to the University of Maryland to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and have returned to that same school to teach. I have been teaching there for ten years. My students find it interesting that some of their teachers were once my teachers and are now my colleagues. I feel as though we have all been put on this earth for a purpose. We all have interests and talents in different areas and I have always asked myself what can I do for the Muslim community I am a part of. I enjoy teaching and hope to instill a sense of confidence in my students that it is okay to be Muslim in a society that has a severe misunderstanding of what Islam and Muslims are. Hence, my puzzlement. Puzzlement The puzzlement I have as a teacher in a private, Muslim school is how can we ensure pride in our students’ identity as Muslims growing up in a non-Muslim society? We have seen that simply attending a Muslim school is not enough. As much as we try to shelter our students from the un-Islamic aspects of the society we live in, we still find it creeping in via some students. Do the parents know that their children may be watching certain television shows or reading certain books or magazines that could do more harm to a Muslim child’s mind than good? Is there more we, the teachers, should be doing? This has been a question I have had for a while now as I notice that it is getting harder and harder to teach academics mixed in with Islam to students who seem to be uninterested. Known Information The school is located in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area and consists of both elementary and secondary grades. The first floor is where the school offices, lunchroom, kitchen, auditorium and prayer room are located. The second floor houses the pre-K through sixth grades and the third floor is where the seventh through eleventh grades are. The school is accredited by the state. Teachers and other staff are all Muslim and they follow the county's curriculum. In addition to the core subjects of Math, Science, Social Studies and English, students are also required to take Arabic, Islamic Studies and attend the weekly Friday Congregational Prayer (only students in the fifth grade and higher attend the Friday Prayer which consists of a sermon followed by prayer). All students attend the daily prayer time from 1:40 to 2:10 pm. To help enforce the Islamic dress code, students are required to wear uniforms. The boys’ uniform is a dark blue shirt worn over black pants and the girls’ uniform is a loose fitting, greenish-blue top that comes just above the knees and is also worn with black pants. The girls must wear either white or black scarves. The school does not have an elaborate transportation system. About ninety percent of the families commute back and forth to the school to drop off and pick up their children from all over Maryland, Virginia and DC. Some parents carpool and there is one van that picks up children. So some students must get up very early to get to school on time for the 8:00 am opening. The school has a very limited budget, running strictly on tuition payments and donations. Teachers’ salaries are less than half what they could receive in public schools. But the strong sense of dedication and responsibility among the staff makes up for whatever monetary incentives the school lacks. Teachers think of their jobs as an investment in the "hereafter" and as a form of charity, which is highly regarded in the religion. Monthly staff meetings are held with the entire staff and biweekly "team meetings" are held on each floor (i.e. there’s an elementary team and a junior and high school team). Minutes of these meetings are provided to all staff members so each team is familiar with what the other team discusses. Common concerns have included the following observations made by teachers on both teams, but especially the junior and high school team: There are some students in the school who mention wishing they could go to regular public schools. They say they don’t understand why their parents insist that they attend a Muslim school. When the entire school reports to the prayer room for the daily prayer there are always a few who try to get out of the prayer, often coming late or asking to go to the bathroom once they get there and not showing up till the prayer is over. Some students will try their hardest to get out of wearing the uniform. They claim it's lost or needs mending, etc. Students do not show much enthusiasm in their classes, including Islamic Studies and Arabic. They don’t understand the need for such classes and will do the bare minimum to get by. When parents are spoken to, some offer their support and will intervene. But there are some parents who feel that since their kids are attending a Muslim school and they are paying tuition, the school is responsible for teaching their children everything about the religion. These parents are often working long hours and do not spend a whole lot of time with their children. On the other hand (and this is something I find interesting) whenever there is a political event, such as rallies for innocent Muslims put in jail based on "secret evidence" or demonstrations against the Israeli killings of Palestinians, the students are ready to go and show their support. They don’t question participating in those types of things and will, in fact, be very vocal about their opinions. Cultural Questions Using the Cultural Inquiry Process (CIP), I am wondering if there are mismatches between what is emphasized at home and what is emphasized at school (CIP Step 3.3). Are there outside influences on the students that are contributing to my puzzlement (CIP Step 3.4)? Do the students watch a lot of television? Many, actually most of the ideas and topics shown on the popular television shows, are directly opposite those emphasized in Islam. Specifically, dating, sex outside of marriage, and disrespect/sarcasm towards one’s elders, parents or others, are all very common themes in such television shows and all of them are to be avoided in Islam. I feel many of the answers to my puzzlement lie in the fact that our students have to do something their parents never did: grow up Muslim in a non-Muslim society, and with pride. As I look at the students, I see that either their parents migrated to the United States after growing up and getting married in their own culture (be it Pakistani, Arab, Afghan, Iranian, etc.), or if the parents are American born and raised, they converted to Islam later in life. This is true for every one of my own nine students and all of the upper level students. This is important for me to consider because it means that the parents don’t know what their children are facing and if they know, they might not know how to deal with the situation since they never had to defend their religion as children. Therefore, I will be focusing on a couple of cultural questions from the CIP. Mainly, how might influences on students from outside school be contributing to my puzzlement (CIP Step 3.4) as well as how might individual students’ negotiations of home, peer, and school cultures be contributing to my puzzlement (CIP Step 3.5)? Gathering Information To begin gathering information I realized that I needed to hear from the students themselves. The questions I wanted to ask required very honest and frank responses. I didn’t want the students to feel as though they had to watch what they say. To help ensure honesty in their responses, I prepared a written questionnaire (see Appendix). I didn’t ask for any names on the questionnaires, just grade levels. I wanted to know the grade levels because I think there’s a big difference in the elementary level’s overall attitude and that of the upper level. Perhaps my concern is better explained by Hillary Clinton in her book, It Takes A Village, "However we go about it, we must recognize that the years of adolescence have traditionally been the times of greatest opportunity and greatest danger." (Clinton, 1996) So, one day after the daily prayer, I asked the fifth graders and up to remain for a moment. Once everyone else was dismissed I presented my questionnaire to the students telling them that I needed their help for a paper I was writing. Luckily, I have a pretty good relationship with the students, even the upper level kids were once my students and they will stop by every once in a while to say hello. So almost every single student in the prayer room that day agreed to fill out my questionnaire. I even had to run to the office to make more copies. I began receiving completed questionnaires that afternoon and for the next few days. I received fifty completed questionnaires from the 80 students in grades 5 through 11. I separated the questionnaires by grade level and began going over their responses. When asked whether they felt that being Muslim was difficult, almost half said "yes" and half said "no." Some of the responses from those who said "yes" included: "Because we get a lot of temptations from the society" and "Because there are many rules and laws. It’s very hard for kids today". A few who said no added that you should just be yourself and not worry about pleasing others and it won’t be difficult. One student wrote: "If you know that your pleasing God and your taking a step in the future that will be good and if you do it for the love of God it is easy." More female students commented that it is difficult because of the head covering and modest clothing that they have to wear. They wrote that it makes them stick out in the society and people stare. Even some of the boys confirmed that fact by saying that it’s easier for them to be Muslim because they blend in with everyone else. I was surprised with the responses I got when asked about television watching. Only five students said they didn’t watch television. The rest mentioned shows like: Simpsons, Gary and Mike, Recess, Moesha, MAD TV, Friends, music videos, cartoons and MTV. I believe these TV shows are examples of outside influences and often the worst type. As reported by Mark Crispin Miller, the author of Boxed In: The Culture of TV, "If you watch Saturday morning kids’ TV, you can see it in programming that is unrelievedly frantic, hyped up, hysterical, in its own way quite violent and pervasively commercial. It’s all about selling, and this, I think, is the primary reason why there is something of a cultural crisis involving children" (Miller, 2001). Shows intended for teenagers often lack parents and other adults or has adults that don’t matter. The kids in many of the shows mentioned have "adultified kids". Perhaps it is a reflection of today’s society where in many households both parents are working and children are left on their own for huge amounts of times. Muslim families are no exception. Yet in Islam, respect for parents and elders in general is very important. Our parents are our guiding lights through life and should be treated in respectful manners at all times. The children in our school don’t spend a lot of time with their parents. Responses on the questionnaire ranged from five minutes to four hours, with an average of one hour being the actual amount of time spent with parents each night — not on the computer or in another room, but actually with their parents. Considering how much reassurance and guidance Muslim children need in this society to maintain their beliefs, I feel this is not enough time. As Lang (1997) has said: In an environment where their religion is greatly feared, where of all of the great world religions theirs is the most despised, where its rituals and practices are the most demanding, where its constraints seem to go against the larger society’s trends and lifestyles — in such an environment, we should not at all be surprised if a significant fraction of children born to Muslim parents leave aside the faith they inherited. (p.5) Most of the students responded that they learn more about their religion at school in Islamic Studies classes but agree that such learning should come from a combination of both the school and home. Some said that they learn the basics at school but see it put into action and practice at home. One of the keys to raising Muslim children in this society is exposure and lots of it. Not just at school, but in the home and by participating in and visiting local mosques. "Churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious institutions not only give children a grounding in spiritual matters but offer them experience in leadership and service roles where they can learn valuable social skills" (Clinton, 1996, p.173). As I hypothesized earlier, all but two of the questionnaires came back stating that either both parents of the student grew up in another country, or both grew up in America but not as Muslims or one parent grew up in another country as Muslim while the other is an American convert to Islam. This, I believe, is where the problem lies and where any interventions should begin. Children who come from religious Muslim families are caught between very different worlds: that of their home and that of the larger society. They may be Muslims, but their experience is very different from their parents. Unlike their mothers and fathers, they are not immigrants, converts, or children of the Civil Rights struggle. Their situation is much more ambiguous. Their causes, goals, and identities are not defined so clearly. Unlike immigrants, America is the only culture they really know. Unlike converts, Islam was chosen for them as a religion. They may face discrimination and prejudice, but it is very different from what African-Americans faced in the past. The way they think about, discuss, and explore issues is identifiably American. Their religion does influence their morals and ethics, but these are also influenced by the mores of American society. (Lang, 1997, p.222) And to make matters worse, the parents are not aware of these differences; or if they are aware, they don’t know how to handle the situation. Muslim parents can help their children discover what the message of Islam is and help them compare its values to that of the society and decide for themselves which is the better way of life. But it will take patience and courage because that discovery might not be a smooth and steady climb. In the words of the students themselves: "I have it much harder than my parents because they were non-Muslim back in the day"; "If you like go to the mall you see people wearing shorts. My parents were not Muslim they don’t know how hard it is"; "I have it harder because the U.S. shows a lot of bad things on TV than when my parents were children"; "Actually my parents do understand what I am faced with. They try to make life easier for me by bringing me to a Muslim school so other kids won’t make fun of me"; and "My mother who converted understands but my father who is Pakistani has the idea that everything that happens has to happen like it does in Pakistan and has no idea what I’m going through." There were also a few who commented that their parents are understanding. I am reminded of Phelan, Davidson and Yu’s Students’ Multiple Worlds model that identifies six descriptions of students’ worlds and their perceptions of borders (Jacob, 1999). When asked to choose which description best describes them (see question 17 in Appendix), the majority of students chose the "different worlds/border crossings managed" pattern, with about the same number of students choosing the "congruent worlds/smooth transitions" pattern. My interpretation of these data is that it seems that our students are aware that there’s a difference between their worlds and that of the rest of society, yet they are able to manage living in both. This is promising. We want the students to be aware of "what’s out there" because it can’t be avoided in totality. We do want our students to feel normal and natural in their own society, which includes continuing to practice their Islamic beliefs. Interventions The focus of my interventions needs to be three-fold. First, I need to change my own beliefs and perceptions of our students. I never expected to get such a response from the students in the first place. Like I said, I had to get additional copies of the questionnaire because I didn’t think the students cared enough to respond. I was also very impressed with the answers they gave to my questions. A lot of them were well thought out and students were often running out of space to write. This is a message I need to send to my colleagues, as well: don’t underestimate these students! If asked in the right manner, they will respond quite eloquently. We should treat them as the young adults they are and maybe even stop worrying so much. As long as the students have a strong foundation in understanding their religion, they will most likely do fine. We need to listen to them and give them time to express their thoughts and concerns in the classrooms, assuring them that they are safe in doing so. We need for them to feel comfortable questioning the rules and guidelines of Islam and how they relate to their lives. We should be ready to catch our students being good as often as we are catching them doing wrong. Letting a student know how much we liked what they did right is a better motivator than getting after them for what they did wrong. Second, we must come up with a counter attack for the outside influences to which our children are exposed. This is one area that teachers cannot tackle alone. My belief is the biggest outside influence is television. With the parents help, we need to come up with an alternative pastime or at least keep it under a minimum and well supervised. Students need to learn to be their own policemen and monitor their own behaviors. If they must absolutely watch television, then they should understand that they cannot expose others to anything inappropriate. This goes back to strengthening their foundation. Enjoining the good and forbidding the evil is a pillar in Islam that our students need to practice. Finally, we need to help our students view the borders they may encounter as learning experiences rather than as obstacles in their lives. Again, parental involvement will be needed to help reduce the borders our students face. "Children who truly grasp that they have a choice are more likely to make a responsible one. Most influential of all is the optimism and awareness that comes from knowing their parents are interested in and involved in their lives" (Clinton, 1996, p. 166). When I was reading over the completed questionnaires, I kept thinking how some parents and teachers would love to read what I was reading. When students feel unthreatened to speak their minds, a whole lot can be accomplished. My interventions center around one goal: communication. Parents need to be informed of their children’s feelings. Teachers need to be informed of their students’ feelings. I presented my findings to one of my colleagues and she agreed that I should share the information I have gathered to the teachers and parents. I asked for a few moments to speak during the next staff meeting and during the next parent/teacher meeting, which are held on a monthly basis. I feel more "at home" speaking among my colleagues, so I chose to do that first, as a practice run for facing the parents. My colleagues were very impressed with the information I shared with them and we decided to allow more time for our students to simply share what’s on their minds before the beginning of each class. It is important that we are mindful of the different personalities among our students and how some will find it easy to be Muslim in America while others have a more difficult time with it. I mentioned our Barnga activity and how some of us were more adamant about our points of view while others gave up and went with the flow. We also agreed that all teachers, not just Arabic and Islamic Studies teachers, should include Islam in their lessons more often. If students can see how Islam is part of all aspects of their lives then hopefully they will feel more of a connection to it. We designated a shelf in the teachers’ lounge for books that we may each have in our possessions that will help us achieve that goal. Most of these are books that include stories of the prophets’ lives and the contributions to science, math and literature made by Muslims throughout history - things that our students will not find in their textbooks, but would make them proud of their ancestors and heritage. Next came what I thought would be the toughest group to reach — the parents. Monthly parent/teacher meetings are held on the third Sunday of each month. I was given 15 minutes to present my findings. After doing so I suggested that parents be mindful of what their children watch on television. I went on giving them a feel for what their children might be experiencing growing up in America as young, very impressionable Muslims. Some of the experiences I shared were personal ones I remembered from my childhood, while others I read word for word from the questionnaires I was given. The room was very silent while I spoke to the approximately thirty parents who were present. At the end of the meeting, I was approached by several parents who thanked me for my presentation. They expressed their concern for the children as well, and said we need such reminders from time to time. Monitoring the Interventions My only strategy for monitoring the success or failure of the above mentioned interventions was to check on occasion with my colleagues to see if they noticed any changes in students’ attitudes. I waited until the next staff meeting and raised that question. While progress seemed slow, I was happy that there was some progress. We all agreed that emphasis should be placed on the younger students — our elementary students. Preparing a strong foundation seems to be the best insurance we have in guaranteeing proud young Muslim adults. It is at that age that children still find it important to please their parents and teachers. Trying to fit in is not an issue. They were the ones who gave all positive answers on my questionnaire saying they don’t want to attend public schools, they enjoy their Arabic and Islamic Studies classes and they do not find being Muslim a difficult task. We need to strengthen that confidence to help buffer what these same kids will face in a few years as young adults. Our collection of books in the teachers’ lounge to help each other integrate Islam into our lessons is growing. I expected some difficulty for teachers to change their teaching strategies in such a short time. Most agree that next year would be a good time to make more substantial changes in the way things are done for the benefit of our students. I was also unable to monitor how the parents are doing with their children. My goal was to inform, it is out of my league to enforce anything. But knowing the dedicated and concerned colleagues of mine, I don’t doubt that they will continue to do their best to instill pride in our students. Whether or not my interventions are successful will be seen over the next several years. Conclusion Even though my focus has been on what we, Muslims are doing wrong or what we can do better for our children/students, what really needs to happen is the current public perception of Islam as a religion alien to America needs to change in order for our children to grow up with less difficulty. If and when Islam becomes an acknowledged and contributing part of American culture, some Muslim children will no longer feel the need to distance themselves from Islam or downplay its impact on their lives. Some borders will disappear and the difficulties our students face will begin to fade. I guess I am really speaking to the western media that has tarnished Islam’s image in the eyes of the public. In the meantime, and in case such changes never come about, we are forced to accept the fact that this generation of Muslims in America are faced with a difficult task. They must seek to harmonize their Americanness and their religion, striving to be good Muslims while being good citizens as well. Some may see that as impossible. I see it as a challenge. References
Clinton, Hillary Rodham. (1996). It Takes A Village. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Jacob, E. (1999). Cultural Inquiry Process Web Site. [Online]. http://classweb.gmu.edu/classweb/cip/ [1999, April 30].
Lang, Jeffrey. (1997). Even Angels Ask. Maryland: Amana Publications.
Miller, M. (2001). PBS Web Site. [Online]. http://www.pbs.org
Appendix: Questionnaire In The Name Of The Most High No name needed, just your grade: _______ Please be as honest as possible. There is no way for me to know who wrote what.
Use a scale of 1 to 5 to answer the following: 1 = very much so 3 = it's OK 5 = not at all
If yes, what shows do you really like? THANX! =-) |
