From our class discussion on Monday I felt that I needed to learn more about the Muslim culture so I could become more knowledgeable on how to address controversial issues as a teacher and connect with all my students. While reading a couple of articles I discovered that I did not know much about these people, nor their religion. However, an article titled, What is Islam, by Semya Hakim was very helpful in guiding my understanding. This article explained that after the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagons the Arab Americans have had to deal with an increased amount of racism. This is because many people do not know much about these people. Although Islam is the second largest Religion in America, with over 6 million followers, many people within the United States know very little about it. This may be why people associate the terrorist attacks with the study of Islam and many Islamic and Somali cultures suffer increased amount of racisms.
Within the article, A Sketch Of Islamic and Somali Culture, it explains the importance of cultural values within the Islamic and Somali community and significance of their religion within their everyday lives. Within this article I found the part, “Dispelling Myths about Islam” to be very fascinating. It explained that many people interpret the world Jihad to mean Holy War. However, the term actually means peace, because of this inaccurate translation many individuals link Muslims with the violence that occurs within the Middle East, this is why it is “important to differentiate between true Muslims and those who only claim to be Muslim to perpetuate political or personal agendas” when learning about the Islamic culture.
As a teacher, it is extremely important to be able to validate a students cultural beliefs and show that you respect them. This is why knowing how to interact with a Somali students is very beneficial. It will also be beneficial when stereotypes or controversial issues arise within the classroom. As a future teacher, I am glad that I am furthering my awareness of the religious rules and traditional practices of individuals who study Islam.