My adventures at an Islamic school...

[lunadelcorvo]

I think I really need to write a book about my year at the Islamic School. Suffice it to say I certainly got an education, if the kiddos, somewhat less so. This will be long, so if you're not interested, have a picture of Jinx, being the cutey-pie goblin she is for tax, and enjoy your day. If you're curious about the inner workings of Islamic education in America however, grab some popcorn, and settle in.

Most of it can be more or less boiled down to two things: the way the teaching of Islam interacted with teaching in other areas, and the ways in which Islamic culture is...well, I'm not trying to be rude here, but terrifying.

I'll start with the academics. For reference, I taught 5th, 6th, and 7th/8th history, 6th and 7th/8th English. First off, the level of not knowing basic things was a rude awakening. Having done a year and a half since then in public schools, I am less surprised, but since this particular school touted itself as 'high performing,' it was jarring, to say the least. When I say 'not knowing things,' I mean things like a student asking why the Greeks, when at war with the Persians, could not just go to America. Or a student asking which side of the Civil War George Washington had been on. Or an eighth-grader being given a creative writing prompt that included South America, and asking 'Where is that?' He was dead serious.

Beyond those things, however, were the specific ways Islamic construction was sharply at odds with normal instruction (all of which was based on state education standards). Perhaps the most...egregious example of this came in 6th grade history, when we were learning about Rome, more specifically the emergence of Christianity from Judaism, and its impact on the Roman Empire. How could Rome possibly conflict with Islamic instruction, I hear you ask?

Well, when the imam (yes, an imam came in to teach Islamic studies every day) teaches kids that Adam, Noah, Moses, Abraham, etc. were all Muslim, and that Islam is the oldest religion in the world, and that, somehow, Mohammed was around to exchange letters with Caesar, that's how. When I explained, as diplomatically as I could, that while one could understand Judaism and Christianity as part of the arc of Islam, since it's the same idea of God, yadda, yadda, (I was thinking on my feet here, since I never in a million years saw this coming), but that historically speaking Islam did not exist until the 7th C...well, they were just baffled, as if I had told them the sun came up in the west. I tried, but there is simply no way to reconcile those two narratives.

A week later, I got an incredibly condescending email from the principal (who more or less refused to ever speak to me in person, which was a whole other issue) telling me that I was disrespecting Islam, and trying to undermine the mission of the school, and was never allowed to address anything about religion again. Mind you, on my CV, I listed a class I taught at Uni, called 'Jews, Christians, and Muslims,' and he asked me about it specifically in my interview for the job. I had explained that I had taught it as a historical survey of how each faith emerged from the previous, and how they interacted over time. At the time he said he was impressed, so it's not like he didn't know that I understand history. But it was somehow MY transgression that I taught, you know, ACTUAL history in you know, HISTORY CLASS.

That wasn't the only time something like that happened. Those kids were stunningly ignorant about so many things, and I have always been the sort of teacher who answers students' questions forthrightly and honestly. So they asked me a ton of them. In another history class, talking about civics and American history, the topic of civil disobedience came up (women's suffrage, and such). One asked me if burning a flag was legal. I said that while some people viewed it as disrespectful, yes, it is a legal form of protest. So then (I should, I suppose, have seen this coming), one asked if burning a Quran was legal. I said that while I thought it was a pretty awful thing to do (I don't really, but I was trying to be diplomatic), there are no laws prohibiting someone from burning any religious text. They were shocked and asked more questions, and I said that, as far as I was aware, unless it was someone else's property, no, there were no protections in place to prevent a Quran being burned in protest. Sure enough, in a few days, I got chewed out for telling the kids that I could buy a Quran and burn it any time I wanted to. What I was supposed to have done, apparently, is refer the question to a Muslim teacher, because learning about the laws regarding free speech is sinful. Or something. Make it make sense.

But if that is disturbing, it gets so, so much worse. That brings me to the second issue; the ways in which Islam is frankly horrific. Firstly, these kids were kept entirely in the dark on anything to do with sex, reproduction, their bodies, or anything of the sort. One said rape is impossible, one didn't understand why 'women wear diapers' (referring to the packages of pads in a donation box), and one said that only a man is needed to make a baby, women just carry it around for them. I was raked over the coals for even suggesting the middle school kids read Romeo and Juliet because it 'promotes teen sex' (clearly never read the play!), but they are taught in vivid detail about Lot offering his daughters up to be raped (having a sweet little fifth grader walk up and ask you 'What does gang rape mean?" is a shock, I can tell you!), and about Aisha, the Prophet's 6-year-old bride (but it's OK because he waited until she was nine to consummate!).

They were fed a constant diet of hate and prejudice, too, from teachers openly mocking gay people to \ condemning the entire country of France (literally said "I could never be friends with a person from France") because of their history with the Middle East, and encouraging students to pray that the next earthquake (after the one that hit Turkey) would happen in Israel and kill all the Jews. Yes, TEACHERS were saying these things to whole classes of students. A student one day started saying 'I pledge allegiance to the Muslim States of America,' and the only reason he was advised by a teacher not to do that was that 'non-Muslims will hear you!'

That is just the beginning. At my last school, we had trans kids, queer kids, and the science teacher's husband became the science teacher's wife, to the loving support of the entire school community. So here, watching the kid I knew was trans having to put in a hijab and file meekly up to the balcony of the masjid every day hurt my heart. They ended up transferring to a different school and came out to me in a letter they handed me with a fierce hug on their last day; it seems the small tokens I slipped in to show my allyship were noted. Their family are American converts to Islam. Have you ever heard the saying "the bigger the cross/pentacle, the newer the Christian/pagan?" Like new converts have something to prove? Yeah, they were like that. I worry for that kid still.

None of that, however, prepared me for some of the conversations I had with kids. One adorable boy in 5th grade came to me and asked if I thought it was true that Allah hates gay people and that they are dirty and evil, because he 'had a gay friend,' who was a good person, and why would Allah make him that way just to hate him? Another time, a few girls came and asked me to explain why they would be punished by god if a boy had lustful thoughts about them, because they didn't ask to be born girls, but they are taught that it is their fault if they 'lead boys astray.' Another asked me how would she know if she was being sexually assaulted because she didn't understand what that meant. She was in 8th grade.

But the conversation that still keeps me awake some nights was with two girls, one 7th grade, one 8th, who asked to talk to me privately. When we were alone, they said they were scared to go on vacation to the Middle East with their families. I asked why, and they said it was because they were afraid that, once there, they would be married off to strangers against their will because there are no laws to protect them in other countries. One said her brother (himself only just turned 18), had just gotten married a couple of weeks after he came home with two photographs of young girls that he had been sent as options to marry. Having met neither of them, he picked one, and flew to Iran to marry her two weeks later. The other then said that they were taught that marrying cousins was a good thing (!!!) and encouraged because it was easier for the families, but that she had a cousin looking to marry, whom she despised, and was scared she'd have to marry him before she could even finish high school. What the hell do you say to that? Like hell, was I 'referring it to the Muslim teacher,' who would simply tell them to submit or some other religious bullshit. I gave them both my personal email and said if they ever needed anything... But seriously, what do you say to two of the smartest girls in the class (smartest kids in the class; hell, to ANY kid at all) when they confess a fear like that?

I could go on and on. The takeaway for me was that while I have always (as a firm atheist and anti-theist) considered Islam objectively worse than Christianity (at least in some ways) for a variety of reasons, I never expected to see those reasons play out right before my eyes. I am a firm believer in the melting pot that is the American experiment, and I do believe we are stronger with diversity. I regard the current wave of anti-immigrant rhetoric with utter disgust.

I won't lie; this experience made me question that, in some cases, at least. What if the immigrant doesn't want to 'melt' in the melting pot? What if a whole alternate culture is growing that specifically undermines the rights and values we are even now struggling to protect? What if whole communities assemble around us that have nothing but contempt for equality, freedom, and free speech? I know - this sounds like Trumpenfuhrer's rhetoric. And when applied to migrant workers, refugees, people fleeing oppression and tyranny in hopes of a better life, it is just racism and xenophobia. What about when applied to the wealthy who come to America not for the opportunity to be part of this country, but to make their fortunes and change our culture to suit their preferences, driven by the spectre of religion?

I am put in mind of Karl Popper's Paradox of Toleration. To be truly tolerant, a society must refuse to tolerate intolerance. When one understands tolerance for others as part of the social contract that underpins our entire society, it is clear one cannot compromise with forces that seek to dismantle that contract. I think the resurgence of extremist, nationalist, white supremacist, fascist rhetoric is simply evil. When I think back on my year at that school, however, I can almost understand where it comes from. Almost. When someone says 'I don't want my country to become a Muslim country,' I can very much understand that. I don't know how common my experience was. I don't know how universal the mindset of this Muslim community may be. I think we need to have tough conversations about this. I know that I must, if you squint just a little bit, sound racist AF for saying it. I don't know how else to talk about it, but I know the fear in those girls' eyes means we have to find ways to talk about it.

Comments

[avalonautumn]

WOW! I had no idea you had this experience, and it's stunning to say the least, but not surprising-- at least not to me. I've been closely studying culture in all it's bits and pieces, including religious, for many years. I'm neo-pagan, so naturally the cause of a female-equal minority religion is very precious to me! I can't find any "ism" more insidious than sexism. Not because I'm female, but because if men can hate or dismiss their own mothers, sisters, and daughters living with them in the same home, how can any other "ism" like racism, even stand a chance of being ended?

I don't think you're wrong for speaking the truth, and I completely believe you. It's not wrong to point out where wrongness in infiltrating a culture at it's core. I loathe all the religions springing from the desert, because they're all patriarchal, and much of the evils of the world can be traced to the specific patriarchy of those religions as they spread across the world. Of them all, Islam is the worst, because it is the most hostile to women and freedom. The Sufis still have a lot of wisdom to offer, as do other mystical sects within Christianity and Judaism, but where ignorance and hatred is acceptable and mainstream..? No. Just no.

I would never deny anyone's right to believe what they choose. However, once their beliefs interfere with other people's rights-? Then my tolerance becomes intolerant. I wish the Liberal Left would get a clue about this (and I say that without malice, as I count myself as being one of them!)

Thank you for sharing. It's important!

[lunadelcorvo]

Thank you for that - I know there is a fine line between calling this stuff out and the current tide of nationalism, xenophobia, and prejudice. And, like you, I'll fight tooth and nail for anyone to have the freedom to live and worship as they choose. But when they bring ideologies that are just diametrically opposed to constitutional freedoms - that's a problem!

I like your point about sexism being the 'patient zero' of prejudice. I never thought about it that way, but I think there's a lot to that notion....

[cmcmck]

This is why I swore I'd never teach in a religious based school although even then I ended up as deputy head in a C of E primary school in my final teaching job- I was headhunted by that school even though they knew my Quaker background.

[lunadelcorvo]

It was dramatic how different the 'interview' vibe was from actually being there. They very much downplayed the religious aspects, and spoke at length about how their focus was academics. It's a shame because the kids seemed to respond really well to me, and sort of realized they were learning on a higher level in my classes, if that makes sense. Many of them were upset that I wasn't coming back. We have had a spate of religious schools (small, private, not like the big Catholic high schools) cropping up, with increasingly outlandish 'requirements' in terms of what you have to believe...

[starstraf]

Wow what a bizarre experience

[lunadelcorvo]

That it was! It makes me wonder how common this sort of thing is. Maybe not the biggest problem we face right now but a worrying one nonetheless.