Final Research Project: "World History Week"

“Embrace the gift of diversity” 

(The Hallmarks of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur)

Hello everyone,

I am interested in bringing awareness to racial equality of Muslims in the USA. I am not a Muslim and come from a family of diverse religious beliefs but was curious about the racism Muslims face in America. Where does this come from? Did it start with 9/11 or was that a tipping point? If not, what’s the history of Islamic culture and religion and when did it start to conflict with American culture and religion?

The annotated bibliography was a very interesting assignment which prompted me to plan ahead of time and identify the main topics I needed to learn about. It encouraged me to engage with each individual source and analyze it in a more focused way. I enjoyed learning about the authors and publishers before start learning about the materials as it added more meaning to what they wrote about.

In the middle of so much information and not knowing how I could start making a difference and spreading the word about what I learned, I decided to start small and plant a little seed of "valuing diversity" in the children and families of my daughter's elementary school. 

Here is my proposal:

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Dear Principal,

I am a mother of three children at your school in 5th and 3rd grades and am writing to you concerning an offer to organize a World History awareness week for students and their families, preferably in the beginning of September of this year. My 5th grader, a very caring girl, commented how much she appreciates the support students get at this school to ensure equal opportunity and fair treatment. She said she feels empowered to approach any of you if she sees something wrong or sees a friend being discriminated against. My proposal is to give continuity to that and re-focus some of this effort towards the education of world history and religions, in particular towards our Muslim students.

                                        

I was born into a family of diverse religious beliefs and as part of the requirements to receive my Bachelor’s Degree, I chose to take a Religion and a World History class. These classes have opened my eyes to the many similarities between the history of religions and I am inspired to share these historic facts with our community. Just like at this school, the Notre Dame De Namur University, where I study, emphasizes the importance to “embrace the gift of diversity” (The Hallmarks of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur). So, I thought, why not start the conversation now and that is why I am writing to you.

                                    

I understand that world religions are a very important and yet a very controversial topic. Considering that public schools and the government can’t favor a particular religion, the approach of all conversations with our children and family will be neutral. Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, explored how children develop moral reasoning and found that it happens quickly and at an early age. Just as important, children need to be knowledgeable and understand the world around them. 

Children won’t be able to understand our culture and community without understanding religion. The world of our twenty-first century’s headlines often shows violence among Muslims in addition to violent conflict with Christians or Jews. Author Strayer’s (2009) suggestion is to look back to the Afro-Eurasian civilizations times, back in the years 600-1500, when places such as Sierra Leone considered religious tolerance as both practiced and celebrated. He mentions two citizens, Hassan Kargbo and Wurie Bah, who remembers seeing Christians and Muslims praying side by side and recalls them saying that they all believed in God and if their friends invited them to church, of course they would go (2009, p. 363). Wouldn’t it be nice to live by this understanding of acceptance instead of blaming on our differences as to what separates us? Together, we can bring awareness to this type of possibility by learning about other religions like Islam.

Islam Religious rituals help Muslims keep their connection with their faith and give back to their community. Just like in Judaism and Christianity, Islam is based is monotheism with Abrahamic roots. The most central rituals in Islam which constitute their core practices of Islamic faith, the five pillars, were already practiced during their Prophet Muhammad’s lifetime back in the year 600. The first pillar is called Shahabad, “degree,” and refers to the belief in only one God, “Allah’ and its messenger Muhammad. The second pillar is called Salat, “prayer,” and requires Muslims to pray five times a day facing the direction of Mecca. Muslims gather in their Mosques on Fridays to pray with the leader. The third pillar is called Zakat, “charity,” and refers to the 2.5% contribution requirement of Muslims’ wealth. This contribution is used to connect Muslims to their communities and make them feel pure for fulfilling this good deed. The fourth pillar is called Sawn, “fasting,” during the month of the Ramadan showing sacrifice of oneself while remembering the times Muhammad received the first revelation through Archangel Gabriel during the period of approximately 23 years, beginning on December 22, 609 CE. Muslims happily gather with their families and celebrate the breaking of the fast. The fifth pillar is called Hajj, “to intend a journey” to pilgrimage and go around the Kaaba in Mecca at least once in a lifetime, depending if their financial situation allows. This serves to connect Muslims even deeper with their faith and as a tribute to Prophet Abraham and his young son, Ishmael, who helped build the requested Kaaba and dedicate it “Allah.” Islamic rituals are a great model of dedication to keep connection with faith and help the community and wouldn’t it be beneficial for our children to learn about it. 

After spending time researching about World History, the History and Religion of Islam and Muslims lives in the United States, including Islamophobia, I realized even more the importance of creating opportunities to have conversations about faith traditions other than only our own. I am confident that, with patience and perseverance, we can plant seeds of neutrality in our community and teach our children to do the same as it might sprout one day. If you find this proposal suitable, please advise me on the best time to meet. I sincerely hope that we make an event that would educate our school community to appreciate each other's differences. Of course, I also hope to create a solution that will prevent students from thinking that the 9/11 attack is directly related to the Muslim community.

Thanks for your consideration,

Sarita M. Lopez

~TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE~

References:

Curtis, Edward E.. Muslims in America: A Short History, Oxford University Press USA - OSO, 2009. ProQuest EBook Central. https://EBookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nddn-EBooks/detail.action?docID=472301.

Frederick, Denny. An Introduction to Islam, 2016. Routledge.

Love, Erik. “Confronting Islamophobia in the United States: Framing Civil Rights Activism among Middle Eastern Americans.” Patterns of Prejudice, vol. 43, no. 3-4, 2009, pp. 401–425., doi:10.1080/00313220903109367.

Moral Development
http://www.healthofchildren.com/M/Moral-Development.html#ixzz6RZffzu8y

Strayer, Robert. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History, 2009. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.