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Tip
Sheet: Culture & Living Tip sheets highlight timely news and events at Washington University in St. Louis. For more information on any of the stories below or for assistance in arranging interviews, please see the contact information listed with each story. For comments on the Culture & Living news tips service, please contact the editor, Sue Killenberg McGinn at (314) 935-5254 or susan_killenberg_mcginn@aismail.wustl.edu. School staff can be first line of defense against discrimination of Muslim children Media assistance: Jessica Roberts - (314) 935-5251 Source: David R. Hodge Related: U.S. Dept. of Education: religion and the public schools Related: Council on Islamic Education [St. Louis, Mo., July/August 2002] - In the months after the tragic events of Sept. 11, there were numerous reports of violence against Muslims in the United States. Ten months after the tragedies, this violence has been replaced by a continued increase in discrimination against Muslims, both in and outside of school and workplace. The increased discrimination coupled with the fact that Muslims constitute a significant and growing percentage of American youths, raises concerns about the well-being of Muslim children in schools. School social workers, teachers and parents can become the first line of defense against discrimination of Muslim children in the classroom, says David R. Hodge, a Rene Sand doctoral fellow at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. Hodge is the author of a recent Children and Schools journal article that offers school social workers solutions to conflicts that can arise between Muslim students and their peers who may not understand each other's beliefs and values. These solutions, which include learning about Islam and allowing Muslim students to express their faith in school settings, can be used by other school administrators as well as teachers, he says. "A basic understanding and awareness of Islam in the school setting -- such as their duty to pray at certain times during the day -- could help reduce value conflicts Muslim students face and peer pressure placed on them to socialize into Western secular values," Hodge says. "School social workers can serve as a bridge between Muslims and school officials to broker solutions that address the needs of all parties." Hodge notes that the first step is for social workers to have a background in Islamic faith -- to understand the five pillars that constitute the common core of the religion. These pillars are the declaration of faith, the daily performance of five ritual prayers at set times throughout the day, almsgiving, the yearly sunrise to sunset fast during the month of Ramadan, and a one-time pilgrimage to Mecca. "The increased harassment that Muslims have experienced since Sept. 11 serves as a case in point," Hodge says. "Many people in secular settings tend to associate strong commitment to a religious belief system with negative characteristics. Parents, school personnel and social workers can help address these types of biases by pointing out that a terrorist such as Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber, also evidenced a strong commitment to his belief system and identified himself as environmentalist. Just as it is incorrect to associate committed environmentalists with terrorism, it is also wrong to associate committed Muslims with terrorism." Through his research, Hodge found that many Muslim parents fear their children will be socialized into Western secular values that they believe will do little to advance their children's well-being. And most Muslim youth, he notes, want to retain their Muslim values even if they are different from Western values and culture. However, according to Hodge, the desire of many Muslim youths to exercise their religious faith can result in conflict, especially in U.S. public schools. Prayer and fasting may be difficult without the assistance from school officials. Hodge notes that teachers may be reluctant to excuse students from class or other events when prayers should occur. Muslim youths also may experience a significant degree of peer pressure because of their beliefs. Muslim youth may be ridiculed or worse for failing to follow secular values. "People who work with Muslim youth, especially in the school setting, can be instrumental in helping Muslim students exercise their religious rights," Hodge notes. "Many problems can be alleviated by dispelling misinformation and helping people see Muslims in a more favorable light to foster a more civil society in which all members are treated with respect and dignity." |
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