Today must be some sort of reflective "grateful" day. I am certainly grateful I am sending my daughter to her Jerusalem high school. She told me she has to read a novel about a Christian Arab who lives in the north of Israel.
In the Herald Tribune I read an article by Thomas Friedman "Saudi schools foster a culture of death" where he says that their school system fosters intolerance and discrimination. That they glorify death and get young people to abstain from the attractions of life. He quotes one Saudi writer -"And the fact that from the 4th to 12th grade we do not teach our children that there are other civilizations in the world and that we are part of the global community and only stress the Islamic empires over and over is also worth reevaluating. And last but certainly not least, the religious climate in the country must change."
So Israel may not be a light unto the nations with everything, but perhaps with some things like this it may.
Saturday, June 05, 2004
Education
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10 comments:
Hi Leah,
Israel is a light to the nations. Never doubt!
On this day last yr. i was in Chicago waiting for my ElAl flight to Israel. My hope is--next year in Jerusalem!
Debbie
Hello Leah,
I have been enjoying your blog for some weeks now, and really appreciate your open-mindedness.. especially the fact that you take the time to discover people and try to understand their experiences rather than drawing lines. I am also sorry for your loss, may you be granted peace and courage in this time.
On the article by Thomas Friedman, this can only be taken with the knowledge that the Saudi regime relies upon repression and a massive security structure in order to maintain control. The situation is obviously different in Israel, but how can you reconcile relative openness in education with the recent destruction in Rafah? I would be interested in general attitudes regarding the recent military activity in Rafah, as well as your own thoughts.
Thanks, please keep yourself well and safe.
AR
I think you've it upon one of the key issues that is keeping conflict bubbling along in the middle east - incitement to racial and relgious violence in schools. The conflict will only be over when peace and mutual respect is taught in schools, and students who graduate from this education are in a position of power. It will take 40 years, but it will be sooner rather than later if we start today.
Hello Leah,
I am sorry to turn this into a political session, but Ranger's comments are just inexcusable. Islam preaches death to all Americans and Israelis? So as a Muslim American, I am in quite a pickle aren't I, Ranger? It is precisely those orientalist generalisations that perpetuate hatred, as they become self-fulfilling prophecy, to quote former British diplomat Patrick Bannerman "how non-Muslims think of Islam conditions the manner in which they deal with Muslims, which in turn conditions how Muslims think of and deal with non-Muslims”. Unfortunately so many Americans share Ranger's views, creating public support for the War in Iraq and perpetuation of conflict in general. I am so truly warmed by reading about Leah's appreciation for the humanity of the situation in Israel, which, for the record, I believe is more about land and water than a religious clash. Anyway, Leah, again I apologise for the rant, but this nonsense needs to be called what it is.
Yours,
AR
That's what my mum said when she lived in Israel in the 70's, the only way you'll change the state of affairs is to change the way children are taught, on both sides of the fence.
Though I feel I must agree with Ranger, because of what he actually said. He did not say that Islam teaches all of these things; he said that people are being taught that these are right in the name of Islam. Two completely seperate statements, regardless of what religion you insert. I think the most faiths are quite beautiful, but few are taught in a beautiful manner. People are taught that it is okay to murder in the name of their faith; that does not mean that their faith condones unnecessary death. Faiths are the constants; it is their followers who are the variables.
I see Kitty's point, that Ranger may be addressing how the religion is taught to some children by extremists but his statement was that "Islam teaches.." and it is his duty to speak responsibly and clearly, and even if his intentions were better than I assumed, he came across as ignorant, arrogant and racist.
Back to the point: it is so important to teach our children about 'the other' to enable them to reach out and understand varied experiences that shape peoples lives not only from their own perspectives but try to see what reality means for them. This starts in our own homes. Only then will the leaders of the future be able to go beyond our current limitations. And yes Leah, the Saudis could learn something from your daughter's education.
AR
Ranger
No worries, I was set off on a rant because I am tired of hearing people go on about Muslims and 'what Islam teaches'. I see what you were trying to say but the sad truth is that the media (what most Americans take as gospel) espouse completely ignorant and racist generalisations about Muslims, and it gets to a point where you just have to stand up and beg people to actually try to critically think about what they accept as truth.
My second point, relating to Leah's post, is that even though Saudi children are taught manufactured versions of history, it is not safe to assume they believe it. I would say that the majority realise that what they are being forced to read is tripe, and take the necessary steps to educate themselves. My experience with Chinese students, whose access to information is severely controlled, revealed that they knew more about world history and current politics, and were better able to assess it, than any American student I had ever met. This was largely because they knew that the information that was readily available to them was manufactured and so they took extra steps to educate themselves. Maybe I'm just an optimist, but I'd say that Saudi children are well aware of the global community.
So, Ranger sorry for the misunderstanding. I probably just perpetuated the stereotype of a hot-headed Arab (... even though I'm not Arab).
Yours,
AR
does anyone read these older comments?
Some of us still do :-)
And I can certainly vouch for the ignorance of American youths, particularly teenagers. Most carry around a chip on their shoulders, "Damn the Man!" Of course, the moment you ask them why, you can't get a complete thought from them. "Because he's bad, and he does bad stuff, and he doesn't approve of the way I dress."
The only reason I care is because they make it seem like anyone under the age of 25 is an angsty-emptyhead.
Ranger,
Relax, you didn't really do anything wrong... you were just unclear and the slip of your tongue gave me an opportunity to rant.
Be well, everyone.
AR
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