In the United States there are 244 Catholic colleges, 50 Jewish colleges, even 1 Hindu college and in Berkeley California a new college has sprung up. But this college isn't affiliated with the above religions. Zaytuna College is the first Muslim university in the United States (Click Here to see a video and USA Today article on Zaytuna College).
Not everybody is thrilled about this new university, in fact there is much controversy over it. According to the USA Today article mentioned above Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Frank Gaffney, believes that the school is trying to spread Islam in America.
But when you think about it, America is littered with various religious affiliated schools that include Notre Dame, Brandeis University, and many others. No one seems to have a problem with these schools, other then the occasional sports rivalry.
So why is it then, that this small college of 15 students has struck such a nerve? In American Studies we have been talking about how since 9/11 many Americans have an unclear perspective on the teachings of Islam. The ironic thing is that one of Zaytuna College's goal is to teach non-muslim americans about their world to give a better understanding and less resentment against their culture, but at the same time these non-muslim americans are the people who are not supporting the school.
I believe the only way to stop this bias is the same way that Zaytuna College is trying, which is to better educate people on the beliefs of Islam. But how should this be taught? It seems as though many americans don't want to learn about this religion and if the information was just shoved down their throats, they wouldn't respond well. Maybe what has to been done is to teach students in school about various religions. I know for me, I was taught about religions in World History class freshmen year. If every child in america was given the same information I got, maybe my generation could be the generation to change things, but until then we'll have to persist on with these stubborn, non informed americans.
Emma,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you about how education would help solve this problem. Perhaps the best way to teach these accepting values is to begin teaching them early, even before freshman year. Rather than being an afterthought, acceptance should be one of the core values society teaches children. However, I think it is crucial that it is taught without any caveats; we should not be more welcoming to a person based on gender, race, etc.
I also think that you make a really interesting statement in pointing out the irony in this situation. It seems as if the cultural center near the site of the World Trade Centers has the same purpose, yet people still oppose it. Isn't the hate between our two cultures what started the whole thing in the first place?
I also heard about this groundbreaking college on NPR. I thought it was fascinating how they tried to separate the religion of Islam from the culture of countries from the Middle East. For example, this college allows young men and women to attend the same classes together.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how countries outside of the United States might confuse the culture/people of the United States with its government, for example.
Perhaps the only solution is education -- but how do you cut through all of the information noise?
I agree with you Emma and with Nikita on this one. we certainly had chapters on religion in our textbooks in 5th - 8th grade but we always skipped over them. They were almost taboo in a way. Our teachers said that we were not allowed to learn about them, so I did not know a thing about Islam before freshman year. If children grew up knowing about all religions they would see that they are not so different and I think that it would help diffuse the tension.
ReplyDeleteThe American people need to realize that this college is a form of education, not brainwashing. Emma, I agree with you that if Americans are fine with Catholic and Jewish colleges, why not accept a Muslim school? The only way to create this peace is to educate. Freshman year, I went on a excursion to a mosque in Glenview as part of our religion study in World History. Learning about the Muslim faith not only changed my stereotypical attitude that all Muslims are terrorists, but I gained respect for the people who practice Islam. Education is key in this situation, and if people would accept that, the religious tension between "Americans" and Muslims would diminish.
ReplyDeleteYou're never going to develop a solution that satisfies everyone, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteGreat post -- just think about formatting it in such a way that gives the reader a few breaks with paragraphs and/or an image.