Commentary: School bridges distances that keep people apart
Richard F. Nourie is head of school at Abington Friends School and a member of the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools
Richard F. Nourie
is head of school at Abington Friends School and a member of the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools
At Abington Friends School, our educational search for truth and understanding takes many paths, but the decision this spring to ask an imam from a West Philadelphia mosque to be a scholar in residence sparked a surprisingly sharp response.
When word of the invitation to Malik Mubashshir began to circulate beyond our campus, I received an angry letter. Didn't I realize that Muslims were not interested in assimilating as other Americans were, the writer warned, but rather were bent on conversion or murder in an attempt to overthrow our country?
The writer's message only deepened my conviction that the upper-school students and faculty of our Quaker, independent school would benefit from seeing the human face of our Muslim neighbors in Philadelphia and engaging in a dialogue aimed at puncturing the myths and misunderstandings that have conflated Islam with terrorism.
As with others, we have been listening carefully to the rhetoric of this past political season, which has been divisive and toxic with its talk of fear, exclusion, closing borders, and sowing suspicion. We see it all over the world, not just in the United States, and it is directed toward many people.
There is a rising tide of anti-Semitism in the world right now. There is marked fear of refugees. We hear dangerous talk about Mexicans and building walls, and certainly about Islam and our Muslim brothers and sisters.
As a peace-building school, we recognize the peril of distance. When we are able to view people from afar, to see them as "the other," and to make them less than human, then injustice, oppression, and violence become possible. We also know this is a two-way street. Those same distances make us the "other" to some.
In proximity, we can see each other's humanity far more clearly and are better able to navigate even difficult conflicts with knowledge, respect, and a genuine commitment to justice. So, part of our work toward peace, diversity, and inclusion is to close these gaps.
That is why we invited Mubashshir, a longtime Friends educator and imam at the Muslim Community Masjid Association in West Philadelphia, to campus for two days of interaction with students. The visit was made possible by the distinguished professor lectureship created by Susan Salesky Rudin, a 1957 alumna, and her husband, Jack. Since 1998, the lecture series has brought to campus compelling voices across a broad range of topics, from the arts to public policy.
Mubashshir's visit this month took him into several classrooms where he joined in discussions about the differences we perceive in one another and how fear can turn to discrimination and inhumanity. None of the exchanges with students was more important than one that occurred in a French class, where students had been studying the massacre at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris after the satirical magazine published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Extremist Muslims, angered by the blasphemy and seeing it as a direct attack on their faith, killed a dozen journalists.
The question before the class was whether Muslims should adapt to freedom of speech within a democracy that permits people to scrutinize or even mock religion. Mubashshir responded by citing a passage from the Quran about what Muslims are supposed to do when the religion is disrespected in their presence. It has nothing to do with violence.
"The Quran says you get up and you leave," he said. "And it says when the conversation changes, you come back and join the group."
Mubashshir follows the spiritual guidance of the late Imam W.D. Mohammed, whose teachings pivoted toward a more traditional, orthodox movement within the Muslim community. To Mubashshir, those teachings leave no room for initiating acts of violence. They actively promote interfaith dialogue and find no incompatibility between being a good American citizen and being a Muslim.
His views were echoed on the final day of his visit when the school hosted a forum with Mubashshir and three other Philadelphia Muslims: Rashidah Abdul-Khabeer, founder and executive director of the Islamic Social Services Association of Philadelphia; William Jacobs Jr., who is active in the Muslim Community Masjid Association; and Zakiyyah Abdul-Raheem, a former leader of the East Mount Airy Neighbors civic group.
The panelists each told of a personal journey that led to their declaration of faith, allowing their humanity to shine forth and their differences to diminish. Asked by a student what should be the first step toward ending misunderstandings about Muslim Americans, Abdul-Raheem, responded quickly.
"Forums like this," she said. "Talking about what Islam is really about. It is one of the best ways to attack it."
Amen.