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Mostafa
It’s now almost a week since Ramadan has started. I was just talking to my fiance about how much Americans know about Ramadan in particular and how much they teach about us in general. She told me that when she went to school, she knew almost nothing about Ramadan as a holiday, as a celebration. They taught them nothing about that in school, although they teach them about Hanukkah, which is a Jewish celebration commemorating the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem in 165 BC. I must stop here and ask, why the Jewish celebration is significantly taught in schools there while in considerable contrast, Islamic celebrations are utterly dismissed, they are barely mentioned briefly in a textbook or something. How much do they really care about us and our religion in their schools? Do they really care about teaching correct information about us? One of the incorrect statements you will constantly find in their textbooks that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the founder of Islam. According to Islamic teachings, this is basically incorrect. Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) isn’t the founder of Islam. He is the last messenger in a blessed chain of prophets and messengers. He was initially sent to Arabia but his message is universal because it is the same message of Moses, David, Solomon and Jesus (peace and blessings be upon them all). I said he is, deliberately emphasising the present form to explicitly indicate the substantial continuity and the ecumenical legacy of his message. Thus far, American education is quite unaccommodating to different cultures and traditions, despite their unproved proclamation to recognise diverse cultures. If we compare that to how British education is operated, we will instantly realise the prodominant catastrophe in the United States. Sarah my cousin lived in England for awhile because her husband worked there. Consequently, she had to enroll her daughter in a domestic English school. In English state education, they teach children about all religions, sects and traditions. According to my cousin’s words and I believe her, if a feast of one of the children is celebrated, they usually bring the parent of that child to talk to the class about their celebration and its essence. So for instance, if a Hindu feast is celebrated, they invite a Hindu mother to talk to the class about the celebration and what they do during that particular feast. It is quite the same for Buddhist, Jewish, Christian and of course, Islamic celebrations are included. I would like to directly send a message to the American secretary of education, MR. Arne Duncan. He must recognise the prodominant catastrophe and the deliberate exclusion of Islamic culture in the system of education. I am quite rebellious because it is despicable and furiously exasperating. Conversing with people from different cultures represents their temperament and their level of education. It helps me realising the significant difference between education in the United States and when I have a conversation with someone from the United Kingdom, for instance. Alasdair King is a Christian and he lives in Manchester. He is my best friend in the UK. He is quite respectful and educated. He is sighted, British, white,, married, has children and in his thirties. He is a software developer for people with different disabilities including blindness and dyslexia. When I have a conversation with Alasdair, I promptly recognise the difference between the education he received which is based on intercultural recognition, tolerance, coexistence and diversity. Americans have various nationalities living in the same place but unfortunately, they are not involved together, they are sadly isolated in small and segregated communities. It is not about giving the American visa to people from different cultures, it is whether those people are willing to live together. Unfortunately in the United States, they lack the least of knowing a feast. Shame on them and shame on the system of the education. They allow their prejudiced and corrupted media to speak abominably about us. They spell the word Muslim derogatorily as Moslem, and they consider the rhetoric of inciting hatred as freedom of expression. Such as saying, Moslems are terrorists, kidnappers, hijackers, and so on, while they really don’t care about rectifying the deliberately distorted portrait by raising the awareness with some amount of respectful education. Well, to end this, I will therefore never reside in this racist and quite isolated country. I will inshallah bring my Muslim fiance who born and grew up in California to stay here with us, with me, my family and my friends. If Allah willed, we may live in the UK but if Allah glory be to Him doesn’t allow this to happen, we are still living here, happily, practicing Islam without isolation or defending ourselves against false allegations and of course, with our identity quite preserved. It is time for me to go pray. I just felt the need to express this.