Seventh grade history covers The Roots of Islam and The Empires of Islam,two chapters, six lessons with quizzes and a test at the end. I minimize the textbook study and take a different route that asks my students to open their minds and learn as much and as deeply as they can. Our learning of Islam is active. Once my students grasp the basic history and the beliefs and traditions of Islam, they engage with their Muslim-American peers.
I have many goals: For the students to see that they are more alike than different, to realize that they share a common history, to recognize the humanity in each other, and to simply enjoy learning and being together.
In a time of deepening enmity between Muslims and Jews, bringing our students together fosters respect and understanding. I hope our visit conveys to the Muslim students that there are Jews who care and appreciate the wisdom of their teachings, and I hope my Jewish students connect with Muslims in a positive way.
Planning
Before we begin our study of Islam, I ask the students to write honestly about their perceptions of Islam and of Muslims. This enables my students hone their preconceived notions. They should be aware of their perceptions, and struggle with what they think they know. Some of the questions they respond to include: What do you think of when you hear the word Islam or Muslim, what do you know or think you know about Islam? What do you want to learn about Islam and do you think it is important to learn about Islam?
They respond: terrorists and camels, oil wells, covered women, caravans moving over desert sands and Lawrence of Arabia. Some are negative and are based on media stereotypes and ignorance: "When I hear the word Islam or Muslim, I think about September 11th and suicide bombings in Israel. I can't say that I am comfortable studying Islam, but I have many questions about the Koran and if it advocates violence." Some are positive: "I think of a vast domed building with intricate designs on the walls, people praying, kneeling and bowing repeatedly."
After writing about their perceptions, I turn the lights off and play "The Call to Prayer." The students free write about feelings and images the call evokes. I play it again and again. They are surprised by how similar Arabic is to Hebrew. Language, poetry and the arts are a fascinating and accessible way into Islam. We begin our study by reading Rumi, Gibran, Bedouin proverbs, and excerpts from "The Arabian Nights". The students are fascinated by angels, the seven heavens and the Prophet Muhammad's night journey to Jerusalem. When we looked at Islam in the modern world, the students reported on newspaper articles related to Islam that they found. I brought in speakers, one a Palestinian who shared about losing his family property, what he experienced growing up under Israeli occupation and the harassment he suffered as a college student in America after 9/11. Another speaker, a Muslim from India talked about his faith. For most, if not all of my students, this was the first time they met a Palestinian or an Indian Muslim. For many hearing a Palestinian perspective was difficult. At first I worried that perhaps they would be defensive and love Israel less, but seeing Israel's reality and all of its tensions only strengthened their connection and their compassion. I prepared by working with two of my colleagues: Eti,who is fluent in Arabic and a language teacher,taught one of my classes, and Aviv,an excellent teacher of biblical text who was my collaborator on the visit the Catholic school,helped design the lesson on Noah and facilitated group discussions during this visit. Working with both of them strengthened the learning for the students, and for me.
Visiting the Granada Islamic School
The culminating experience of our study of Islam was a full day visit with the seventh grade students at The Granada Islamic School, planned collaboratively with the Muslim teacher. Granada was our classroom for the day. The students studied, spoke, ate, played, listened, prayed and appreciated each other. We prepared in class by studying Arabic greetings and engaging in a text study of the story of Noah. The students from both schools would soon be looking at Noah, a common ancestor to both peoples. I introduced the students to the PaRDeS method of text study. Each time we read the text we developed a deeper interpretation. The next day I divided the students into small groups in which they prepared to teach the text by assigning verses and creating roles.
Although the students were prepared, many of them were genuinely worried about going to a Muslim school. They were concerned the kids would hate them and it would be an awful experience. The Granada students had similar concerns. Fortunately, during the visit, the students felt right at home. One of my students wrote in her reflection that
"it was like we had met when we were little and were just getting on like old times. They brought us in and treated us like one of them. There was no barrier between us. There was no need to act like were trying to help make peace between our two different and yet the same cultures, there was already that peace and sense of harmony between us."
After introductions and an icebreaker, students from Hausner and Granada chanted the story of Noah in Hebrew and in Arabic. This was a beautiful start. We shared baklava to taste how sweet learning is and broke into small groups to read and discuss the stories of Noah. We then came together as a whole group and shared the commonalities, the differences, what was interesting and the lessons found in each text. Reading the same story from a different perspective made concrete the common roots the students share.
Student reflections. After our visit, I asked the students to read their initial perceptions and see if anything changed or if they would add or alter anything. There were many precious realizations that the students came away with. When my students saw the Muslims teenagers praying with such respect and of their own volition, it surprised them. Some questioned their assumption that Muslims are forced to adhere to their religion; and many questioned their own practices. "It was beautiful and soothing to hear their prayers. You could tell that they were really feeling the prayer, not just saying it this made me consider our prayer service. I would rather have a warm, heartfelt prayer service every day lasting fifteen minutes than a long, torturous service on one day." Some originally believed that they had more in common with the Christian students, but after the visit, felt culturally and religiously closer to the Muslim kids. One student wrote "inside Granada felt warm and nice. The mosque wasn''t scary like the church." Students from both Granada and Hausner began apprehensive, some even hostile, and parted wanting to know more and to meet again. Next year when these same students are in eighth grade we will meet again.
In Hindsight
The students will remember this visit long after the textbook learning is forgotten. They were given a chance to grow and change, to question and to learn. They shared holy books, played basketball, exchanged email addresses and began new friendships. I know this study changed my students. They learned much about Islam, and also about themselves.
Providing my students with a personal experience gave them the opportunity to grow both intellectually and emotionally. They saw that people are no different. The Muslim kids liked the same music, watched the same T.V. shows and ate the same food. They weren't religious fanatics who hated Western Civilization, they were just normal kids. Through this study the students gained perspective on the complexities of religious history and how it affects our lives today. They left expanded, better able to appreciate similarities and not to fear difference.
I know that what I believe comes through in what I teach. I believe that people can get along. If you learn all you can about another culture and then sit and share and connect, you make peace; even if religions and governments can't, individuals will. I know my students and the Muslim students felt peace between them.
