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Speakers Bureau :: Resources :: Schools
School Program to Prevent Hate
SCHOOL PROGRAM PROMOTING ZERO-TOLERANCE FOR HATE IN SCHOOLS WITH A FOCUS ON STUDENTS OF MIDDLE EASTERN & MUSLIM BACKGROUND
With tens of thousands of children of Middle Eastern and Muslim background returning to school, we are deeply concerned about the current climate they may face due to recent world events and related, continuous media coverage of such events and the ongoing war on terror.
Typically, there is a rise in discrimination, harassment, and hate crimes during times of conflict involving people from a particular ethnic or religious group. During the Gulf War in 1991 and in the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks, there was a peak in such incidents in schools across the country, which affected thousands of innocent children. According to recent surveys as well as a month-long research by a local reporter in the San Francisco Bay Area (see article: Suffer Little Muslims) such incidents have continued in schools during the last four years. Incidents have included:
1) Racially and religiously motivated teasing and name-calling that often went unchecked by school administrators. Common slurs included referring to students' parents as "Bin Laden," and students as "killer," "terrorist," "camel jockey," and "sand nigger."
2) Harassment and degrading comments made in unmonitored areas, such as school buses, hallways, bathrooms, school parking lots, cafeterias, locker rooms and libraries. These actions were not monitored or addressed.
3) Discrimination or harassment against Muslim girls wearing the religiously mandated headscarf (hijab); being called "rag heads" and sometimes having their scarves pulled off.
4) Classroom discussions about the war on terror often focused on "us" and "them", relegating students of Arab and Muslim background to a position of "the enemy," having to defend themselves or their families.
5) Classroom discussions that lacked sensitivity towards innocent civilians of Arab or Muslim background who have died in Iraq or Afghanistan.
We therefore request teachers and school administrators to exert a special effort to:
1) Be aware of, understand, and empathize with the challenges that students of Middle Eastern and Muslim background face during times of conflict involving the Middle East or Muslim countries or people; many feel overwhelmed by events and embattled in school, feeling that they need to either justify or explain events. Some may exhibit fear of coming to school or being academically punished for their views. They may feel embarrassed, humiliated or degraded by statements or responses to current events and may generally feel that their own feelings do not matter.
2) Be sensitive in classroom discussions relating to the war on terror or any other conflict concerning people of the region. Be supportive in words and deeds of a collective and inclusive environment in the classroom and school, and avoid discussions that may associate a student with "them".
3) Implement a zero tolerance policy for any form of discrimination or hate in the school or classroom, whether perpetrated by students or staff, and provide well-defined instructions and procedures for implementation of this policy.
4) Acknowledge and address personal views on current events which may compromise the school's or staff's academic responsibility to be objective and neutral in education. For example, school staff cannot appear to endorse a particular political point of view. Teachers, in particular, should allow for questions and differences of opinion, which must be grounded in civil discourse and mutual respect.
5) Address the issue of prejudice and its roots in the classroom or even school wide through discussions, posters, assemblies, or other forums. Have students relate and discuss their own experience with discrimination.
6) Invite guest speakers into classrooms or for assemblies to address common stereotypes and misconceptions about Muslims. Sponsor cultural diversity workshops for teachers and faculty as well.
These issues not only impact students of Arab and Muslim background, but also students of Sikh, Hindu, or other religious or ethnic backgrounds who may be confused with Arabs or Muslims, or who may be targeted because it presents an opportunity to those who harbor feelings of animosity or prejudice towards certain groups.
Discrimination and harassment of any group is unacceptable and should not be tolerated. School should be a place of learning and cooperation for all students, regardless of their ethnic or religious background. Teachers and school administrators can be proactive in building such a place, by creating a safe, comfortable and supportive environment for all students, and preventing hate before it starts.
Note to Arab & Muslim American parents or guardians: Please feel free to provide this information to your children's school staff.
Teachers' Resources:
Administration Resources:
Additional School Resources for Preventing Hate Available On-Line:
Published opinions of the Islamic Speakers Bureau on the impact of war on students:
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